10.10.2009

Shovel Eater Cave
Dwight Livingston checks to see if the rope or his cave pack he is hauling, while ascending rope, is snagged during a project trip into Shoveleater Cave.

Dwight stands next to the Vomitorium in SEC.
Shovel Eater Cave

Shoveleater Cave Trip Report
Harper Canyon Detail
by Dwight Livingston

  • No survey.
  • Killed multiple leads.
  • Photographed decorated areas.

Chris Coates, Nikki Fox and I entered about 11:15 am and went directly to the northern Harper canyon overlook via Ohio Bypass. We found the rigging at the HHH bolt climb a bit worn at a rub point, just enough to make a floppy place in the rope. Our first objective was to rig a hole at the bottom of the Harper Canyon Drop (86 foot drop) and check leads along the northern wall of the pit below it. We found numerous holes to the domes below, both to the upper pit of the E Drop series and to the Devils Drop bridge, which includes the top of the upper E Drop. The wall that separates the two pits is intriguingly thin, and a number of irregular holes connects them. A lot of loose rock at the top complicates any sort of rig there. It seemed that no amount of grooming would make it clean enough to be safe. The danger is aggravated by a areas of crumbling bedrock.

Our first rig took the survey laterally north, over the top small breakdown piles and down to a waterfall shelf. From that point the entire north end of the canyon can be seen. There are no leads, except up into the shallow breakdown of Harper Canyon. We surveyed it to define that end of the pit profile.

We next rigged down to the “bridge” at the Devils Drop. This was a safe route but on top of flowstone, not suitable for a permanent rig. Once down, we rigged a tether to go over to the TBJ survey. In the far pit Chris checked the canyon lead and found it too tight after going in more than twenty feet. I sketched plan and profile. (Today I also tracked down some shot data that was entered incorrectly, so now TBJ1A lies in the correct position – another mystery cleared up.)

Nikki brought camera and flash gear, so we took a couple of pictures of Mark Minton in the Harper Canyon ceiling, then traveled over to the BR survey to photograph the Vomitorium wall. There are some interesting red formations in another part of BR, and Nikki shot some of those also.
Our last objective was to check the location of station HCT3, which looked a bit out of place when I tried to fit that survey into the working map. I shot it from above the balcony and tied to BAT 11.

That done, we crawled out to station CFA7 and squeezed out onto Robins Roost, an interesting shelf high in Harper Canyon, directly above TBJ survey and the E Drops. It was here that Bob Robins, on his way up the Harper Canyon Drop, accidentally got off rope early and was therefore first to walk the shelf. We had a fine view of Bob Alderson as he descended spider-like from a hole in the ceiling.

It was a short trip out from there. I exited first, around 11:30, and surprised a group of deer near the entrance. They bounded a few yards off and stood, five pairs of white eyes in the black woods.

This weekend we put up a new copy of the working map, one that Gordon was kind enough to print last minute. Among other discussions of what proper name should be used for this and that part of the cave, I talked with a few people about what to call the cave itself. I’ve seen both “Shoveleater Cave” and “Shovel Eater Cave” in use, and for me there is value both in original names and in common usage. In this case it seems the original Shoveleater Cave is preferred, so I will be changing the documentation accordingly.

I believe it would be helpful to have a permanent rig from the Devils Drop bridge up to Harper canyon. This would make an easier route out from Germany Well, via Ohio Bypass. It probably should go over the breakdown and not though it, to avoid the rockfall hazard.

Leads killed: E1 (two times), D5, TBJ1, H8.

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