Paxton’s Cave - 12/29/2024
Aiden Ward Reporting
Cavers: Aidan Ward, Harriet Flynn, Casey Tucker, Chris Meyle, Tristan Talbert, Margot Roseum, and Karl Rand
After arriving at the parking area, we signed into the register and noted a warning made by the previous cavers: "WARNING: Major rock fall in Breakdown Room. Looks very different than b4."
The Breakdown Room is one of the first notable rooms on the main path towards the Christmas room -- our primary objective. Seems like these last cavers had enough trouble finding the way with all the new rock fall that they found it important enough to make a warning. Is this a bit of foreshadowing? Nah, surely not.
We entered the cave at approximately 11:30am and first headed to the "Big Room" where we saw what appeared to be a very big room. There was also a hibernating bat, which we guessed was a tri-color or possibly silver-haired bat. Then we backtracked to the entrance and began our first attempt to find the Christmas room. Though I had a map and was the only one in the group who had actually been to the Christmas Room before, I have to admit that it was not my own navigation skills that got me there (something which became very clear to all of us as the trip went on). Regardless, we bravely pushed on, and quickly found ourselves... right back where we started.
Well, ok, no problem. A minor setback, but at least now we know what isn't the way. And anyway, I blame the rock fall. Surely it's not my memory that failed me, it's the cave and its weak ceilings that did. So we push on again, this time in a different direction!
Until we find ourselves right back where we started.
Right. At this point, our goal had shifted from finding the Christmas room to just finding the First Formation room, which is only about a third of the way between the entrance and the Christmas room. So, accepting this defeat, we push onward yet again, and this time the cave rewards us with beautiful helictites, passages that actually look familiar to me, and finally, the ghost of Floyd Collins in the First Formation room. We take a lunch break here, spend a few more minutes poking around the area, then start our trek back, exiting at approximately 4:54pm.
Though we weren't able to find the Christmas room, joy and holiday cheer was still had by all and we were all left itching to go back and explore more of Paxton's Cave.
Thanks guys for the fun trip!
