| Name | Age | Sex | Injuries | Injured areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devine, Ed | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded |
In Paul Penley Cave a promising lead was a dome/pit beyond the tight Fender Bender. The dome/pit is intersected by the entering passage and has a stream cascading down. A couple of attempts got a bolt ladder part way up above the belayer but the waterfall lead was on the opposite side and still above. In the spring of 1982 a light set of scaling poles was constructed and brought to the site by five cavers. This was set up with its bottom anchored to the top of the bolt ladder and its top over the lip of the waterfall above. A cable ladder had been attached to the top before erection and ascent was then possible.
With a belay running back through the 'biners on the bolts, Ed Devine climbed out and up the cable ladder, soaked from the waterfall, but still warm from his exertions and a "garbage bag undershirt" he was wearing. He made it up the 15-foot climb quickly and checked for continuation. A high canyon passage led on but the loose rock slope above the falls was very treacherous. Undoing his belay, he headed on, finding some good leads.
Back at the dome he looked about for a permanent anchor for his descent and future ascents. There was nothing! The walls were crumbly and the floor was loose rocks that kept sliding down and over the edge as he walked on it. He would have to descend with no upper belay-a slip would produce a 30-foot fall, hopefully held at that point by his belayer.
He was about 10 feet down when the shower of water doused his carbide lamp. He scrounged through his pack and found his flashlight, then got a few steps further before the flashlight slipped from his grasp and was lost into the darkness below. His third source, a Tekna-lite tied to his equipment sling now refused to work.
The cold shower and his exertions were draining his strength fast. He tried to reascend but found his belay to be tangled in the ladder. His boots, with speed lacing hooks, tended to get caught in the cables of the ladder. He was cold and confused. He yelled for light-he had to rescue himself, he knew that much.
Seconds passed.
A light suddenly shone upwards from a companion who had hung out over the edge in a difficult spot to illuminate him. He got the rigging and his boots untangled, his companion burned through a parachute cord equipment-passing line which was tangled and he was suddenly free to descend. Almost at the bottom, his strength failed and he fell free, but was pulled up to the passage by his companions, where he collapsed, exhausted and numb, shivering uncontrollably.
He shortly recovered and the party was able to leave the cave without further incident.
Surely here we are getting down to the very essence of what adventurous sport caving is all about. A classic situation which any hardcore might hope experience in his caving life. However, for those of more pedestrian inclination we can suggest that a wetsuit, electric headlamp and boots without speed lacing hooks would have eliminated some of the excitement. Also, the vertical set-up, though it accomplished the job, was complicated, with scaling pole, belay line, cable ladder and parachute cord equipment line all going to the top, available for tangling.
Even with better equipment, however, don't underestimate the heat(life)-sapping power of water, even in spray form. A climb like this is very serious caving.
Ed Devine made a difficult climb up a scaling pole and cable ladder setup in Paul Penley Cave during which he lost all forms of light and faced a dangerous untethered descent in a waterfall.