By Lambe Lamis 
When taking somebody new to Pettyjohn Cave in north Ga, I get pleasure from using them on the Loop tour. It is excellent for the reason that the only part of the cave that the route crossed twice is about 250 feet of cave in close proximity to the entrance. The spherical journey will just take about 4 hours and involve restricted squeezes, average climbs and some mud, but not the real mud. If the group truly wishes a challenge, include in the Flat Room and the Z-bends. Aspect excursions can also be created to the Above ‘N Beneath Home or the Echo Space for an even lengthier journey.
The Loop route consists of the Pancake Squeeze or Z-Bends, opt for a single or break up the team up with fifty percent likely through every. (Scaled-down cavers just take the Z-Bends). Upcoming is the Raccoon room, The Freeway, and then the Bridge Place. Leaving the Bridge Place, crawl into the Mason – Dixon Passage and onto the Volcano Home, then back to the Main Entrance Home.
As one particular slides down into the entrance of Pettyjohn, you cannot help but see the smooth weathered rock slide that 1000’s of cavers have slid down just before. If it is raining or moist muddy cavers exited just in advance of your party does, the very last several ft of the cave can be rather challenging and it will call for most of your climbing abilities just to exit the cave. A rapid transform to the remaining and down then back to the right and the cave opens up into a large cavern. Till your eyes alter to the dim consider care climbing down into the substantial Entrance Space. The flooring may perhaps be slippery, so while your eyes change, attempt to acquire in the large formations on each and every side of the place. The area is about 30 feet high and 20 ft huge. About 200 feet into the cave is the first junction home and a climb.
Down by way of the ground in the very first junction space is the route to the Signature Space, a very good trip for very first time cavers, with lots of superior sticky mud. The effectively-worn path up the rock to the remaining is tough to climb, but simple to come down on the way out. There is a sloping rock in the middle of the passage that will have a distinctive crack for a foot phase followed by a different sloping rock with one little worn development in the centre that offers one more foot step to the best of the climb. A number of additional techniques and you are seeking down a steep climb down with a large overhanging boulder on the right and the vertical wall on the remaining.
Slowly and gradually do the job your way down alongside the proper facet below the overhang to the bottom of the second junction area. This is where we commence the Loop route and it is also the most traveled route to the substantial drinking water slide at the decreased degree. There will be two holes at the base of the next junction area. The most obvious 1 is a fall that I would not suggest. Right after checking it out flip again absent from the left wall and climb down by the breakdown, toes initial, until finally you are below the hole. You can then see that there are no foot or hand holds to use if you came via the 1st gap.
Proceed to climb down less than the remaining wall of the Entrance Home, the cave will open up up sloping steeply absent from the Major Entrance Room. This is probably the most bewildering place on our tour. On a current excursion I expended nearly an hour listed here making an attempt to find the way on. I continue to keep forgetting that there is a further degree to descend before climbing up again into a limited water passage that sales opportunities to the Pancake Squeeze. Climb down to the correct around a steep ledge until finally you can go no further. Then flip back again to the still left and look up for hidden passage more than a smaller ledge. If the team chooses to just take the Z-Bends, then continue to be minimal and keep on in the similar general route but more to the ideal. By means of a minimal broad home referred to as the Flat Area. Close to the conclude of this room look for a vertical crack to squeeze into and observe it till it opens up. This is the Z-Bends, the taller you are the more difficult it will be to get through.
For the team that went up around the ledge get the initial aspect passage by means of drinking water about 8 inches deep to the end. Duck underneath the ledge on the correct and crawl into the Pancake Squeeze. The Pancake Squeeze is tricky, check out and glance ahead for the best portion and continue to be sightly to the remaining. If the squeeze begins to get tight try out going more to the remaining. You may possibly have to remove your difficult hat in get to get via. There is a lot of area on each individual side, so crawling is not a challenge. When you fall off the Pancake and into standing home you should occur into call with the team that took the Z-Bends. Make sure that all people is back again together in advance of continuing.
The next problem will be a quick fall of about 6 feet. If you are tall, you can just slide above toes to start with to the rock flooring underneath. A better route is together the remaining facet among a stalactite and the left wall, in which you can hold on to the stalactite and reduce you down to the floor. Continue on along the appropriate wall for yet another 50 feet and the still left side will start off to fall absent. Continue to be higher together the appropriate aspect of the passage. If you climb down via a muddy hole on the remaining wall to the stream stage, you will be on the vacationer route to the drinking water drop. Previously mentioned this gap superior on the proper is the Raccoon Area. This is a unsafe climb and there may perhaps be a hand line there, but do not put your rely on in it as it has been there for several years. Climb up and more than the ledge to the correct.
