Hawaii Caving Travelogue 2010

From the Desert of Kau and Beyond

Time to write has been limited because, as seems to happen so frequently here, we are brimming with projects. Let's just say that we are Back At It Again...
Our first caving day (Sunday Feb. 7) led us into the field only a few yards from the first survey point in the entire Kipuka Kanohina system. It turns out that several pukas above the main cave had never been surveyed. A few hundred feet of passage later, and we (Don Coons, Emily, myself and Harry Sheck had tied in to the main cave. We still have a couple days of clean up to do in this convenient area. After so many years of survey in this massive system, it is a little amusing to find "new" cave so close to home. Below Harry makes a climb.

And here's Don surveying as we go, following trailblazers with the notebook.

All in all a nice warm up day. Monday followed with another pleasing survey in H.O.V.E. (Hawaiian Ocean View Estates, once the largest subdvision in the world. An expansive and lightly populated area above Kula Kai estates). Carol Vesley and Peter Bosted led us to cave on some of the ample "for sale" land in the region.

Had to get on rope for this one. It had been a while for me, but I didn't need the parachute, so all's well. Emily's certainly no stranger to the exercise. Wheeeee.

And Carol keeping the ship afloat as our safety monitor (Keep you paw on the rope, Mike).

This cave was worth dropping into. A few hundred feet of nice passage, winding in and out of airy pukas, loaded with bright and interesting formations. The reality of caves in a subdivision greeted us at the next intersection, where and impromptu dump occupied the passage along with road-fill blockage. A bit of a disappointing end to this section. Another piece of the greater system is sketched in.

Meet my little friend, at the end of the day, minus a belay.