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De-Briefing tent at Floyd Collins Crystal Cave ("c-3") Expedition, 1954. From upper far left: Earl Thierry, Charles Longworth, John Kendal, Roy Charlton, Bob Handly (lady unidentified). Photo by S.A. Loyd |
A few years ago Mike Dyas made an observation in the DC SPELEOGRAPH that the VAR/VPI/WVACS clan seemed to run the Region and have their fingers in every pie possible for many years. I started wondering when VPI cavers became active in WVACS, and questioned Ed Bauer on the subject. He replied; "My first year at VPI was 1960-61; this was before WVACS had been formed. The following year (1960-61) Mike Rosenheimer, known affectionately as Windy Mouth, came to Teach from New York, and interested a few of us in several Greenbrier County caves including Organ, Windy Mouthand particularly Culverson Creek(before it was a system). There was a VAR project in Greenbrier Countyin the Spring of 1962 and a contingency from VPI went. I was out of Touch for two years; when I returned in the fall of 1964, Charlie Maus was attracting VPI cavers regularly on trips to that area. Best trip I ever had to West Virginia, though, was with Whitt and Rick Nolting to Cass. We left after classes on Saturday and were back in time for breakfast on Sunday.
At the 1968 Spring project in Pennington Gap, VA, mapping of Wildcat Caverns was initiated. Those who participated in the project were primarily from VPI under the leadership of R.E. Whittemore and Jim Hixson. Whitt had one group, while Jim had another; plans were made to start at the entrance and the back of the cave, and meet halfway. This did not occur as the cave was roomier than first assumed, and several trips were made after the project weekend, to finish the cave. At that time Jim was living in Ducktown, TN, and during the summer began to make long trips to West Virginia to map in Windy Mouth and other caves in the vicinity. Jim couldn't always count on finding cavers to help him map when he arrived in the Lewisburg areas so he began picking up cavers en route. From then on, VPI cavers were a part of the WV caving scene. Jim often tried to fill his car in Kingsport, TN, with the infamous Easter Pig and John, Andy or Guy Powers, who were members of the Holston Valley Grotto. If this didn't work, he brainwashed VPI cavers during the Friday night "orgy" to accompany him.
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