Kiesewetter Cave
2-5-05
Eric Hertzler erichertzler@yahoo.com host and trip leader from Lake Ozark Grotto
John S. Rosenkoetter (Jack) trip leader from OHG
Ben McCall, Cory Hiatt, Bill Heim, Bonnie Howard, Roy Gold, Cheryl Grey, Charity Gramm and three (Kimberly, Jonathan, andPaula Gramm), and (new to me) John Miller and Chris Myers?
While we enjoyed the ice formations under the dripline, Eric unlocked the gate with little effort, explaining that it is a lock that is difficult to reach and can be time consuming. Constructed in the BCI, NSS design of horizontal 2” x 1/4” angle iron; the gate consists of two removable pieces of angle, the higher one only for rescue (or a very large load). LOG, MODC, and MCKC were welded onto it.
The group continued into about a 30 foot long low muddy seep, hands and knees tall, with some standing water. Standing up again we walk with occasional scrambling, until we pass an entrance formation gallery high and to the right. I believe it was said to contain 500’ of passage. The group and leaders elect to save this area for later. We scramble through another highly decorated area, including a large white flowstone, many columns, a straw forest. Some of the group stays behind here to photograph. We continue beyond the formations and find ourselves over a stream in a tall passage with some breakdown. I climb down here to a small waterfall under a large piece of breakdown. Here I find a dozen Pickerel Frogs and one very cooperative pink Grotto Salamander. Eric tells me that a Grotto Salamander was not found in the original bio inventory. So he photographs it. There is a small carbide dump here a few feet above the water.
We then further separate with Eric, John, and Chris leading through more walking passage. Jack shows me a short side passage in which I find a tight donut like hole about waist high. Sticking my head and shoulders through, I discover that I can make it through, but it is tight and I also hear the voices of Eric and John. I squeeze through leaving behind those with me who will not fit through this “donut”. Meeting up with the head of the column of cavers, we proceed down more walking and stoop walking passage. We all stop at the tight place that Eric had told us of and John right away slips through. I remove a shirt as I am warmer than I expected, and follow. Eric passes his camera to me once I am through. The other side provides a small breakdown room just 40’ inside. One lead high to the right terminates as too tight, another low right lead is a belly crawl in muddy water and seems to lead back toward the tight spot. It seems to pinch off but is not pushed. The going lead is high left and immediately drops back down into a column and speleothem decorated passage where a shovel with the handle broken short is found. There is a carbide blackened arrow on the ceiling here. Just beyond, the floor becomes break down and rises to about one foot from the ceiling becoming too tight here. Two carbide graffiti marks are prominent here and say 2-73 and another dates 57, initials are with them which I cannot recall. Still inside the tight spot, Cory meets John and me on our way out. A large carbide dump is here just inside the tight spot.
We all gather up and head out of the cave. The area I missed by using the donut cut off, I get to see on the way out. This includes an alcove about head high which has a dark almost black fried egg flowstone with two flakes from the ceiling sticking out of it like angel’s wings. We also examine the large formation area just inside the entrance crawl. It is a large, much decorated area about 10’ tall. Eric, Ron, and Chris continue through a hands and knees sized window in a wall of columns to see the rest. I turn around after seeing almost a hundred feet of tall passage. The gate is locked after a successful trip and worthwhile cave.
Tom Grey, NSS 29830
