Show Sectidn October 31 2003 The' Herald Journal Pagel ' ? s r !‘ t f" ' Jess Hancock who guided snouting to Providence Cave last week pauses lit’'-- ' Photos tor The Herald Journal by Scott Davis - : v s' 'S with a trip member in a large open section of the cave Cavers slide into local underground scene By David Nelson staff writer : t the end of Right Hand Fork road after 18 miles of bumpy ' rocky road from US 89 wherctraffic consists of two ATVs or 4x4 trucks r : passing each other and blaze orange iis the fashionable colorchoice during fall a steep trail heads west from die dry grass " field that serves as a parking lot for vehicles to rest their suspen- 'w - sion systems The dusty trail cuts up through the evergreens levels into a skinny meandering path above the treeline and winds through a stand of bare aspen preparing for winter the season that can be felt Outdoors report SNC activities The Stokes Nature Center’s 6th annual Banquet and Auction will be at 6 pm Saturday at the Cbppermill RestauranL Tickets are limited and are cm sale at Fuhriman’s Framing and Fine Art Chapter TVvo Books and SNC The center’s 6th annual Open House will be Nov 8 from 10 am to 4 pm For more details and a schedule go to wwwJogannatureorg RAC meeting The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Northern Region will hold its Regional Advisory Council meeting at the Brigham City Community Center 24 N 300 West at 6 pm Nov 5 Topics that will be discussed are: Mule Deer Management Plan Cooperative Wildlife Management Units and Permit Numbers Approval Dedicated Hunter Rule and Bucks and Bulls Proclamation A Rule Those who cannot attend may provide comments by contacting Northern RAC Chairman Ernie Perkins at (home) or email at 23 erperkinsearthlinknet t ' first-tim- - low-ceiling- ed first-tim- ‘ ' in the thin October air blowing high on the peak near Mt Logan Off the trail unmarked by sign or even a clear path is a quiet sinkhole about IS feet in diame- ter Overgrown with dry grass and weeds and parti ally covered by a fallen tree trunk angled like a wooden spoon in a bowl the sides slowly erode above a tiny hole in the bottom of the pit human overuse and exploitation leave backpacks at the surface the of Reports from the era cited vaneconomy emphasizing cracks the dalism garbage and health hazthe of down space ards like feces which Blatt said cave Shedding equipment other made the cave a pretty ugly than the flashlights and gloves for the climb the group place’’' necessary e But as a caver climbs slides through the muddy hole on their backs Headlamps perched through the entrance cavem of Providence Cave wony about-baton red or blue helmets switch on is quickly forgotten because upon arrival in the “the squeeze” is looming “entrance cavern” to Providence Back on the surface Hancock Cave and the first bat is seen — had warned about the squeeze a small gray ball of fur hanging An shaft it’s the on the rock wall ' e In a surprise for most djfficult part of the journey down It requires the caver to lie cavers it’s actually the only bat flat for about eight feet crawling found on this trip as most caves across the muddy rocky floor up Logan Canyon don’t attract including a tight turn bottlemany of the nocturnal creatures In fact Logan Cave at one time necking behind other cavers inchthe valley’s most accessible and ing along the path until legs can be closed in October cave stretched again popular Photo for The Herald Journal by Scott Davis The squeeze opens into a slot of 1997 to protect theTownsend’s Bat Forest Service canyon where cavers keep their Cavers with USU's Outdoor Recreation Center prepare to descend into the Blatt hands on slick muddy flowstone Steve Wildlife about from is and cave mouth of Providence Cave The Biologist 20 miles Logan Cave walls for orientation while stradthe said bat from hike the 15 road minute populaa Logan requires tion has since increased to almost dling the crack that opens below where those who make the climb two hours inside into which Jess to a depth no headlamp can 500 during the summer maternity Hancock leads his 10 followers ' season can let themselves be swallowed and 130 during the winter pierce The leader from Utah State Uniinto the earth A few minutes of hibernation season An impresIt’s that entrance ait innocent versity Outdoor Recreation Cen- crouch a climb up to a sive turnaround said Blatt after ter a caving veteran of looking hole to anyone who isn’t the bat population dwindled to “a the area instructs the group to planning on spending the next handful” in the 1970s because of See GROTTO on C12 ' Big-Ear- ed walking-anothe- five-ye- ar ' r v - Working a new dog on opening morning By Don Wahlatrom On opening morning the crowd of hunters is bigger than usual at our favorite pheasant area so my son Eric and I along with our young dog Max decide to walk a short distance along a nearby farm road before beginning to hunt The two-- 1 track road is closed to vehi-clAbout 30 minutes later we are away from most of the other hunters and turn Max loose excited to watch him on his first pheasant bag The bird in front of me is now hiding in a thick bunch of tall grass I will have to walk in on it to make it flush Every one of my send1 es is primed I don’t dare take my eyes from the spot OnlthelGache es hunt Now the unpredictable luck of the hunt begins to -play its role After just a short distance I see a rooster running in the tall yellow mss “Eric” I yell excitedly “I can see a rooster over here" Eric’s answer from 30 yards away is a big surprise: “I see one here too!” This is really going to be fun if we can just get both birds in the where I think the bird is The gun is at my shoulder and Intake careful footing on every step "This bird does not have a chance” I tell myself Boom! The sound of Eric’s shot distracts me I lower my gun and turn just in time to see the action “Good shot Eric" I shout excitedly as he goes to the downed bird A few feathers are floating in die air Eric had been practicing his shooting and I am happy - that he is successful For a brief moment I am not concentrating on the bird in front of me It is at this exact moment of course that the pheasant explodes into die air There is a lot of fluttering wing noise and loud cackling It is as though he is announcing his escape and is daring me to try to shoot him I spin around mount the gun about halfway and instinctively jerk the trigger It is a miss for sure “Dang it" I swear to myself Still unnerved I work the old action as fast as nly possible and jerk the trigger again Another miss "That son of a gun!” My swearing is getting worse Untouched the bird is picking up speed I am starting to worry but now I am no longer startled There is time for one more shot I hope it is not too far for a 20 gauge While taking aim I am thinking instruc- - E t Photo by Don WShlttrom Max pses with a pair of ring necked roosters tions: “Be smooth get your face down on the stock and now swing the bead just in front of the bird’s head” At that moment my trigger finger knows what to do and the old Winchester fries one more load The bird instantly drops at the shot and lands beyond a wide ditch filled with water and a few cattails “Good shot Dad — you missed the easy close shots and hit the hard one” Eric says as be hurriedly walks over I answerback “I knew he was there but somehow he still caught me by surprise” Now Max runs to us Eric holds his bird low and offers Max an exciting sniff of his first wild pheasant Max had missed all the action but did See DOG on C2 |