Carnegie Cave Expedition

 

Photographer:  Marie Perrone	Before entering the cave.  That "sewer pipe" on the right is the cave entrance.  Behind us at the top of the hill is the northbound lane of I-81.  This is the "before" shot.  Below is the "after."  (L-R: Pete, Mary, Dane, Jared Greene;  Front: Dom DiGioia, our tour guide).  Photographer Marie Perrone shown at right, below.
Photographer:  Pete Greene	Dane Greene (age 11), son of Pete Greene, sporting the latest underground fashion look.  I'm not sure how those brown denim coveralls got stained blue at the top.  Those clothes will never come clean again.  Here a boy can really be in his element.
Photographer:  Pete Greene	"Don't you dare take my picture!"  Sorry, Marie.  Yes, even female engineers enjoy getting a little dirty.  No, that's not her real wardrobe.  The jeans were borrowed from Len Capone.  Carnegie Cave is a "beginner's" cave, but is wet and muddy.  When my daughter Stefanie, age 13, found out her clothes might get dirty, not even the promise of a trip to the mall would persuade her to make the trip.
Photographer:  Pete Greene	Who says Dominick can't get out of tight spots without a user's manual?
Photographer:  Pete Greene	The prototypical spelunker emerges from the tight spot.  The rest of us went through that big opening on the right.  And Dom was the cleanest of us all when it was over.  Go figure.  Notice the pocket protector under the coveralls.  Just kidding.  Dom's been doing this for years.  And thank God, because we'd have never found our way back out without him!
Photographer:  Pete Greene	Jared Greene, age 8, ducks through a low passage (the rest of us had to crawl).  And to think his mother actually sent him in to play in the mud!  The rock formations were fascinating, but no large stalactites or stalagmites due to the high volume of visitors bumping their heads and rubbing against the walls.
Photographer:  Pete Greene    Jared (top) and Dane (bottom) descend.  Footing can be treacherous due to the slippery mud everywhere.  After a while, the muddy blue denim coveralls tend to blend in with the cave walls.  Turn those helmet lights off, and you're in total blackness.  Red flashes appear on the retinas.  White flashes means there's a photographer in there.  All these shots were taken with a disposable Kodak camera.  Like everything else, it had mud on it at the end of the trip.  Keep the Nikon at home.  At first, we tried to keep our feet dry.  After the first slip into a trench of water, the futility was obvious.  Up above, you can occasionally hear the rumble of an 18-wheeler overhead on I-81.  Most important:  always look where you came from.  It's important when trying to figure out how to get back out!
Photographer:  Mary Greene	The "After" shot.  We all had fun.  Marie: now I can say I did it.  Jared: when's the next trip?  Dane: maybe another cave, if I can stand up. Dominick:  back again next week with a group of Boy Scouts.  Hope the water and mud dries out before then.  Mary: well, that sewer pipe was enough to stop her.  Next time, maybe Crystal Cave!

Photo journal of the L-3 Communications Carnegie Cave trip.  Click on any image to see a much enlarged view.  Many thanks to Dominick DiGioia for spending the day taking us out to Shippensburg, PA, for a couple of hours climbing (and crawling) around under the ground.  It was a first for all of us, an experience we'll never forget!