Skylight Dome

Well this caving trip to Pine Hill was a very enjoyable trip.  We avoided having to crawl on our bellies through freezing water.  Brandon and I had missed the midsection bypass, but we found it.  It made us thrilled! 

When we reached the section to climb to the upper level in order to reach the skylight dome, we entered new territory.  A couple times we discovered we traveled in a circle on the upper level.  And in another instance we were on a small ledge holding on as our wet shoes slid on the steep clay bank that led to a 40 foot drop into the passage below.  Needless to say, we'll never go that route again.  But after searching we got our bearings and the directions we had began to match what we were seeing.  So we found the correct (and pretty much safe) way to get to the skylight dome.

Very soon we found ourselves at the mouth of the birth canal.  I don't know who gave it that name, but somebody thought the small passage we crawl through looks like a birth canal, so the name has stuck.

                                       (Me crawling through the birth canal)
We reached the end of the passage and it opened up.  Before us was the skylight dome!  We were thrilled.  We climbed down to the bottom and gazed upward.  It was incredible.  Sometime we are going to go during the day so we can see the brilliant shaft of sunlight steaming down 120 feet to the bottom.

                                           (A bottom view of the walls)

                                      (Brandon and I sitting in the bottom of the skylight dome)
We poked around a little and then discovered there was life in the bottom of the dome.  There is a small amount of water and we found a few frogs, a salamander, and a blind crayfish.

                                          (Brandon holding one of the frogs he caught)
After our time in the skylight was done, we climbed back up and exited back to the main passage.  We were going back to the main fork to go on the right passage to try and find the tower domes.

                                          (Me, as I'm getting ready to lead the way back through the birth canal)
We searched and searched the right passage, but could not find what the directions were supposed to describe.  So we ended up not finding the tower domes but instead just did some exploring.  It was still fun, though.  It always is.  However, on the way out of the right passage Brandon found what we are almost 100% sure is the passage to the tower domes.  So that will be our priority next week.

          (Brandon took this picture, accidentally getting his finger in the way.  I think it looks pretty cool)
But anyway, it was a good trip.  And yeah, my back is now in pain because I had pulled or twisted it a couple weeks ago and caving made it really bad, but it was worth it. :D