Xanadu & Cave Creek May 29

I gave myself a self-guided tour of the Bullock/Cave Creek cave system. I first boulder-hopped down to the low flow resurgence then scrambled back up to the impressive phreatic tube entrance of Cave Creek Cave-to think this cave is still active and roars during floods! I went in a couple hundred meters to where a deep wade or possible swim would be necessary. I then returned to the car to put on some caving gear to check out the overflow submergence of the system, Xanadu Cave. I knew this cave was a vadose flood maze but my god I've never been in a cave so mazy in my life. This cave required quite a bit of brainpower to remember landmarks and junctions so that I would be able to make it out again. I made it about 30 junctions in before the passage I chose began to disintegrate and I decided I better try to make my way back. Happily, I went back exactly the way I had come with minimal head-scratching. It was more of a mental workout than a crossword puzzle. I am mildly hopeful that an overlooked passage could connect to Myopia/Cataract Pot/Cave Creek, thus connecting the whole system in what must be a cave of respectable length. The last misadventure of the day was bush-bashing my way down to the Hole-In-The-Wall, a 100m long natural tunnel that frankly was barely worth the effort.






(no dog riding)