So my history with War Eagle cave is a sordid one...but I finally now, four years later, had a chance to go back.
Forum user nearlywhite is here right now visiting so we've been taking him around our lovely caves. Prettymuch a cave a day...
6/27: Bluff River - Upper level is dry, lots of fossils, main passage is 15-17m tall and as or more wide, river borehole
6/28: Rainbow Pit - New one for me, part of my Alphabet Caving project, quite pretty! We even "let" him use his simple
only 20-meter drop and we had supple clean rope
The Far Side by Amy Hinkle, on Flickr
Top by Amy Hinkle, on Flickr
6/29: Limrock - another classic, large borehole, a fun 3D maze through the middle/bottom of a breakdown choke, nice rimestone and travertene.
6/30: "day off" but had our cave rescue training so we rigged an English Reeve system
(video here, he makes an appearance https://www.facebook.com/CaveRescue/videos/vb.142918269058762/1143952722288640/?type=3&theater )
7/1: Pretty Well - maybe not quite a TAG Classic, but very pretty as it's name implies. 64 meter single pitch. Goes into a HUGE breakdown chamber, with a secret hole to a lovely parallel dome. It actually sits above Limrock.
On Rope by Amy Hinkle, on Flickr
7/2: Hoopers - our classic little hole in the ground (only 28 meters) not a TAG classic but certainly popular in Huntsville.
7/3: Mystery Falls - TAG Classic, so excited to finally get to share this one with one of ya'all! About 80 meter freehang, from bolts even Double fig8 (bunny ears) and that's it
Mystery Falls Waterfall 2 by Amy Hinkle, on Flickr
7/4: War Eagle! Got down the 45 meter entrance drop which is covered in flowstone and "jellyfish" and curtains, to almost 2 miles of system underneath (and really more, it has been pushed and connected to another system). Super patriotic sounding name for Fourth of July, right? Well actually, here, college football is a huge thing, and War Eagle is the "call" for Auburn U, so it really has nothing to do (directly, at least) with patriotism but we can pretend. And football is oddly patriotic type pride here it seems (it's okay, I don't get it myself so feel free to make fun of that). Anyway, first we went downstream which has a lot of pretties, and you bounce from side of the river to other side, because the river gets swimmingly deep in spots.
TAG Borehole by Amy Hinkle, on Flickr
There is some lovely bacon, if you are hungry for a snack
Bacon Bacon Bacon! by Amy Hinkle, on Flickr
And then you get to a soda straw chamber, which while not Cloud Chamber, is some of the best white soda straws I know of in TAG.
Amy Soda Straw Chamber by Amy Hinkle, on Flickr
The mud in that area is very pretty, apparently. I believe his quote was "Wow this mud is so pretty!" I didn't know you were all so deprived of decorations that even the mud is awesome To be fair, the mud did form into a very pool finger type shape.
The Mud Is So Pretty! by Amy Hinkle, on Flickr
And then more decorations!
Chamber of Pretties by Amy Hinkle, on Flickr
and then we turned back, passed where the entrance drop comes in, and continued upstream. Which has some nice gypsum in an upper section, dried out white rimstone pools, and continues on as classic stream with huge mud and rock shelf carved banks for a while. Interestingly, the cobbles in the river are sandstone so it is lovely red/orange contrast to the gray limestone. Even spotted a really odd salamander, one I have never seen before, ever. I hope to identify it. It was very far into the cave, nowhere near daylight zone.
Green Salamander Front by Amy Hinkle, on Flickr
Eventually we backtracked to the entrance drop once more but this time to climb out. I am totally loving all the singing, why is it that with two visits there, no one has been singing these speleosongs for me?! I love singing in caves! I remember a thread here long ago about some cave themed songs but I have never heard them until now, which has been a great treat. To do my part, since I don't know any cave songs, I opted to sing our National Anthem as of course it was the Fourth of July. Not to be outdone, nearlywhite sang the Welsh national anthem. He also sang some of the speleosongs, I have a recording of part of one but I shan't post it here since the lyrics aren't exactly all SFW.
