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TAG Fall Cave In 2001 - Saturday Bill Walker Friday night was rainy and windy, but the bad weather passed through the area before daybreak. We decided to run up and bounce Stephen's Gap and then run up the road to Tumbling Rock. Kevin Greene, Kim and Karen joined us. Pipeside We started up the Jeep trail to Stephen's Gap and I led the way in my 2wd Xterra. I made it up a few rough spots and came to a suspicious looking mud puddle. I pulled over to the side to let Kevin through. We decided we would pack everything in the back of his truck and walk up behind him. Kim was concerned that they couldn't make it through, but Kevin said, "it's no big deal. It's just a little puddle." When they hit the hole, the truck sank deeper than his front bumper. Kevin stomped on it and made it through. The first picture below is the after effects of the mud hole. You can see my Xterra in the background on the other side of the mud. Kevin had no problems making it up to Pipeside Pit. I am now looking to trade my truck in for a 4wd Toyota. (I also had to be pulled out of the Speedway Quarry the following weekend by Woody. Brian really rubbed it in when he said, "the $500 dollar Bronco pulls out the $28,000 SUV!")
Pipeside is a cool little pit. The pit was already rigged by a group conducting training courses. They offered the use of their ropes so we decided to bounce the pit. The first thing that we noticed is that these professionals had forgotten to tie a knot in the TAG line (which you can see is right next to the main line in the second photo.) Sean wound up re-rigging the drop anyway. It is amazing that anyone would neglect to tie a knot in a pigtail these days, especially since the tragedy a few years ago just a half mile up the trail at Stephen's Gap. Stephen's Gap After we spent entirely too much time at Pipeside, we started the death march up the mountain to Stephen's Gap. It was clear that we wouldn't have enough time to do Tumbling Rock (especially after that long breakfast at Perkins), so we decided to take our time at Stephen's Gap. Awesome pit! Nothing significant to say about the trip except that there were 30 people there. Luckily we got to rig the keyhole and everyone else had to rig the side along the wall.
Bonfire
We missed the lighting of the fire because we got back at 8:30. I swear I will see the lighting one of these years. Next year I'm relaxing at camp all day Saturday so I can see it. The weather was cold again (40's) and the the bonfire was very comfortable. The other pictures below are Brandon in the squeeze box at 5 3/4 inches. He couldn't do 5 1/2(the smallest setting) because his head wouldn't physically fit in it. I stayed up at the fire after everyone from the FSS went to bed. I drank way too much rum and met a lot of interesting people that I don't really remember. I do remember going up to the hot tub with some folks from Indiana. There were fifteen guys all talking to one girl in the hot tub. To use Kevin's description, "it looked like a can of Vienna sausages." I decided that was not my thing, so I left to go back to my tent. I must have hit a gravity vortex on the way back, because I fell down, hit my elbow, and rolled down the hill.
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