April 28, 2012: Paul and Lucas Gaskins and I started a survey on an unnamed and undocumented cave in Scott County, Virginia. I originally estimated it at 800 feet long, but since then we've found segments of old stream passage that run parallel to the main trunk. The trunk trends east through big breakdown passage and comes to a flowstone choke. A smaller north trending passage joins it there. This passage is substantially wetter than the trunk and has numerous active soda straws and small helictites. It may have a conduit to the surface, as I noticed fresh air when I came into a room with a possible high lead. At the back of this passage are some old signatures, including one with a 1776 date, and a lot of lewd mud sculptures of more recent vintage. On previous trips, we noticed several big brown bats and pips. This time, we saw a single pip and a single gray, which took off as we surveyed beneath it. Both looked healthy and WNS-free. We plan to finish the survey this Saturday. I expect it to tape out around 1200 feet.
Update: flickr pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/xcaverx/sets/72157629593888512/
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