Unintended Consequences Redux

[wingman]

Well it happened again, this time I was diving Jackson Blue on Cave Adventurer’s customer appreciation day (Edd put on a great day) with Keith M. and we were scootering to the start of the kings canyon circuit, swimming the circuit, and then dropping off my datasonde in the bigroom at the start of the circuit. We did the circuit and here’s a picture of Keith enjoying the dive:

http://www.cavediver.net/forum/galle...1/dsc07989.jpg

and returned to where our scooters were parked. I swam over to tie the sonde to the ceiling for its 24 hour stay and then started back to where the scooters were parked. Both Keith and I noticed a georgia blind cave salamander (Haideotriton wallacei) and I got a shot of it:

http://www.cavediver.net/forum/galle...1/dsc08001.jpg

Then I noticed telltale snail tracks and followed them to the end to find another snail disfiguring the silt. I pointed it out to Keith. After the dive we both commented that we should have rescued the little guy.

So today back at JB with my dive buddy Outlaw Caver aka Vince F. On this dive I went to the canyon to retrieve the sonde and rescue the snail. Found his tracks and it appeared that he was experiencing an emergency and signaling for some O2 or maybe he was just working on his math, I do not know for sure:

http://www.cavediver.net/forum/galle...1/dsc08018.jpg

I plucked him up and got some more salamander shots and we headed for the exit. We did our deco and I release him near the ladder to recount his adventure to his mates. All in all a happy day all around.

I am now very concerned as this snail transport problem is clearly an issue in more than just one system and the snails are causing damage. Their unsightly gouges in the silt are quite noticeable. I was able to find out where the snail track first started at the top of the breakdown in JB where the gold line rises on the way to the third T just after the canyon jump and was able to follow his travels down the backside of the rock to the area in which he was found. Clearly, in the interest of cave conservation, we all might want to start performing a snail check at some point before we venture into the dark zone. Just imagine the plight of these poor innocent creatures as they wander in the blackness without a guideline sans safety reel. These abductions must stop. Bill

Here's a salamander image from today as requested:

http://www.cavediver.net/forum/galle...1/dsc08016.jpg

[OFG-1]

I am now very concerned as this snail transport problem is clearly an issue in more than just one system and the snails are causing damage. Their unsightly gouges in the silt are quite noticeable. I was able to find out where the snail track first started at the top of the breakdown in JB where the gold line rises on the way to the third T just after the canyon jump and was able to follow his travels down the backside of the rock to the area in which he was found. Clearly, in the interest of cave conservation, we all might want to start performing a snail check at some point before we venture into the dark zone. Just imagine the plight of these poor innocent creatures as they wander in the blackness without a guideline sans safety reel. These abductions must stop. Bill

Here's a salamander image from today as requested:

http://www.cavediver.net/forum/galle...1/dsc08016.jpg

Bill, you are looking at this the wrong way. This snail was a mighty snail explorer. The Abe Davis of snail cave diving. He waited through his snail life for just the right moment to be able to grab onto a cave diver for his exploration trip into the darkness. Who knows how many times he tried, but was pulled off by the flow and forced to make his way back into position to try again. He was willing to give his life in a snails pursiut of adventure. Dodging the mighty crawfish as he made his way to a perch where he could dive onto a cave diver.
Only wishing to "Boldly Go Where No Snail Has Gone Before". How would Sir Edmund Hillary have felt if a giant mountain bird had swooped down and plucked him off of Everest? You bastard.

[Squirrel Girl]

I am now very concerned as this snail transport problem is clearly an issue in more than just one system and the snails are causing damage. Their unsightly gouges in the silt are quite noticeable. I was able to find out where the snail track first started at the top of the breakdown in JB where the gold line rises on the way to the third T just after the canyon jump and was able to follow his travels down the backside of the rock to the area in which he was found. Clearly, in the interest of cave conservation, we all might want to start performing a snail check at some point before we venture into the dark zone. Just imagine the plight of these poor innocent creatures as they wander in the blackness without a guideline sans safety reel. These abductions must stop. Bill

Clearly, you, unlike I, are not a devotee of ichnology!

[Cantey]

Well it happened again, this time I was diving Jackson Blue on Cave Adventurer’s customer appreciation day (Edd put on a great day) with Keith M. and we were scootering to the start of the kings canyon circuit, swimming the circuit, and then dropping off my datasonde in the bigroom at the start of the circuit.

Nice pictures Bill, it was good to meet you at customer appreciation day. I was the guy who Keith introduced you and Kelly to.

Ryan

[wingman]

Bill, you are looking at this the wrong way. This snail was a mighty snail explorer. The Abe Davis of snail cave diving. He waited through his snail life for just the right moment to be able to grab onto a cave diver for his exploration trip into the darkness. Who knows how many times he tried, but was pulled off by the flow and forced to make his way back into position to try again. He was willing to give his life in a snails pursiut of adventure. Dodging the mighty crawfish as he made his way to a perch where he could dive onto a cave diver.
Only wishing to "Boldly Go Where No Snail Has Gone Before". How would Sir Edmund Hillary have felt if a giant mountain bird had swooped down and plucked him off of Everest? You bastard.

