Sunday, July 30, 2017

Blue Spring Cave, Tennessee - Moonscape, the Oasis, and the Cathedral Room

Self portrait in the Oasis, Cascade Hall, Blue Spring Cave - March 2016

     Just a few minutes from the Carr Entrance, the fabulous Cascade Hall holds some of Blue Spring's greatest features.  A nice canyon passage and short crawl from Johnson Avenue leads to large borehole.  Turning south brings one to the Moonscape.  The Moonscape is a large dry rimstone pool filled with 2ft high raft cones.  The area is flagged off due to its fragility.

Wayne Perkins at the Moonscape in March 2016.
     Turning north leads through very large borehole to a slick flowstone upclimb to the base of the Oasis.  The Oasis is a series of deep (and sometimes full!) rimstone dams rimmed by a large flowstone ring.  Two perma-rigged handlines bring you to the top of this highly decorated area.

Wayne Perkins in the Oasis, March 2016
     Past this is several hundred feet of more borehole to a muddy roped downclimb for about 50ft which leads through big, BIG, passage into the Cathedral Room - a 100ft tall decorated room about 200ft by 100ft in size.

Wayne Perkins and Alan Cressler in the Cathedral Room.  March 2016

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