2017 Caves

In a beautiful local cave with friend Teresa and kids

2017 was a terrific year for caving. I went in caves at almost sea level down in Quintana Roo, Mexico, and in a fumarole cave at the top of Mount Rainier, over 14,000 feet high. Plus many in between!

I taught cave rescue classes in Texas, Arizona, and Oregon. The kids and I went to the National Speleological Society (NSS) Western Regional at Lava Beds in California. I was part of the CavesLIVE project filmed in Arkansas. Plus there was lots of great regional caving, including some super paleontological finds and assistance with archeological projects. Cave clean ups included two lint camps and a trip to a well known Utah cave.

Here are a variety of photos. In order to protect some of the caves, I don't necessarily give their name (plus some I've forgotten!).

Surveying a cave in Quintana Roo by float tube (Photo credit: Frank Bogle)


Hiking through the caves is sometimes easier than hiking through the jungle; with Carol and Peter in Quintana Roo


Sunlight filtering through an entrance into a fumarole cave in the summit crater of Mt. Rainier


The Buddha: a landmark in a local cave. It's survived many inundations.

Lint camp is surprisingly fun and brings out lots of smiles

I still don't know how this helictite column formed.

Another cave pretty: a gypsum flower

A trip through the humongous Talus Room at lint camp

A hydrologic oddity--water spouting off to the side. Only happens during fast snow melt.

The beautiful Model Cave harvestman (Sclerobunus ungulatus)

Checking out a cool earth crack cave in Arizona

Stations at a Flagstaff-area cave during a Small Party Assisted Rescue class

On rope next to my brother Ed

It's over a giant snow drift to get into this ice-coated cave

A minuscule millipede, only known from one isolated cave

At the bottom of Nevada's deepest cave, admiring the ice

One of the ephemeral oddities at the bottom of the deepest cave in Nevada

With friends in Blanchard Springs Caverns for the filming of CavesLIVE  (airing in mid-February)

Amazing cave folia

A rare posed photo with friends

Desert Girl in a lava tube at Lava Beds National Monument

Desert Boy in Valentine Cave at Lava Beds National Monument 

A cave millipede

Unusual bones found in a cave

Admiring cool carrot-like stalactites

My good caving pal Doug, who I will go into any cave with

Who will solve the mystery of the ripples on the broken inside of a cave shield?

Cool speleothems

Louise explaining coral pipes

It's always a treat to walk in a Nevada cave!

Classic boneyard ceiling (eroded partially by condensation corrosion)

The lone stalagmite

Checking out more bones in a cave

In a cave with a lot of graffiti for a little cleanup

Bonny smoothing out some of the graffiti in punk rock

A cool cave beetle

We're looking forward to another year with more fun caving. You never know what might be underground!