Eagles Nest - Bigger, Badder, Bolder
Yesterday began like any other...
The alarm sounded violently at 0445 and I magically leapt to my feet excited to begin another adventure of folly and frivolity (or did I really hit the snooze and curse FloridaBob?). Fortunately, the truck was packed and loaded the night before and I was quickly out the door to collect Kirill and begin the tedious drive to the Nest.
The drive itself was uneventful and as we pulled into the parking area slightly before 8, I was glad to see that not only had we beat the crowds, but the heat as well, and no rain in sight (yet). Matt and Bob were already on site and had hauled most of their gear to the waters edge.
Kirill and I quickly unloaded our equipment as we discussed the dive plan, prepped our CCR's and mentally prepared ourselves for the harsh conditions we were about to face.
Between the four of us, we would begin the dive with over 20 stages and bailout bottles along with 5 scooters. A quick calculation had us carrying well over 1300cuft of bailout suitable for 300'. That's a lot of helium!
Plenty of pre-dive fun, antics and laughs, and by 0930, we were finally ready, fully assembled and underway.
Judging by the clarity of the basin, I suspected we were in for an amazing dive with outstanding conditions. The visibility in the basin was easily 60' and as we descended down the tube, it was clear that the Ballroom was even more impressive than it had been the week before.
From 70' I could clearly see the mound and sign over 50' below.
After we had all dropped our O2 and 70' bottles and Bob had dropped an extra 120' bottle, we slowly worked our way downstream through the restriction and towards the Pit, with Kirill, Matt and I dropping 190' bailout bottles along the way.
Scootering downstream was pleasant and relaxing and the further we penetrated, the better it became.
We quickly passed the Pit and approached the T near the end of the goldline, after making the hard left turn and just before the restriction to Andrew's Tunnel, I dropped a 300' bailout bottle and we all quickly dipped through the rocky mouth and enjoyed a beautiful ride finally arriving at the Abyss Room approx 2000' from the entrance.
I would imagine that the Abyss room is the largest and arguably the most impressive room in the system.
We quickly deposited all of our scooters and I dropped a marker strobe and our true adventure was finally beginning.
There was no shortage of amazing backdrops, staggering walls, pristine clay banks and vivid striations.
After many laughs, exclamations of joy and delights, and constant direction from our Maestro, it was eventually time to pack our bags and start the long journey back to the surface.
Finally, after approx 90 minutes of bottom time and 5 hours of deco, we surfaced weary, exhausted and tired and very much in need of nourishment and beer.
We hurriedly loaded everything into the trucks, bid a fond fair well to this magnificent cave and sought out our favorite watering hole offering 2-4-1 adult libations.
17 hours after leaving my house, I was finally back home and anxiously awaiting to see the fruits of our labor.
More pics to follow as Kirill gets a chance to sift through our mistakes and guffaws and edits out the embarrassing moments we're all prone to from time to time.
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Originally Posted by LMN
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