| The
Kentucky Caver Quarterly
Proceedings of the
Bluegrass Grotto: the North Central Kentucky Area Chapter of the National Speleological Society |
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Page 02 [contents] || 
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vol. 41. iss. 3, September 2006 |
| been
focused on the
largest and driest caves such as Thornhill and Big Bat.
Currently, a new generation of cave survey and cartography has begun in
the Webster Cave Complex – the downstream portion of the Sinking Creek
system. While the Webster Cave Complex is made up of a dozen or
so caves, Webster Cave is by far the longest, and it is here that those
of us belonging to the Webster Cave Complex Survey Group (WCCSG) have
focused most of our attention. Humongous passages and elegant
subterranean lakes place Webster in the realm of the
unbelievable. The main trunk of this cave
is three miles long,
with heights reaching 30 feet and a width often exceeding twice that
figure. In places, continuous lakes extend for over a half-mile
with neck deep water from wall to wall. Furthermore, like many
caves along Sinking Creek, Webster can flood with a vengeance.
Six to 30 foot flood swells are common during heavy, widespread
rains. Despite this, with appropriate gear and dedication,
exploration in Webster can be a real joy and adventure, and the fun has
just started. Character & Configuration The Webster Complex has experienced sporadic exploration since discovery in the early 1970's. In late 1970, Angelo George was able to see the large karst head containing the Spring Entrance of Webster using aerial photographs of the area. A reconnaissance trip performed by D. Hale and Bob Walker on 28 November, 1970 turned up just what George had been looking for: a big |
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cave. Of course,
the local residents had known
about the cave for many years, and many relate stories of having
ventured down to the first lake inside the Main entrance, but there are
no accounts of any deeper excursions.
History In early December 1970, Pat Stephens, Bob Weller, and Angelo George visited the cave for the first time. It became apparent that boats would be needed to successfully explore the cave. Returning with a raft, over a mile of main trunk was traversed. By 1971, the entrance area, about a mile of the main trunk, and some of what would become known as Parks Avenue had been mapped. Although full of possibility, the Louisville Grotto turned its attention away from Webster and to other big systems in the upper reaches of Sinking Creek. Bill Holmes and Ron Hubbard were the next cavers to take note of Webster. In 1972, they took over the project, and began the first comprehensive survey of the cave. Over the next five years, most of the main trunk and several side leads were mapped. By the time work had begun to slow in late 1974, over seven miles had been charted. Due to the unavailability of printed copies of the Webster map, the Kentucky Cave Studies Group began a new survey of the cave in 1985. Understaffed from the onset, the project spanned nearly nine years. By 1994, when the survey disbanded, only six of the Webster Cave System's estimated ten explored miles had been mapped by line plot. The main goal of the new survey was to locate any possible new entrances. None were found. By far, the most exciting discovery attributed to the KCSG was the North Bore and what lay beyond the North |