When using someone new to Pettyjohn Cave in north Ga, I take pleasure in using them on the Loop tour. It is wonderful for the reason that the only portion of the cave that the route crossed 2 times is about 250 toes of cave in the vicinity of the entrance. The round excursion will get about 4 hours and involve restricted squeezes, average climbs and some mud, but not the true mud. If the team genuinely wishes a problem, increase in the Flat Home and the Z-bends. Aspect trips can also be created to the More than ‘N Below Area or the Echo Space for an even for a longer time vacation.
The Loop route is made up of the Pancake Squeeze or Z-Bends, choose one or split the group up with half going as a result of every single. (Smaller sized cavers choose the Z-Bends). Subsequent is the Raccoon home, The Freeway, and then the Bridge Room. Leaving the Bridge Room, crawl into the Mason – Dixon Passage and on to the Volcano Place, then back again to the Major Entrance Room.
As a single slides down into the entrance of Pettyjohn, you are unable to enable but see the easy weathered rock slide that countless numbers of cavers have slid down in advance of. If it is raining or damp muddy cavers exited just just before your bash does, the very last number of feet of the cave can be rather complicated and it will demand most of your climbing techniques just to exit the cave. A rapid flip to the left and down then again to the suitable and the cave opens up into a substantial cavern. Until your eyes alter to the darkish acquire care climbing down into the significant Entrance Space. The floor may well be slippery, so whilst your eyes change, attempt to take in the big formations on just about every aspect of the area. The place is about 30 ft significant and 20 feet extensive. About 200 feet into the cave is the very first junction area and a climb.
Down by the flooring in the initially junction home is the route to the Signature Area, a great journey for 1st time cavers, with a lot of good sticky mud. The nicely-worn path up the rock to the still left is tough to climb, but uncomplicated to arrive down on the way out. There is a sloping rock in the middle of the passage that will have a unique crack for a foot move adopted by another sloping rock with 1 small worn formation in the centre that delivers yet another foot stage to the best of the climb. A number of additional actions and you are wanting down a steep climb down with a massive overhanging boulder on the suitable and the vertical wall on the left.
Slowly and gradually perform your way down alongside the proper facet less than the overhang to the bottom of the 2nd junction place. This is wherever we start the Loop route and it is also the most traveled route to the huge water fall at the lower degree. There will be two holes at the bottom of the next junction room. The most clear 1 is a fall that I would not recommend. Immediately after checking it out change back away from the left wall and climb down through the breakdown, toes very first, right until you are less than the gap. You can then see that there are no foot or hand retains to use if you arrived by the to start with gap.
Go on to climb down under the left wall of the Entrance Room, the cave will open up up sloping steeply absent from the Primary Entrance Place. This is probably the most confusing space on our tour. On a the latest vacation I spent nearly an hour right here trying to locate the way on. I preserve forgetting that there is a further level to descend in advance of climbing up once more into a short water passage that potential customers to the Pancake Squeeze. Climb down to the appropriate more than a steep ledge until you can go no deeper. Then switch again to the remaining and search up for concealed passage in excess of a modest ledge. If the team chooses to get the Z-Bends, then remain low and go on in the same basic course but more to the right. As a result of a minimal broad room identified as the Flat Space. Near the finish of this area seem for a vertical crack to squeeze into and abide by it till it opens up. This is the Z-Bends, the taller you are the tougher it will be to get by means of.
For the group that went up more than the ledge just take the initial facet passage through water about 8 inches deep to the end. Duck less than the ledge on the ideal and crawl into the Pancake Squeeze. The Pancake Squeeze is tough, test and seem in advance for the optimum section and stay sightly to the remaining. If the squeeze commences to get restricted try out shifting much more to the remaining. You may possibly have to take out your tricky hat in get to get by means of. There is a good deal of room on each and every facet, so crawling is not a challenge. When you drop off the Pancake and into standing home you must appear into speak to with the group that took the Z-Bends. Make certain that all people is back jointly before continuing.
The future problem will be a short fall of about 6 ft. If you are tall, you can just slide above toes 1st to the rock flooring beneath. A much better route is along the left aspect in between a stalactite and the left wall, exactly where you can maintain on to the stalactite and lessen on your own down to the flooring. Proceed along the appropriate wall for an additional 50 ft and the remaining facet will start off to slide absent. Continue to be higher together the appropriate aspect of the passage. If you climb down by way of a muddy gap on the left wall to the stream stage, you will be on the vacationer route to the h2o slide. Earlier mentioned this gap high on the right is the Raccoon Room. This is a hazardous climb and there could be a hand line there, but do not set your believe in in it as it has been there for several years. Climb up and about the ledge to the suitable.