Cross the Raccoon Room on the suitable aspect to the again of the room. Stay away from the useless conclude crawl and keep to the ideal crawling about several mud partitions right until you attain a canyon junction. The significant going for walks passage to the right will useless conclude immediately after several turns. At the junction there will be a good stalactite with h2o dripping into a pool with rim stone dams about the edge of the pool. Comply with the canyon to the left and climb up into The Freeway. The Freeway is straightforward stoop going for walks passage with mud banking companies along just about every aspect. Cross via 3 rooms about 75 feet each and every right until reaching the Bridge Area.
The Bridge Room is a great area to acquire a crack, hang your legs over the edge and listen for the stream about 80 ft underneath. You could climb down here and go to the h2o slide. By crossing in excess of the bridge, which is a slim muddy arch around the canyon, and continuing via a extended trunk passage accessibility can be experienced to the back sections of Pettyjohn Cave. To go on the Loop, do not cross the bridge, but comply with the narrow mud path alongside the appropriate wall of the massive canyon and continue to be at the same amount in close proximity to the ceiling.
At the finish of the Bridge Room search for a tiny gap around the ceiling, this is the limited crawl into the Mason – Dixon Passage. If you climb down at this stage and duck less than a ledge, you can stick to the decrease stream passage to the sump at the lowest component of the cave, 235 toes underneath the entrance. Take off all your gear and shove it into the hole forward of you, then squeeze by means of. Following about 20 toes it will start off to open up and you can slide up into the passage on the left. This passage will begin out about 4 foot substantial and then later open up into going for walks with one particular far more restricted crawl about 50 percent way via.
Just after about 500 feet there will be a huge junction area. To the left is the Worm Tube leading to the Echo Space, the premier home in the cave. The Worm Tube is 200 ft of very tight passage and the climb up into the Echo Area is quite tough. But it is well truly worth the work to see the significant place. To the ideal in the junction room and above a rock ledge and by a horizontal crack is a little place on the way to the Volcano Area. A single much more horizontal crack and then climb out and onto the edge of the Volcano Area.
The Volcano Place is shaped like a significant funnel with steep sides and it potential customers down to the stream passage and the sump. For several years the only way out was to climb up a vertical wall to a little window earlier mentioned the Volcano Place. We typically utilized a cable ladder when coming the other direction. I have free climbed the wall, but it is incredibly uncovered. In the late 80’s a person dug a bypass crawl less than and all-around the vertical climb up to the window. To enter this crawl from the Volcano Area aspect enter head initially, pushing you gear. You work your way upwards twisting as you go. Check out to keep on your again mainly because you will have to bend up at the end and if you are not on your back again you will not be able to bend up or convert in excess of. If you are going the other way, you will want to go feet initially and on your back again. Likely down hill is a minimal easer.
When acquiring out of the crawl and waiting for the other individuals, it is really worth the look at to go up to the window and glimpse out about the Volcano Room. There is not much home in the smaller vertical passage at the window so just before it fills climb into the more substantial place previously mentioned. Climb up into one more room with going for walks passage to the left and a climb up on the proper. The still left passage useless finishes. The climb up along a narrow ledge, very first proper then back again to the still left and up into a large formation area. At the far facet of this place and in excess of a lip is an additional area likely down. Keep to the remaining and enter a crawl way before the area. The crawl way will have a pretty sharp turn to the suitable. The corner of the rock at the change has been broken off to allow the extraction of a very poor caver who fell from the window about the Volcano Place and broke a leg.
The quick crawl carries on upward about a substantial breakdown to a brief drop into a little space. When you are in this passage, you can speak to any person who might be in the Autograph Room over. If they are at the bottom of the Autograph Home, they ought to be only a couple of ft from this passage. But no visual call could be created. As you climb down into the compact home, turn to the correct and slide toes initially into an additional small opening right before likely absolutely into the little space. Proceed down this tiny vertical dry and dusty crack right up until it amounts out.
If you go on to the conclusion of this passage, there is a tough climb up that very long legs are essential to achieve the foot retains. Ahead of you achieve the end and soon right after it ranges out there is a hole going up that potential customers to the passage earlier mentioned. The upper passage is about 4 foot high and huge. It will guide to the drop off at the conclusion of the passage below. Go on up the passage, via a smaller window and to what appears to be like like a lifeless conclude. It is achievable to climb up through the breakdown and into the Major Entrance Home above but it is very tight and vertical. At the obvious lifeless stop, lay down on your facet and slide underneath the wall, it is about 12 inches large, but opens up. Crawl more than a rock and into yet another small junction home.
To the still left is a passage to the east stream passage and Crowell Domes. Up and to the correct is a 20 foot climb up into the Principal Entrance Home. 1 path is the Autograph Space and the other way is the next junction place the place we climbed down. Climb down to the base of the home and then again up the still left side. At the prime continue to be to the suitable and slide down alongside the proper wall into the 1st junction place. From here it is an quick walk to the entrance and a slippery climb out of the cave.