Lost River - Karst Information Portal

2007 NSS Convention Guidebook
oversee the private
property that must
be crossed to access
state land in this
valley. They want this
unique property to
be enjoyed by others
as Norman and
Marcella Beals always
did before Norman
passed away.
Warm December
Cave is located about
half a mile south of
Texas Creek Cave.
From the logging
road take the faint
trail uphill passing
small mossy and
rocky sinks. The entrance is located in a small
sink about one third to one half of the way up
the hill.
The entrance is a 10-foot free-climbable pit
but some may find it easier to rig a handline.
A come-along was needed to remove a rock
blocking an easy squeeze off the base of the pit.
Once through this squeeze you are in the main
part of the cave. To the right the cave quickly
ends in a wall of cobbles and breakdown. To
the left is a climb-down to a very short walking
canyon. At your feet is a small stream passage.
To proceed downstream you may opt to do the
tight squeeze to a terminus where one may dig
to continue. Upstream is too tight to follow.
This cave is located in the Harrison Crawford
State Forest on the ridge to the northwest
of Wyandotte Cave. It is a 7,500-foot walk from
Wyandotte Lake, past Sharpe Spring, to reach
the entrance. Most of this walk is along the level
valley floor. The last 250 feet involves going up
a steep ridge, gaining 60 feet in elevation. The
entrance is located in a large collapsed sinkhole.
A limestone bluff forms the uphill side of this
328
Bill Baus crawling in Warm December Cave. Photo by Elliot Stahl.
Wildcat Cave
At the end of the short walking canyon
one can climb higher up into a short but mazy
canyon complex. There are two ways to go—
right and left. Both quickly end but the tighter
right canyon wasn’t pushed all the way.
Warm December Cave was discovered by
Aaron Atz and Eric Morris on a 70-degree
December day in 1996. The first entry trip
with done by Aaron Atz and Aaron Green.
The temperature had dropped by about 50
degrees and the cave was blowing an impressive
10-foot-tall steam column. The source of the
airflow was not determined but it is assumed
the air may have been circulating from the sinks
by the trail lower on the hillside..
By Dave Black
sinkhole. The crawlway entrance is located at
the base of this bluff. The crawlway is 25 feet
long and ends at a short climb-down through
breakdown onto the top of a steep talus slope.
This slope fills the large room. Partway down it
is some vandalized flowstone. At the bottom of
the slope is a second room. This room is 60 feet
long and 20 feet wide with a sandy floor. Along
the right wall of this room is a rise pool. It is