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previous--The fallen Rock Project2 pg175
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Shelborne Hotel, Pennington Gap Virginia, 1972. Photo by R. E. Whittemore  The DIRTY OLD MEN
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It all began in 1961 when John Cooper, George Titcomb, Jack Voss, Bill Stephenson, Greggand Bonnie Harlandand John Holsingergot together during the Thanksgiving holidays at St. Paul, VA, to look for caves. John Holsinger remembers that Bill arrived with two suitcases full of whiskey. Titcomb talked Holsinger into banging on Bill's door to ask for a drink. John did, and was so embarrassed that he couldn't ask at all! He merely stuttered, "Just wanted to say goodnight!"
The 1962 DOMO was held in Lewisburg, WV with caving in Greenbrier County. This weekend is well-documented in grotto newsletters and even by a WASHINGTON STAR SUNDAY MAGAZINE article by Peter Grant. During this weekend, Holsinger, Lew Bicking, Cooper and George Titcomb planned to check Crookshank Holeto look for a possible back door connection to Snedegar's Cave. Due to extremely wet conditions, the trip was aborted with Holsinger being subsequently rescued from the entrance. (See The GREAT CROOKSHANK HOLE ADVENTURE, by George Titcomb elsewhere in this issue.) The rest of the 1962 DOM went smoothly. On Saturday, Cooper, Titcomb, Bicking, Ron Burnette, John Rutherfordand John Davismade a long trip into Ludington Caveto see the Thunderbolt Passage. This passage had been named by Rutherford as a result of the steel tape he was mapping with in the water-filled passage being struck by lightening.
By 1964, a meeting of cavers was a tradition on Thanksgiving weekend. The cavers shifted their emphasis to southwestern Virginia to begin work that would eventually be published by Holsinger as DESCRIPTIONS OF VIRGINIA CAVES, 1975. This year Don Finley, Jack Voss, Stewart Peck, Rusty Norton, Bill Biggers, Holsinger, Titcomb, and Tom Tuckerpiddled about looking for caves in Rye Cove.
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Interest in locating caves then shifted to Lee County, VA, and the Thanksgiving weekends from 1965 to 1977 were held at Pennington Cap, first at the Shelburne Hotel and later at the motel across the street. Holsinger relates that he has attended all but the 1963 DON, and Titcomb has attended every one from 1961 through 1977. |
Don "Mud" Finley, Peter Haver, Jim Groseclose, and Ed Bauer outside Shlbourne Hotel, DOM, 1969. Photo by R. E. Whittemore |
In 1965 the gathering was a result of combining Holsinger's and Baroody's Thanksgiving caving groups at the same place. John's group was working mainly in Surgener' s Cave, as well as checking the area for other caves, while Roger and other UVA grotto members were continuing to map in Gilley Cave.
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It was during one of the mid 1960's DONs that the following tale as related by Bill Biggers happened: "Phil Lucaswas sleeping in a room with a bunch of other guys under a skylight. He woke up several times during the night thinking he was at the bottom of a deep pit with the rope gone. He was unable to get out. These bad dreams reoccurred throughout the entire night. The following night his enterprising friends hung a rope from the handle of the skylight so that Phil could prusik up and get out of the bottomless pit."
During 1966-67 Holsinger was living in Tennessee and was able to spend much free time in locating many caves in the southwestern Virginia area. He also started the famous cavers' graffiti on the men's room wall of Woody's Restaurant (fondly known to cavers as the BIRD due to a large pink flamingo on the restaurant sign) in Gate City. The restaurant, with its local-color interior, good food and beer on tap, became a stopping-place for cavers in the area, and all added to the graffiti each time they visited the restaurant. Stopping at the Bird was a real treat, and if there were not too many locals around, female cavers would sneak into the men's room to read the graffiti!
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Phil Lucas at 1972 DOMC, Pennington Gap Virginia. Photo by R. E. Whittemore |
Because very few female cavers were interested in long mapping trips, especially during a weekend such as Thanksgiving, the DOMC evolved for men only. And they seemed really put out if women showed up. Once Georgeand Sara Carrie, not knowing the tradition, stopped by. Another year Bill Stephenson encouraged Dee Snelland Jette Feduskato attend the gathering much to the consternation of those present.
During 1966, 1967 and 1968 the DOMCs were well-attended. Rocky Hollowand Hairy Holeamong many others were mapped. Because so much work was needed in this area of Lee County, the VPI Grotto sponsored several grotto projects in the area, as did the VAR, which held their 1968 Spring project at Pennington Gap.
At the 1969 DOMC, Jim Beck, whose favorite cave was Unthanks, led Holsinger, Baroody, Finley and others through the recently-discovered Easter Pig Siphon which greatly extended the mileage of the cave.
While a lot of hard caving was done during the DOMC, much good fellowship was shared as well. There are all sorts of tales about run-ins with the permanent residents of the Shelburne Hotel by the cavers; getting stuck in the John by doors which locked from the outside; the Dunganon Monster; Easter Pig Caverns on the Trail of the Lonesome Pine; antagonizing Baroody, Biggers, or Holsinger for the pure devilment of it; five or six people crowding into rooms meant for one or two; all the human interest happenings that make caving great!
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