Ah yes, that did cross my mind and I reasoned as follows…he had been watching objects disappear into the void for a while and yes, he leaped onto one of the objects and was propelled into the void with the strange object lighting his way. He was whooshing through space drunk with the spirit of exploration and adventure. When the object went near vertical and the negative g’s hit him as it was pushed forward he lost his tenuous hold and plummeted through space and, as he was suddenly enveloped in darkness, he withdrew into his shell. After what must have seemed like an eternity his shell impacted the soft silt and he was buried and the ejecta formed a mushroom like cloud. As the material settled he came out of his shell and observed only the absence of light. What strange new hell is this he must have thought? He could feel the incline that he was on and emerged from the crater and proceeded downhill creating a burrow in his wake. Finally he reached a horizontal level and began wandering aimlessly. There was not much sustenance in the detritus and the darkness was overpowering. Periodically a glow would appear that rapidly brightened into near daylight. Sometimes it would be quick with an increase in turbulent flow and other times the encounter would last minutes with little change in conditions. The interesting thing to him must have been that it always started from one direction and then after a varying time lapse it would repeat from the other direction. He pondered long and hard and the idea of an allegory about a cave was probably beginning to take shape in his snail brain. That was when the strange event of my 25w hid and several flashes from a high power strobe hit him. His little antennae were extended and I could tell he was marveling at the intense blasts of light. That night he began to trace out a message and that message is what I saw when I returned the next day. He had just finished what appeared to me to be the number 2 and I thought about waiting to see what else he would write. Actually, combined, his meanderings do appear to resemble a portrait of Jesus if you look carefully. Please do not repeat this elsewhere as there could be dire consequences.

So I decided to give him the return trip that he had probably intended to take from the beginning. Hillary would have wanted that bird to swoop him up had he fallen.

[wingman]

Nice pictures Bill, it was good to meet you at customer appreciation day. I was the guy who Keith introduced you and Kelly to.

Ryan

Hi again, thanks, nice meeting you as well. If that was you in the sidemount rig when we were at deco your trim was excellent. Bill

[OFG-1]

Ah yes, that did cross my mind and I reasoned as follows…he had been watching objects disappear into the void for a while and yes, he leaped onto one of the objects and was propelled into the void with the strange object lighting his way. He was whooshing through space drunk with the spirit of exploration and adventure. When the object went near vertical and the negative g’s hit him as it was pushed forward he lost his tenuous hold and plummeted through space and, as he was suddenly enveloped in darkness, he withdrew into his shell. After what must have seemed like an eternity his shell impacted the soft silt and he was buried and the ejecta formed a mushroom like cloud. As the material settled he came out of his shell and observed only the absence of light. What strange new hell is this he must have thought? He could feel the incline that he was on and emerged from the crater and proceeded downhill creating a burrow in his wake. Finally he reached a horizontal level and began wandering aimlessly. There was not much sustenance in the detritus and the darkness was overpowering. Periodically a glow would appear that rapidly brightened into near daylight. Sometimes it would be quick with an increase in turbulent flow and other times the encounter would last minutes with little change in conditions. The interesting thing to him must have been that it always started from one direction and then after a varying time lapse it would repeat from the other direction. He pondered long and hard and the idea of an allegory about a cave was probably beginning to take shape in his snail brain. That was when the strange event of my 25w hid and several flashes from a high power strobe hit him. His little antennae were extended and I could tell he was marveling at the intense blasts of light. That night he began to trace out a message and that message is what I saw when I returned the next day. He had just finished what appeared to me to be the number 2 and I thought about waiting to see what else he would write. Actually, combined, his meanderings do appear to resemble a portrait of Jesus if you look carefully. Please do not repeat this elsewhere as there could be dire consequences.

So I decided to give him the return trip that he had probably intended to take from the beginning. Hillary would have wanted that bird to swoop him up had he fallen.

Although I do follow your rationale concerning the snail’s probable mental state, and do agree that the periodic appearance of bright lights would have disoriented this brave snail adventurer, I cannot find any resemblance to Jesus in the snail writings. The number “2” that you have seen, looks more to me like a misshapen # 9, which may, of course, been the snail’s reference to John Lennon singing Revolution #9 on the white album. While it is true that you would have had a better view of the entire snail message, the fact that you would believe that this snail could have sketched Jesus, without benefit of ever seeing Jesus, or having a King Snail translated version of the Bible, leads me to one of two conclusions:

1 – You just wanted to take the damn thing out of the cave.
2 – Those flashbacks that we were all warned about in the ‘60’s have finally presented themselves to you as Jesus hallucinations in snail tracks.

p.s. It looks a lot more like Andy Kaufman to me.

[bdoxey]

Sorry I missed the weekend. I really want a couple hits off of whatever Edd is mixing in his gas fills.

Bryan

[wingman]

Sorry I missed the weekend. I really want a couple hits off of whatever Edd is mixing in his gas fills.

Bryan

You must ask to get a topping from the special dessert whip...with it you can deliver some squirts of no2 into your mix. Take care though or you too will see jesus on a dive and some people have been known to sell all their gear after a come to jesus dive. No2 is powerfull stuff and can be used to teach deep air at the surface so be very careful.

[RN]

I have to agree with OFG. This is not Jesus, rather it's John Lennon. It's very easy to see the resemblance:

http://www.cavediver.net/forum/galle...ennonimage.jpg

http://www.cavediver.net/forum/galle...9/2/lennon.jpg

Do you realize how much you've just cost us by removing that snail before the portrait was completed?!?!? Had you left the snail there a few more days, we could have carefully preserved and removed the portrait and sold it on ebay for thousands of dollars!!!