ADAM HAYDOCK

Lucky Nickel Cave is another newly discovered Nevada cave. The location is undisclosed but if you are interested in learning more about caving, please reach out to me or your local grotto for more information. 

This cave appears to have a collapse entrance but has over 300 feet of passage. 

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The cave was initially walking passage and continued to be walking as the cave meanders around a breakdown mound. 

I did not see any fornations inside of this cave but I found a selenite crystal inside of the cave. 

looking down into ruby valley

Around a half day of driving packed into the night just so we can utilize an extra day of exploration makes the world of difference so we can maximize the amount time we have on the range researching for caves.

Angel Pit

We get an early start and visit a pit on one of the side hills. I am leaving the name out of the pit and location but it is around 120 feet down into a room.

Angel Pit

We left the region and had a team check out the access to Lucky Nugget Pit. Lucky Nugget is on private property and access is closed to this pit.

Cirque Cave

 Lucky Nugget does have some history behind it as it was initially visited over 50 years ago where explorers found sheep bones inside of the cave.

Cirque Cave

  This cave became a bit of a sensation with locals and a local news channel.

Twin Pits

They lowered a team of explorers into the cave and they found that the cave continued to go deeper past the bones to an access of 230 feet below the surface. This cave also passes by some interesting layers as well as making this pit one of the deepest in Nevada.

Angel Pit

The Southern Nevada Grotto is working on obtaining access to the cave so do not destroy our progress in potentially developing a management plan for cavers to access this cave.

Sliver Pit

 The cave is also on private property and will be considered trespassing. We hope to reach an agreement soon to allow authorized access. I recently found out that research was being conducted on access to this cave and the landowner went to do research. The landowner came up on this post and told the group NO!  hahah.  I found that quite ironic as that this is a means to document and allow a population to know that the cave is closed.  I also found it Ironic that this group didnt invite me to participate in the visit. hahahah... cheers and your welcome!  

Twin Pits

We continued to drive to a ridge and checked leads on the hilly ridge face. We were able to find some sinkholes that did not go further into cave passage but they are indeed taking in water.

Twin Pits

The following day we headed over to locate twin pits cave. This feature is two pits 40 to 50 ft deep with snow at the bottom of them. At the bottom of each pit is a small passage connecting both pits to one another.

Twin Pits

 We will be having a follow up trip that will continue to explore the snow to see where the water might be going in hopes to find continuing and going passage.

Twin Pits

We were also successfully able

Yo located cirque cave and discovered a new short pit called Sliver pit.

Twin Pits

On a follow up trip we were able to locate lost hope cave which is the biggest cave in the region so far. 

Blind Sinkhole

We will continue to explore the ruby range in 2020 and we are looking forward to discovering more caves along the region.

Blind Sinkhole

To me, Grand Canyoneering is measured by the time between being over the rim and being under the rim and the wait time can be quite slow. 

reaching back out of the rim, I find a slightly changed demeaner and a fulfillment that reaches deep within my curiosity. . 

A fulfillment that can not only be shared amongst others that very well might have a different experience, but a fulfillment that draws our own state of being from within and evolves our experiential level.  

Heading down flippoff canyon to the bench of the redwall allowed us access to a small yet scenic canyon tucked away in the upper reaches of Kanab Creek, Crackbaby canyon. 

The vibe is casual and the conditions are quite ideal for our timing into Crack baby. 

The raps are in quick succession and the narrows were quite impressive with cavernous chasms and beautiful polished stone. 

The awkward rappels made for spicy teamwork setting but the reflection of a zion canyon in the grand canyon was a nice touch to our visit in crack baby canyon.  

The last rap provided a swimmer that required a wetsuit for our time of year but also provided our only source of water for the duration of our trip. 

Although water was encountered in rattlesnake canyon and in Indian hollow, we created a stash of water and utilized crackbabys water for our life bearing fluid intake. 

The hike out to the confluence of Jump-up and Kanab Creek( where our basecamp would be made) wasn't too far from the exit of Crack baby and the hiking was straightforward, no tedious boulder hopping or clambering around crumbly sandstone.  It was like an apparent highway of sorts. 

I could see people making crackbaby a "day"trip if you don't mind the 2400 feet of non trail descent and ascent but since your down there, grab a permit and stay a while!!! 

The following day we had Rattlesnake on our minds and planned on a early start so with extra time on our hands we checked out the head of rattlesnake and made it back in time for dinner and a early nights sleep with a early start. 

The grand canyon is neither with you or against you, it's just has it's own presence on our planet and the inner moods can be caught with a equation of chance and predictability. a bit more investment in one or the other variables can skew your chances and leave an experience absent or one that will never be forgotten. 

Arriving to the grand canyon region is a local ticket to another world with a narrative that can be written through your own suffering or your own enlightenment. Sure there is anything in-between but in the land of extremes, I find that there are typically stories written with quick endings and stories written with continuing blank chapters being desperately beckoned to be written.   This is where my Grand Canyoneering story begins with no apparent ending. 

