On Friday evening William and I drove out to 3 Mile Hill and set up camp. The weather forecast promised chilly temperatures, so we came prepared with mummy bags and extra layers of clothing.

The first morning we awoke to frost crystals on the inner walls of our tent. Brrr....! Breakfast and steaming cups of coffee warmed us into action and we made our way to the fire tower. Jennifer Foote presented the projects for the day and we were divided into teams. William, Jennifer, Simon, and David headed to the Vertizontal in Wonderland for restoration. Tammy, Phyllis B., Barry, Wayne, John L., and Kelby L. went to Hidden.

We rappelled to the bottom of Hidden and found a recently deceased rat/mouse at the base of the rope. (Didn't smell yet.) Phyllis showed us our cleaning sites and I began removing brown dirt. It was gratifying to make a noticeable difference. Barry cleaned a big, exceptionally brown rock with very satisfying results.

I was the first to ascend at the end of the day and we hiked back to the hut. William's group came back a bit later (just as the icy lump of soup that was to be supper finally melted). We spent another night under the stars, but this time it was at least 10 degrees warmer.

Morning was crisp and we hurried to dress and meet at the fire tower. Once again people and projects combined. William went to Hell Below with Phyllis B., John L., and Kelby L. for restoration work. Tammy went to Cave Tree Cave with Aaron Stockton, Haley Woods, and Jon for survey work.

After a short hike we found the entrance and one by one wiggled in. We scooted between a narrow passage until we were walking amidst an impressive array of stalagmites, stalactites, flowstone, columns, cave pearls, and a plethora of weirdly shaped helictities. One particularly odd helictite is named Burke’s helictite and is perched close to the floor. At one point our group removed our boots and put on aqua socks. We proceeded to the back of the cave and the survey team worked its way forward. A disto was used to measure up, down, right, left. Tammy took lots of pictures.

We hiked back to the fire tower hut and waited for the Hell Below team to return. The wind howled outside and we were glad to finally hear the sounds of cavers returning. John and Kelby were staying another night, so the rest of us bid them goodbye and drove our separate ways. Until next time.