Day: September 22, 1996

Trip to Clarks Cave
Sept. 22, 1996
by Liselle Batt

Clarks!! Climbing was the word on this trip. Nine a.m., weary and bleary from three hours of sleep, I stumbled into Chris’s car and the four of us headed out. That’s Liselle, Chris, Linne, and Faye. A jaunt to McDonald’s did much to invigorate the morning blaa and we cruised into the cow inhabited cow/cow-pattie (wash your tires lately, Chris?) inhabited field psyched for the day. Scurry down the slope, watch that barbed wire, and whoah, nice cliff! So we set up atop it and took turns rappelling down. As our England-bound fellow caver Becca Caven would have said, “Oh Yeahh!” What a rush, to jump off a thirty foot cliff, and bounce your way down…And then, the cave. Rats in a maze, anyone? The place was a twisty, turny labyrinth of passages. Buried treasure was our main objective during the next few hours and we wiggled through every hole to find it. Success Linne found a diamond but of course we left it there. You know, cave etiquette and all. Even better though were all the formations we saw. Whole rooms of crystallized stalactites and stalagmites, dripping their way towards each other. Fossils everywhere and, of course, Billy Bob- the giant…Ahh, yeah. On our way out (Good show on the navigating Chris- but I still think my way would have been right, to o) the bats must have thought we were trying to take the diamond cause they were doing crash course dive bombs at us. Or maybe they were hungry…Phew, out of the cave, into the sun, anyone for climbing? A little creative teamwork and we hoisted the 2,000 lb. caving/climbing bag to the top of the cliff and rigged up for climbing. The virgin gear was kind to our weary muscles and twas good fun the whole way up. What a climb it was. Took me two times to get it. But was well worth the adrenaline pumping effort. Back at the car, the Corn Pops didn’t stand a chance against us and we all learned exactly how fast Chris can drive as we bee-lined it for grub at good ol’ Mill Creek Cafe. The Cheese cake dilemma raged and we left sated and feeling good. Homeward bound at 9:30 p.m., starry night and Eagles grooving the tunes. Nice Trip.