Celebrating 20 years as a Texas caving organization in 2006! The Maverick Grotto is the local caving club of
Fort Worth and
Tarrant County Texas. We are dedicated to promoting safe, fun, and environmentally conscious caving. Our grotto is an internal organization of the
National Speleological Society.
The following pictures were taken at various TAG caves at
the 2005 NSS convention. All pictures furnished courtesy of Dennis and
Sharon Welch though some are taken by other photographers as will be noted
on the individual photograph. Ignore the date on some of the pictures,
someone forgot to reset their internal camera calendar.
A
special thanks to Dennis and Sharon Welch for getting the pictures together
and to Rich Collier, Michael D. Smith, Daniel
Veelik and Beatriz Farfan for letting us use their pictures on the Maverick Grotto website.
Betty Farfan & Daniel Veelik, a couple from the
Southern California Grotto; Dennis Welch, pausing for lunch; and Bob
"Nuke" Thompson, taking a break during the Vertical Workshop, hosted by
the N.S.S. Vertical Section at the Grissom High School gym during the
2005 N.S.S. Convention in Huntsville, Alabama. (photo - Sharon Welch)
Dale Purchase, Florida; Dennis Welch, Dallas/Fort
Worth; Ernie Garza, Austin, examine and prepare to rig Hooper's Well, a
90-foot pit near Monte Sano State Park. (photo - Sharon Welch)
Dennis ties a figure-8 knot for use in rigging
Hooper's Well. (photo - Sharon Welch)
Dennis has rigged Hooper's Well for the 90-foot drop
and still has 5 fingers left. Okay, 4 fingers and a thumb! (photo -
Sharon Welch)
Dale loads his rack to rappel into Hooper's Well.
(photo - Sharon Welch)
Dale begins his descent into the pit through the
small entrance. The rope pad, an old piece of carpet, received the duct
tape treatment to the edges when it was discovered to be shedding worse
than Lassie! (photo - Sharon Welch)
Dennis Welch, harness on, ready to rappel into
Hooper's Well. (photo - Sharon Welch)
Dale Purchase, a cave-diver from Michigan, now living
in Florida, all harnessed-up and ready to go. (photo - Sharon Welch)
Dennis Welch captures the astounding majesty and
wonder of the beautiful waterfall cascading into Neversink, an
incredible 162-foot pit owned by the Southeastern Cave Conservancy, inc.
(photo - Dennis Welch)
The waterfall in Neversink, shot from below, cascades
past numerous beautiful fern-covered shelves. This has got to be one of
the most incredibly awesome pits in T.A.G. It is a "must-see" if ever in
the area. (photo - Dennis Welch)
While about two-thirds up the rope at Neversink,
Dennis paused to catch his breath from the breath-taking view. Really,
he just needed an excuse to take a break from the climb. (photo - Dennis
Welch)
A pretty little Salamander on the floor of Neversink.
(photo - Dennis Welch)
Betty Farfan and Daniel Veelik enjoy the view up,
from the base of Neversink, a spectacular 162-foot pit in Jackson
County, Alabama. (photo - Dennis Welch)
Sharon Welch poses in front of the the waterfall in
Neversink. She is tiny, cute, friendly, sweet and photogenic. On top of
that, she loves to cave! Dennis married way over his head!! (photo -
Dennis Welch)
Daniel Veelik stares heavenward in awe, before the
waterfall in Neversink. (photo - Dennis Welch)
