I took one last look back at the memorial of Samuel Crawford and Michael Hanebaum and silently whispered a prayer for their families... Being unable to make the trip to the 2019 NSS convention, a few of us decided to try and get some quick permits from the SCCi. After a little work and planning, we were able to put together a Neversink and Valhalla trip. Peter Berry was able to locate an awesome local BSA camp right on the river that happened to be completely void with the exception of two black labs that kept us company from the time we got there until we left the next day! The weather was calling for rain, so we quickly dawned our tents, and my hammock and stacked a fire ready to burn. Jackson County is fortunate enough to have lots of food so we opted to grab some Mexican. Returning to camp and dodging the rain while eating, we started a fire and went over the details of the following day while our caving dogs slept by the warmth of the burning logs. Both caves were new to us, so we discussed rope/cave footage, time of trip, incident back up plans, and mostly laughed with anticipation.
Rising at 7am we quickly packed our tents and made sure our camp was clean and fire out. We said goodbye to our newly made canine friends as we policed the area one last time. On the road, we grabbed a quick biscuit from a local mom and pop shop, I being mostly too excited/nervous to eat much, remind myself of the importance of entering a cave with food in your belly. We arrived at the Valhalla gate running 20 mins late, our other party members had already opened the locked gate and scouted the 4x4 required 2 mile trail to the cave. We made a plan to park our cars in a clearing inside with permits in window. Peter was kind enough to make the 4x4 drive in his AWD Subaru, and believe me you need 4x4. The path is a fun, bumpy drive. I've heard stories of 2wd cars making the long rigorous trip previously, but those days are over. Two miles of erosion and creek beds have made sure that one has time to contemplate their decision to enter the dark depths of this mega pit cave. After evacuating the Subaru a few times to reduce weight and scout the rocks we climbed to the Valhalla camp clearing. There are no obvious signs of the trail direction, and with the thick flora of the summer it took a few minutes of checking the map and compass before we stumbled upon the path to the cave. The hike was really easy, and shortly we came upon the infamous "open pit ahead, use caution" sign. A few hundred feet later we were at the memorial for the Valhalla fatalities, having seen that, I was happy we rigged my giant medical pack to Peters Subaru roof (although it would render useless in a fall from this distance). Those unfamiliar with Valhalla would not know that on June 10, 1984 two Georgia IT Atlanta students ,(20 and 21 years old) both avid caver's were chatting at the bottom of this 227 ft pit cave awaiting their turn to ascend up rope. Unfortunately it would be their last conversation. As the third party member was climbing he heard a loud crack and then eery silence below. The boulder that happened to flake off the wall is about the size of a train car, and they were directly under it. I have heard people tell the Valhalla story many times, and I am always quick to point out that these kids were actually standing where they should have by all accounts. We are taught to try and stand beneath overhangs while awaiting to ascend to avoid rocks or debris being kicked off onto you. I likely would have chose the same overhang that day. These guys were also avid caver's and had the proper training and equipment, and from what I have read were on a path to do great things. Maybe the fact that a fatality has previously occurred doing what you are about to do is creepy enough, but Valhalla is not a very inviting cave. You really cannot see down into it and it is too dangerous to stand near the lip, as the pit slopes downward sharply from the rigging tree. Having 100m of rope, we discussed the potential of short roping having rigged further. I kept telling myself an extra 100 ft of rope should be plenty. We rigged a 250 ft 11mm rope parallel just to have a partial back-up to a different tree. A few party members did not have full racks and decided not to drop the 9mm rope. Peter padded and rigged the tree, we all checked the tie off and he got on rope. I was excited to use my new radios in effort to see how they would work in deep pits. A few minutes later the microphone on the radio blared a very clear "off rope, and Tripp I don't see any snakes", (I previously read how they love to sun where we have to land and didn't appreciate that). Our friend Billy dropped second, Peter again called off rope via radio. Then I rigged up and made the drop into darkness. The 9mm rope made for a very smooth six bar rack drop, and I was able to control friction with two fingers. Hearing laughter below me after a minute or so I could start making out headlamps. I passed the 250ft 11mm with about 90 more feet still to go below me and joked to the guys below, "yeah that rope is a hare shy". The way rope is rigged to the main tree you land eerily right on, beside the fatal boulder that took those lives in 84'. There is a mile of cave at the bottom, and having people waiting on us we decided to spend 30-40 mins looking at the mega dome that is 200 ft+ in the back of the cave. There were hard rigged ropes along most domes, but we decided we had enough climbing in our future without that. Billy had the least ascending experience so I started the climb up first, with Billy to follow, then Peter so we had someone above and below that could help if needed. Billy was an Army Ranger and actually blazed up the rope in record time. I myself remember pondering that a full Mexican dinner the night before may have been a bad idea while climbing but luckily made it out with stomach contents in tact. I forgot to remove my jacket before climbing, and already was rigged into my rope-walker harness, you could hydrate the dry creek bed we walked up from the sweat I lost. As I drank from my camelback I awaited a side ledge to photograph Billy and Peter. Peter made the trip up, we kept the rope rigged as we added two large bags of mulch around the main tree in attempt to avoid future soil erosion. We packed our gear and started to head down the trail. I took one last look back at the memorial of Samuel Crawford and Michael Hanebaum and silently whispered a prayer for their families, as this sport is one that has the biggest rewards, but also the biggest consequences. Its important to remind ourselves that we are indeed not immortal, to not become complacent or too comfortable with what we do. Take precaution always, be alert, follow the guidance of those that have made this trek before we did, and use your gut feeling. Valhalla is a creepy place, I agree, but maybe now there are a few that watch over her, protecting its massive dome walls and dark shadowed corners. I was happy that everyone worked well as a team democratically and most importantly we all made it out and back to cars safely. Valhalla was my biggest descent to date and well worth the training and effort(s) to get there. If you find yourself staring down into the fog rising from its foreboding dark, look to your left and say thank you to those that came before us, then drop that nylon highway 227 feet like the bad-ass you are...
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