We had way too many people available for work, so the morning team of scrubbers
were Anne Ault, Steve Beleu, Sue Bozeman and Mark Miller. Everyone helped
carry water sprayers and buckets filled with tooth brushes, scrub brushes
and kneeling pads -- including the pit crew.
Also trooping back and forth getting sponges for us from the topside HQ was
our newest bride, Kelley (Logan) Woltz, who never got to scrub but did get
to climb up and down the ladder about 4 times -- once totally by herself! She
left a toothbrush at every pathway intersection so she could be sure to find
her way back to us!
We first went to look at the pit that the pit crew was working on rescreening
and then went on to our assigned area. The stalactites, columns and soda straws
that we passed en route wowed Mark. He got some great photos and was thrilled.
Then we settled in to scrub. The Bexar Grotto had worked on a large area of
flowstone and we were to continue their efforts. The muds are insidious. They
do need to be freed up by water and gently excised -- a water pik would have
worked very well -- and have used up a bunch of batteries! We actually found
some white cave pearls in one of the little flowstone cream cups. There is
not much in the way of water flowing over this area at the present due to the
extreme drought in the area (worse than what is thought to have been the drought
that drove the Anasazi from the area hundreds of years ago!), so the pearls
are dry and desiccating.
When 1 p.m. came around we headed for the surface and lunch. A switch was made
between Anne and Becky Hunsinger for the after-lunch team. Mark stayed on the
main tourist trail to roam for photos and ostensibly join the Trash Crew, as
did Anne. Steve returned with Becky to the flowstone scrubbing area and I went
down to do some footprint cleanup.
Yes, some of us take the motto seriously: Take nothing but pictures, leave
nothing but footprints. However, a very literal set of footprints was seen
all along the trail. One of our number had boots that disintegrated as steps
were taken -- and black neoprene footprints adorned the trail from the ladder
to the pit! These were to be removed -- with a brush and a dustpan! Believe
me -- picking up footprint detritus for the equivalent of 3 city blocks is
a back-tiring job! And a first, for me!
Having finished the footprint cleanup, it was time to begin hauling trash up
the ladder to the Tourist Trail level. John Bozeman went for another rope to
our car and Jon Woltz and Duane Del Vecchio had hauled bags with the old screen
and bracing to the base of the ladder. Mark Miller and Kelly Woltz manhandled
the garbage bags into duffle bags provided by Dale Amlee and I ran up and down
the 40 foot ladder with the rope, which they then attached to each duffle bag.
Anne Ault stayed above the ladder, slightly below the Tourist Trail level and
we hauled the trash out of the Lower Level. From there, the Trash Crew took
it to the elevators, up and out.
We were done before final closing at 6:30 p.m., lockdown time! Ropes were coiled,
all personnel and trash removed to the surface. Job well and safely done.
Report Submitted by Sue Bozeman