War Eagle Entrance Drop by Amy Hinkle, on Flickr
Forum user nearlywhite is here right now visiting so we've been taking him around our lovely caves. Prettymuch a cave a day...
6/27: Bluff River - Upper level is dry, lots of fossils, main passage is 15-17m tall and as or more wide, river borehole
6/28: Rainbow Pit - New one for me, part of my Alphabet Caving project, quite pretty! We even "let" him use his simple
only 20-meter drop and we had supple clean rope
The Far Side by Amy Hinkle, on Flickr
Top by Amy Hinkle, on Flickr6/29: Limrock - another classic, large borehole, a fun 3D maze through the middle/bottom of a breakdown choke, nice rimestone and travertene.
6/30: "day off" but had our cave rescue training so we rigged an English Reeve system
(video here, he makes an appearance https://www.facebook.com/CaveRescue/videos/vb.142918269058762/1143952722288640/?type=3&theater )
7/1: Pretty Well - maybe not quite a TAG Classic, but very pretty as it's name implies. 64 meter single pitch. Goes into a HUGE breakdown chamber, with a secret hole to a lovely parallel dome. It actually sits above Limrock.
On Rope by Amy Hinkle, on Flickr7/2: Hoopers - our classic little hole in the ground (only 28 meters) not a TAG classic but certainly popular in Huntsville.
7/3: Mystery Falls - TAG Classic, so excited to finally get to share this one with one of ya'all! About 80 meter freehang, from bolts even
Double fig8 (bunny ears) and that's it
Mystery Falls Waterfall 2 by Amy Hinkle, on Flickr7/4: War Eagle! Got down the 45 meter entrance drop which is covered in flowstone and "jellyfish" and curtains, to almost 2 miles of system underneath (and really more, it has been pushed and connected to another system). Super patriotic sounding name for Fourth of July, right? Well actually, here, college football is a huge thing, and War Eagle is the "call" for Auburn U, so it really has nothing to do (directly, at least) with patriotism but we can pretend. And football is oddly patriotic type pride here it seems (it's okay, I don't get it myself so feel free to make fun of that). Anyway, first we went downstream which has a lot of pretties, and you bounce from side of the river to other side, because the river gets swimmingly deep in spots.
TAG Borehole by Amy Hinkle, on FlickrThere is some lovely bacon, if you are hungry for a snack
Bacon Bacon Bacon! by Amy Hinkle, on FlickrAnd then you get to a soda straw chamber, which while not Cloud Chamber, is some of the best white soda straws I know of in TAG.
Amy Soda Straw Chamber by Amy Hinkle, on FlickrThe mud in that area is very pretty, apparently. I believe his quote was "Wow this mud is so pretty!" I didn't know you were all so deprived of decorations that even the mud is awesome
To be fair, the mud did form into a very pool finger type shape.
The Mud Is So Pretty! by Amy Hinkle, on FlickrAnd then more decorations!
Chamber of Pretties by Amy Hinkle, on Flickrand then we turned back, passed where the entrance drop comes in, and continued upstream. Which has some nice gypsum in an upper section, dried out white rimstone pools, and continues on as classic stream with huge mud and rock shelf carved banks for a while. Interestingly, the cobbles in the river are sandstone so it is lovely red/orange contrast to the gray limestone. Even spotted a really odd salamander, one I have never seen before, ever. I hope to identify it. It was very far into the cave, nowhere near daylight zone.
Green Salamander Front by Amy Hinkle, on FlickrEventually we backtracked to the entrance drop once more but this time to climb out. I am totally loving all the singing, why is it that with two visits there, no one has been singing these speleosongs for me?! I love singing in caves! I remember a thread here long ago about some cave themed songs but I have never heard them until now, which has been a great treat. To do my part, since I don't know any cave songs, I opted to sing our National Anthem as of course it was the Fourth of July. Not to be outdone, nearlywhite sang the Welsh national anthem. He also sang some of the speleosongs, I have a recording of part of one but I shan't post it here since the lyrics aren't exactly all SFW.
War Eagle Entrance Drop by Amy Hinkle, on Flickr
