Daily Archives: October 23, 2012

Another remarkable hike today on what could be my last day off for Fall Hiking Season. Short-ish but sweet. Hiked the 4 Valley region again, with 2 big finds. First the discovery of what I call a Southern Passage (or Lower Passage) up and around these ridges, staying close to the bottom instead of the top. All 4 ridges can now be accessed through this lower passage — before, for example, I’d have to huff it all the way up to Louisiana on the 3rd ridge over (counting, once more, south to north), to get from 2 to 4. Now I can significantly undercut that ascent on this 3rd ridge. 2 prominent flat parts (or platforms) on ridges 2 and 3 have now also been found, as yet unnamed. These would be similar to Louisiana itself, although neither approach the size of Kentucky. The larger of these 2 new platform finds on the lower ends of the 4 Valleys ridges might be another site for some type of art happening, and maybe even a more permanent structure might be built there, like some type of earth lodge (?). Anyway the discovery of this Southern Passage alone would have made my day. The 4 Valleys region is becoming tightly bonded with Byng, and I believe they actually make one region between them, separate from any others around Wealthy Mtn. or neighboring Yards Mtn. for that matter. So Green Oz Valley to the west seems separate, and the whole, extensive Lost Valley region (an area I thought of exploring today but decided against it in favor of 4 Valleys) also appears separate, and may be dividable into several sub-regions itself.

A 2nd major find is the discovery of another cave in the 4 Valleys regions. We already have discussed Prism Cave, and also a place called Other Cave. Well, as it turns out Other Cave has a twin cave sitting right next to it, and more enclosed or *closed* in, as well as probably larger. So I’ve redesignated Other Cave as *Open* Cave, and the newly discovered cave next to it becomes Closed Cave. Together they are also the Twin Caves, I suppose.

Close Cave had most definite signs of human habitation in the past, and may have been the site of a *stove*, if I’m understanding what I’m seeing in and immediately around it. A number of bricks remain inside (where the stove sat?), and then a stove piece was found just outside the mouth of the cave, which seems to have been artificially enhanced with the creation or reinforcement of a ledge. I’ll get into more of this in my post devoted to the cave just below.

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“Hucka D., who lived in this cave, or at least stayed there? The ceilings seem quite low for any extended stay. But then there’s the matter of the possible stove.”

Hucka D.:

Chuck lived inside. (pause)

bb:

Was he a little person? Munchkin, I suppose?

Hucka D.:

No. (pause) Wait, yes.

bb:

The 4 Valleys region is becoming super important.

Hucka D.:

Each valley a story, each story a valley.

bb:

Maybe we should return to our Lion’s Roar evolving story, Hucka D.

Hucka D.:

Me. (pause) Me, me, me (!)