by Patrick O'Diam
From the January 2000 Flowstone

This past year has been quite eventful as far at the things that were accomplished within the grotto. Things started off with a boom but tended to slow down by the end of the year. The grotto underwent some large changes of the years as new officers came into place, changes within The Flowstone, and trying new things for the first time. Throughout the year, several awards were given to individuals such as Party Points, Bozo Buttons, Pink Jelly Bean Awards, Where's The Beef, the 300 year old birthday cake, and others that seemed to bring a new sprit of entertainment to the grotto meetings. Unfortunately, I missed most of the meetings due to the fact that I had classes on Tuesday nights (and every other night for that matter). Without any further delay, let's review the year.

The year 1999 started off by finding fourteen members of the Cullman Grotto south of the border bouncing the big ones. El Sotano de las Golondrinas was bottomed by ten members of our grotto on New Year's Eve. We thought we had lost our new member of the grotto, David Drake, when a pack by another group was dropped and David did not respond for some fifteen minutes. Harold drug his muffler off on the return trip and a drunk hit his van. While the rest of us was eating stake at Hotel Valles, Micah had other things on his mind, mostly sickness. New Year's Day found most of us going back up the mountain to Cepillo. While Greg and Tracy were earning party points, a haul system was being set up that never had to be used at the pit. A local bounced the pit, Dave sustained a bad cut on his leg, Harold scared some local with his teeth, I got hit by a drunk, Wesley tried to fight about 20 kids that were rocking the van, and finally, the flat tire! Eleven miles on the mountain roads (can they be called roads?) on a donut. It's not over yet. The next day a used tire was found, Wesley says "Give 'er heck Harold!" and the kick butt mini van goes spinning with a blowout 2,000 feet above a valley with no guardrails. Wesley didn't say another word the rest of the trip. Somehow, we all made it home. Later that month, the New Orleans Grotto came up for a 12 and a half hour trip in Fern where Helectite Heaven, the Hall of Giants, and Surprise Pit were visited.

In February, Jamie and Evon's packs got boned in Mrs. Millers and I understand some interesting conversations took place at the top of the drop. The following week, Scottie Arrington got married in Gatlinburg. Micah and I tried to attend but snow stopped us in the Smokiest. Therefore, we ended up atop Whiteside Mountain having a snowball fight in our Sunday clothes! The Drake boys lead a trip to grand 'ol Talooky and said it was just as muddy as ever.

March was the five year anniversary of the grotto and the special edition of The Flowstone was put out. This month also brought a youth group down to Blount Springs to learn to rappel. Eight grotto members assisted the twenty or so youth make several drops that day. Later that month, twelve grotto members went to the maze, Anvil Cave, with the help of Robert Bumpus (Micah, that's your cue). Two groups went in separate entrances and emerged out of different holes. We were in the cave for four hours and were lost for three hours and fifty minutes of it! The New Orleans group returned at the end of the month for some pit bopping at Graham's and Dinkie's. This month a GA caver also lost his live in Incredible Pit when he got entangled in ropes in the raging waterfall.

April was another active month for trips. A new, small pit was found just before turkey hunters ran us off the land near No Turkey For Jerry. Wesley P. had to climb about 15 feet of stretch at Kenna Pit before he ever got off the ground. Penitentiary Pit was visited, Steven's Gap, and Painted Bluff. When the Good Doctor (Houston Hardin) brought his wife over, several of us joined him in getting lost in the enormous rooms of Camp's Gulf. Houston brought a raft and stripped down to his undies to go across the lake in the back.

The first of May found several of the grotto headed for Deep Well and Not So Deep Well. Deep Well was nice while Not So Deep Well, well, Micah finally found a hole that he hates! Conley Hole was visited again and snakes were carried out of the pit - Stick decided to just carry his in his had as he climbed. A small bluff near Big Tree was rigged again, New Orleans Grotto returned for an attack on $67, Mandy's, Jess Eliot, Tate, and Iron Hoop.

The grotto trip in June was to War Eagle. Much preparation went into preparing to run the Munchie Stand at SERA and it turned out to be a wonderful money maker for us. We more than doubled our funds and were able to buy a new grotto rope. The long hike to Doodle Bug Hole was made in the extreme heat and it was dropped and Wendy had sunflower seeds spit at her. Neversink had a lot of visitors that month as Jessie sent down a large amount of rocks on two cavers in Little Neversink. Luckily, no one was hurt. A video trip to Iron Hoop was taken and Micah played the part of a sumo wrestler. Houston and Ryan returned to Camp's Gulf with a large raft and bolting equipment only to find the other side of the lake was large walking passage going a good was further.

July had trips to Steven's Gap, Painted Bluff, the zip line at Desoto Falls, Surprise Pit, Torode Hall, a vertical workshop, and Whiteside, NC. Derick Mitchell had a good record breaker as he dropped into the vastness of Surprise Pit on a new, slender, red, 10 mil rope. . . It was fast! The vertical workshop was well attended and a cook out topped the evening off. The last day of the month, in the extreme heat, an attack on Whiteside Mountain was made. The tents were hidden behind larger ones, cars parked everywhere, and no one in the campground slept due to the laughter coming from a certain tent. Oh, Harold discovered there are 12,000,072 red strands in our squeaky grotto rope.

August marked my last good caving month for the year until school was over. A return to Deep Well was made, we bathed in Three Turkey Plunge, had a wonderful time riding the four wheelers to Green's, Mistaken Well, and Hall's, our grotto picnic took place, we returned to Blount Springs to train the Crain Hill Fire Dept., and we enlarged the tight spot in Paul's Cave to be able to do the Cataract.

September found little activity going on cave-wise. Avis VanSwearingen lead a trip to Lammon's Cave where Micah pulled Harold out of the mud with 1" webbing. Beavers were seen in the back of the cave and Micah and I made Avis sick of hearing about food. That's all we talked about the last two hours.

October found most of us at the wet and rainy TAG. With Houston flying in from TX, and Matt and Jennifer flying in from Vermont, we needed a good, hard core cave. Due to the lost luggage, we got a late start to our adventure for the day, Jamie's favorite cave, Wet Cave. None of us had done the pull-down portion of the cave before but we made it. Cold water crawls, 8 pits to pull down, tight squeezes, this cave has it all. We made it out just minutes before our call out. Ready to go back Jamie?

A nice, warm day in November found a few of us at Natural Well and Hooper's and a cold night a few weeks later found us at Ellison's. Two other groups were ahead of us and we waited sever hours for them to finish. We exited to the cold morning and found ice on our tents. Micah and Jamie also tied the knot on the 20th of the month. Vic cleans up rather nicely.

The December meeting showed that the same officers will be in place for the year 2000. A trip to Camp's Gulf took place and all got their butts kicked. The grotto Christmas party was entertaining, and Neversink in the large, bright, super-full moon looked wonderful!

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