Antelope Springs Revisited

Wednesday, August 20th 2003 - Ralph Powers

Location: Antelope Springs Cave Trip Leader: Ralph E. Powers On Trip: Thomas Haskett, Vern Bowden, Margaret Bowden, Brady Belnap, Mike Ferguson, Christian and Mandy (?) (author's note: I didn't have a date on this particular trip report but know it was done when I was living in Logan at the time. Originally Rob Cranney was supposed to lead the BRG trip to Antelope Springs but a conflict with his job had him choosing between the two. Since I was slated to go, he turned the trip leadership over to me as I was the only other person of the ones who signed up that knew the cave well enough to lead it. Brady, Christian and Mandy met up with me on Friday evening as they planned to spend the night in Salt Lake at Mandy�s uncle�s home, and continue on in the morning. Vern and his wife, Margaret were already in Delta visiting relatives. Thomas and Mike would meet everyone else there at the cave in the A.M. or so it was planned that way. Most of us know already even the best laid plans don�t go like they should on a caving trip. Fortunately this was not a bad thing. When the carpool that I was in arrived at Delta we pulled into the McDonalds for breakfast and lo there was Tom and Mike pulled up in the drive-through just behind us. Thus we opted for dine-in as long as it was quick. I recall years ago just finding the turn off to head into Death�s Canyon was a trick of knowing the right road off the main highway. Not so with a new sign pointing the way. Seems that area has gotten more popular over the years. Thomas was in the lead and was mindful of my warning of the sudden dog leg turn hidden just past a rise in the road after a cattle guard crossing. When we got to the first junction, I was correct in predicting that Thomas would take a wrong turn and had Brady stop until Thomas realized his mistake and turned around. I then had Brady take the lead to prevent anymore detours. We found Vern and his wife waiting at the parking area below the cave. Greetings and introductions were done and gear sorted out for the trip. This was the first time I�ve been to the cave since the gate was placed over it. That was some time ago. I was sure that I would still be familiar enough with the cave to lead an interesting trip. The rope was rigged and I took the lead on down to guide the rope where it should go. Not much to it really. Going through it was radically different for me compared to previous trips. The bridging and climbing was relatively simple for me to do this time around. I struggled to find the spots where I puckered terribly and they just weren�t there anymore. Shows what years of caving can do for a person I guess. The others found it a pleasant challenge as they made their way through. I can�t say what their individual reactions were as they climbed up and over and through the various parts of the cave. They must�ve ranged from disappointment at the numerous broken formations and spray-paint to absolute thrills at the climbing involved. Several spots tested the mettle of some of the more courageous members of our party when it came to the crawls. Vern was having a hey-day taking pictures here and there. I did manage to remember some spots that were not as badly damaged as the rest of the cave, and Vern was tickled to be able to snap a few shots of those areas. We ate a (careful) lunch in the cave and then split up into three groups. Margaret was done for the day and I took it upon myself to help her out at least to where the rope was. The others spent the next two hours exploring the lower portions of the cave. It was here where I missed out. Apparently Mike and Thomas found a nice area and was trying to hook up where Brady, Christian and Mandy had gone because they found a nice area of their own. According to their �reports� after the trip, the three of them found an area of the cave that didn�t look as vandalized or even traveled. Mandy described a very tight crawl space which she and Christian squeezed their way through. They told of unbroken straws and stalactites and a large walking passage just beyond the squeeze. Without me there to encourage or guide them they reluctantly turned around. Thomas and Mike likewise reported finding relatively un-trodden passage as well where they were. Their reports will have to detail their findings as I was not privilege to be with them on either of the discoveries. My loss but something to shoot for when the BRG returns sometime next year. After the cave we tooled around the mountain passes in our vehicles to try and find a hot-springs indicated on a topo map of the area. We found A spring but it wasn�t flowing and there was a capped pipe surrounded by barbed wire. All in all it was a good trip, long drive back home to the Logan area and even longer for Brady as he still had to work his way back up into Idaho. Thomas and Mike opted to stay another night out in the area to explore the other caves and springs. Vern and Margaret were supposed to make an appearance in church in Delta the next morning with family.