Arriving to the rim, time seems to be forgotten as well as the rest of civilization. Measurements and strides are taken by geologic layers and by the suns and moons. 

Flipoff is no exception BUT the amount of elevation loss is less considering a lot of the other canyons within the grand canyon. Our loss was around 2400 feet which would get us into the upper reaches of the great Kanab Creek Canyon. 

Although hiking was straightforward and the views were amazing, the route finding can be a bit of a "pick your way down and go" approach. regardless we made it down in great time and the roads leading to the trailhead were some of the better roads I have experienced. 

Flipoff was a great access point for our crackbaby, rattlesnake, and kirks chasm loop we have built and we are about to find out how amazing this will become. 

Nordic pit is a 20ft pit within the state of Arizona.  This was a pit that was visited a long time ago and records are being updated. This information is for people who know where this pit is located.  If you are interested in understanding more about how to get involved with caving, please reach out to me or your local grotto. 

Jump-up canyon is a excellent connecting tributary to the kanab creek system and the respective canyons around the region. Here you can gain access from Indian Hollow from the east or from Kanab Creek from the west. 

My eye lids slowly separate as dust crumbles back into my already semi dry and slightly anxious eyes. Turning on my inreach to get a weather report, suns turn into blue lines of rain and changes yet again, weather is reporting higher integers than zero just to the right of the decimal. Math is finally paying off when I widen my eyes to confirm what I am already realizing, rain is on the way and its not coming as gradual as expected.  

A 0430 rise and the darkness still clouds my introspection and questions if I even got the sleep I needed.  Knowing I went to bed a 630pm the evening before should give away the feeling that my body had enough horizontal yet the lack of clouds in the sky make me question the data I received. 

The day before, we had a similar abundance of sleep and a early start with the blue hour throwing colors of violet onto the redwall like a changing lens filter cycling through pigments of magenta.

Hiking up Jumpup canyon from the Kanab Creek junction was our approach to Rattlesnake Canyon

As the hours ticked by the sun turned the violet hour into rich colors from purple to pink  and into its classically known redwall. 

Although the hiking was long, the boulder hoping that I have been used to was, for the most part, absent.

There were indeed polished like stones and boulders in the wash hiking but it was about as straightforward as can be and relatively easy. 

The condition of my knee continued to elaborate and the GC team I have put together became a machine that was out doing the conductor, not a bad problem to have at all, yet an extra 10 minute break was in need for the patella to air out. 

Was passed Ojojojojojojojojojojojojojojojojojojojoojojoj...or whatever that is called, canyon and got into Indian hollow. 

There were a few up climbs in there and a bit of route finding through a couple annoying patches of crumbly sandstone that brought us to the top of the esplanade. 

Its always a charm to get to the vast expanse of the esplanade where route finding became straightforward and a direct route to rattlesnake canyon was a breeze.

less than an hour and we were facing the tail end of rattlesnake canyon. 

Typical crumbly downclimbing and sandstone maneuvering had our team meandering around the supai with a fantastic view of the redwall below and what will become a of the remainder of our day. 

In the distance we can see how the canyon slithers around into the redwall which is why I am assuming the name rattlesnake canyon came from,

but it is the grand canyon and there are indeed rattlesnakes around so I would hope there might be a better story for its name maker. 

Once in the redwall, I grasp onto my anticipation that we have finally made it to this slightly of classic track of a canyon.

I surgically enjoy the lesser known places that still provide a beautiful output for effort and Rattlesnake canyon did not disappoint. 

The sounds of team interaction echo through the canyon walls as I endeavor to place myself in the middle of the team to help with rope management and anchor requirements, but to photograph our moments as we pass through. 

At this very moment we come together in our lives to seek an experience and tap into our curiosity, a curiosity of what we will encounter. 

With greatness comes our reference experiences that we develop amongst ourselves and for one another. 

We get help along the way to achieve greatness and that achievement comes with the realization that continuing development is an evolution that never ends in the pursuit of making something great, that much better. 

The canyon was beautiful, the raps were fun, we encountered 6-8 raps and went through some very interesting sections of narrow redwall but its what we become that I find the most valuable.  

Our aspirations also included discovering a sneak route from rattlesnake canyon to kirks chasm canyon, which was successful. 

Pat hiked up a break before the last rap to discover that we can indeed gain the top of the redwall and it appeared with our research that we could gain the top of the redwall in kirks chasm canyon by following the bench. We hard fixed a line in the last rap and prepared to ascend the rope the following day so we could attempt this plan but the threshold of threatening weather halted this plan for another time. 

I am looking forward to completing the sneak route over to kirks chasm the following year and sharing that experience with the team as the grand canyon still hold plenty of exploration for generations to come.