Lost River - Karst Information Portal

2007 NSS Convention Guidebook
for rappel. At the pit
bottom a slippery,
mud-covered slope
must be traversed
up and over before
eventually climbing
up into a canyon
passage. Everything
near the bottom
of the fifth drop is
coated in a thick, wet
layer of mud, adding
to the abrasive, gritty
feeling experienced
at this point of the
trip. Several stations
later the ABC Room
is reached, which is
a major upper level
junction and bypass route. It is possible to
bypass the fourth and fifth drops via challenging
free climbs when route finding to or from the
ABC Room. Another notable loop connection
that bypasses these two drops is located above
the climb-down after the wet shale crawl going
in. Finally, there are leads from the ABC Room
that head directly towards Dible Knible Cave,
a 500-foot-long cave with 77 feet of vertical
depth. These passages come within 450 feet
48
Joe Oliphant downstream beyond the water crawl in the lower cave.
Photo by Danny Dible, September 21, 1991.
The downstream passage beyond the water crawl in the lower cave.
Tony Akers up front and Joe Oliphant in the foreground.
Photo by Danny Dible, September 21, 1991.
of connecting into Dible Knible Cave, which
is situated at the same level as the E and EO
surveys in Two Bit Pit.
Continuing in the A survey five stations
further will land you in the Dressing Room.
This is the best place to eat and change clothes
before surveying, heading out, or putting on
your wetsuit if going deeper. This infamous
spot is known for its surplus of gear and food,
which at one time had accumulated quite a
supply. By the end
of the survey, the
Dressing Room was
free of gear and food,
except for a broken
wetsuit top that is still
awaiting claim by its
owner. The Dressing
Room also contains
Rustys Raceway, an
area where Rusty
Riley ran in place
for hours, trying to
keep warm while
others napped before
heading out during a
28-hour trip. The H
survey also leads from
this room, which