, Auditorium
An obscure crawlway entrance on the side of a ridge in Lee County Virginia was discovered one afternoon in 1972 by caving legends Phil Lucas and John Holsinger. The cave was quickly pushed down a pit and left at a fist-sized hole with wind roaring out of it. Out of time and without digging tools, the two vowed to return with needed supplies and discover what lay beyond. They did return, but it was 20 years later, and they were greeted with a surprise when they got to the lead…a body-sized crawlway had been dug for 15 feet opening into large going cave. They had been scooped! But by whom? As they proceeded to survey into the "previously enjoyed" passage they found survey stations and even an abandoned cave camp. The cave owner knew nothing of other explorers and despite significant inquiries with grottoes and state cave surveys nationwide, no one seemed to know anything about the cave or who may have explored it. Phil and company surveyed a little more than a mile of passage before getting distracted by other projects closer to home, and the project was again abandoned in 1995.
Mike Ficco, Katarina Kosič Ficco