Cross the Raccoon Area on the appropriate aspect to the back again of the area. Avoid the useless conclude crawl and continue to be to the appropriate crawling above numerous mud walls right until you arrive at a canyon junction. The significant strolling passage to the suitable will useless close soon after various turns. At the junction there will be a nice stalactite with drinking water dripping into a pool with rim stone dams close to the edge of the pool. Follow the canyon to the still left and climb up into The Freeway. The Freeway is easy stoop walking passage with mud banks together each and every facet. Cross as a result of 3 rooms about 75 feet each individual till achieving the Bridge Area.
The Bridge Space is a excellent position to take a break, cling your legs about the edge and hear for the stream about 80 ft beneath. You could climb down listed here and go to the drinking water fall. By crossing about the bridge, which is a narrow muddy arch over the canyon, and continuing via a extensive trunk passage access can be experienced to the back again sections of Pettyjohn Cave. To proceed the Loop, do not cross the bridge, but follow the slim mud path alongside the ideal wall of the large canyon and stay at the exact same level around the ceiling.
At the end of the Bridge Space glimpse for a compact gap close to the ceiling, this is the restricted crawl into the Mason – Dixon Passage. If you climb down at this issue and duck under a ledge, you can follow the reduced stream passage to the sump at the lowest element of the cave, 235 ft underneath the entrance. Choose off all your equipment and shove it into the hole ahead of you, then squeeze via. Following about 20 ft it will get started to open up and you can slide up into the passage on the left. This passage will begin out about 4 foot high and then later on open up into walking with just one much more restricted crawl about 50 % way by means of.
Right after about 500 toes there will be a big junction home. To the remaining is the Worm Tube major to the Echo Room, the major place in the cave. The Worm Tube is 200 feet of pretty limited passage and the climb up into the Echo Space is really hard. But it is very well value the work to see the large area. To the proper in the junction home and more than a rock ledge and by means of a horizontal crack is a tiny home on the way to the Volcano Space. One much more horizontal crack and then climb out and onto the edge of the Volcano Room.
The Volcano Home is formed like a big funnel with steep sides and it prospects down to the stream passage and the sump. For years the only way out was to climb up a vertical wall to a compact window above the Volcano Home. We normally utilized a cable ladder when coming the other path. I have cost-free climbed the wall, but it is quite uncovered. In the late 80’s anyone dug a bypass crawl beneath and about the vertical climb up to the window. To enter this crawl from the Volcano Home facet enter head first, pushing you gear. You operate your way upwards twisting as you go. Try to stay on your again since you will have to bend up at the end and if you are not on your back you will not be equipped to bend up or switch in excess of. If you are heading the other way, you will want to go feet initially and on your back again. Heading down hill is a small easer.
When obtaining out of the crawl and waiting for the many others, it is value the see to go up to the window and look out over the Volcano Area. There is not substantially area in the small vertical passage at the window so before it fills climb into the much larger room higher than. Climb up into an additional home with walking passage to the still left and a climb up on the suitable. The remaining passage lifeless finishes. The climb up along a slim ledge, to start with correct then again to the still left and up into a significant formation place. At the considerably facet of this place and about a lip is one more home likely down. Continue to be to the still left and enter a crawl way right before the place. The crawl way will have a really sharp switch to the correct. The corner of the rock at the convert has been damaged off to permit the extraction of a lousy caver who fell from the window in excess of the Volcano Space and broke a leg.
The uncomplicated crawl carries on upward around a significant breakdown to a quick drop into a little home. When you are in this passage, you can chat to any one who may possibly be in the Autograph Space earlier mentioned. If they are at the base of the Autograph Space, they should be only a few toes from this passage. But no visible get in touch with could be designed. As you climb down into the little space, turn to the proper and slide ft 1st into one more smaller opening in advance of going entirely into the little area. Carry on down this little vertical dry and dusty crack until it levels out.
If you keep on to the end of this passage, there is a challenging climb up that prolonged legs are needed to reach the foot holds. Ahead of you arrive at the conclusion and shortly right after it degrees out there is a gap likely up that qualified prospects to the passage over. The upper passage is about 4 foot large and vast. It will lead to the fall off at the conclude of the passage beneath. Continue on up the passage, by means of a little window and to what seems like a lifeless conclusion. It is probable to climb up by means of the breakdown and into the Major Entrance Space previously mentioned but it is extremely tight and vertical. At the obvious lifeless close, lay down on your side and slide less than the wall, it is about 12 inches large, but opens up. Crawl around a rock and into a different modest junction place.
To the still left is a passage to the east stream passage and Crowell Domes. Up and to the proper is a 20 foot climb up into the Most important Entrance Room. A single direction is the Autograph Space and the other route is the second junction area where we climbed down. Climb down to the bottom of the space and then back again up the left aspect. At the major remain to the right and slide down along the ideal wall into the 1st junction space. From right here it is an effortless walk to the entrance and a slippery climb out of the cave.
