Southern Comfort is located in the extreme southwest section of the 129+ mile long Wind Cave, which is currently the fourth longest cave in the world. Approximately 8 miles of cave have been mapped in the Southern Comfort area so far. A camp there was initiated because marathon day-trips were returning only small amounts of survey footage relative to the effort and travel impact involved. The newly established outpost was named Camp Cosmos, after the region of Southern Comfort where it is located. The design is based on the successful camping model established in nearby Jewel Cave. On two camp stocking trips in March of 2008, sleeping bags, foam pads, ground tarps, stoves, fuel, and emergency supplies were hauled by three and four person teams to establish an equipment cache at the camp. A drip-water collection system in the nearby Rt. 66 passage was improved to reliably supply drinking water for multi-day exploration. With these support systems in place, cavers only have to carry their own food, spare clothing, and survey equipment through the approximately 4.5 miles of twisting passages, low crawls, and occasional climbs to reach Camp Cosmos. Following the high standards set at the Jewel Cave camp, all waste is hauled out from Camp Cosmos. The new camp is currently stocked to support four explorers.
On June 13-16, 2008 Wind Cave Trip Leader, Carleton Bern, led Larry Shaffer and twin brothers Andrew Blackstock and Evan Blackstock on the first trip to use the new camp. We carried two packs each. A small day pack loaded with heavy items was strapped tightly to our sides and only had to be removed in the tightest constrictions. Our bigger camp packs were loaded with lighter items. We wore the big camp packs on our backs when we could, and wrestled and rolled them forward in the numerous crawlways, crevices, and constrictions when we could not. This system worked great for the torturous route out to camp, and we made the trip in 8 hours.
We mapped a crawlway close to camp the first night. On the second day we ventured out to the most promising area, located beyond a 260-foot long bellycrawl aptly named The Skinner. We checked and mapped nine leads marked on the quad maps, many of them ending after only a couple stations. We also checked holes in the ceiling. The observer below was able to keep track of the climber above by noting which holes poured sand and fist-sized stones into the room below. We found other promising leads, which were lined with a bit of aragonite to hint at air movement, that ended quickly in dry mud chokes. Finally, at the end of the day we found ourselves mapping westward in some low dusty crawls that kept branching and seemed to contain a faint breeze. Confident we would be back to this promising area the next day, we stashed our bulky 100’ open reel survey tape so no one would have to carry it through the Skinner.
That night, disaster struck. Maybe it was the antelope jerky I shared in camp, maybe it was something else. Either way, starting at 4am Andrew became violently and repeatedly sick. When it was time to get up in the morning, Andrew felt better, but did not feel like eating. Evan and I made a brisk morning round-trip through the Skinner and retrieved the survey tape. We picked out some leads very close to camp and started mapping those while Andrew continued to recover in camp. In the afternoon we retrieved Andrew and he joined us for some of the most unpleasant survey any of us have ever done. Larry tried to encourage Andrew to stay in camp by describing the belly crawls as having “rotating blades of boxwork”, but he was unsuccessful. However, late in the day, we found ourselves in nicer leads and even reeled off a 56’ shot. Ultimately though it was the same story I have found everywhere in Southern Comfort. The passages that do not end in a blank wall end by just getting too small for a human body to cram itself through.
Andrew was able to eat dinner that night, and on the morning of the fourth day we were ready to get out of the cave. Our strategy of staging dirty clothes and packs on a tarp a short distance away from camp was apparently a great idea. That tarp, along with most of our gear, was a mess of rock flour and sand while the camp and sleeping bags seemed virtually unused. We saddled up and breezed out of the cave in six and a half hours.
In summary, the trip was a success. Camp Cosmos is an excellent aid to exploration and actually reduces overall explorer impact on the cave. We estimate that we were able to accomplish as much on this trip as on four to five normal day trips. Fifteen marked and several unmarked leads were checked or mapped during the trip, which added 1,166 feet to the Wind Cave survey, bringing the total length of the cave to over 129 miles. There is little glory to be found in Southern Comfort these days, just hard work. Still, with the aid of Camp Cosmos we can keep eliminating the dozens and dozens of holes that don’t go, seeking the one that will. Our next camp trip will be this coming winter.
Line plot of the Wind Cave survey showing Camp Cosmos relative to the Elevator and Walk-In entrances
Evan Blackstock squeezing through the Cheap Thrill on the way to Southern Comfort in Wind Cave
Andrew Blackstock at the Rt. 66 water collector. Note black plastic for catching dripwater in background
Camp Cosmos. Evan Blackstock, Andrew Blackstock, and Carleton Bern (L to R)
Andrew Blackstock in typical Southern Comfort virgin passage
Larry Shaffer working inventory of cave features
Camp Cosmos. Andrew Blackstock, Carleton Bern, and Larry Shaffer (Front to back)
Larry Shaffer, Evan Blackstock, and Andrew Blackstock (L to R) in the Southern Comfort Room
Carleton Bern squeezes through Les Miserables on the way to Southern Comfort in Wind Cave