Peery Saltpeter Cave, Boutetourt County, Virginia

October 2016

Gate Type: BASIC

At the time we were asked to gate this cave, it was the largest remaining hibernaculum in Virginia, the rest decimated by White Nose Syndrome. This ranks among our most challenging projects, from the sheer distance from the road (steel delivery point) to the steep entrance slope to the huge size of the opening to be gated. But it all came together in an an amazing ballet of volunteer cavers and state agency support. It’s our largest gate to date in terms of surface area. All photos © Jim Kennedy.

The Virginia DCNR folks spent a week dragging steel up the mountain with a UTV before we even got there!
There was still the little matter of hand-carrying the cut pieces over that hump and down the slope to the entrance.
We started on the left side, because it was the least-steep and least-tall, therefore the easiest.
As we progressed further to the right, it became more difficult and dangerous to install our columns.
Hanging out over the yawning abyss was not for the faint of heart. Luckily, cavers are a hardy breed.
There’s about 12 feet of nothingness below him. This was the sketchiest anchor pin we had to place.
Zooming out, you can see the right-hand side of the gate more clearly. You can also see the huge boulder by Lydia that we had to build around.
Nearly finished now! We just need to attach the rest of the torsion bars.
The things that we make Lydia do to get the job done!
Here’s a nice photo of the completed gate, looking out.
And here is the finished gate from the outside.