We left the hotel to meet with Dr. Steve Emslie at Western State College before heading off to Signature Cave outside Gunnison, Colorado. We hiked for about a mile and a half, including a stream crossing, to get to the cave excavation site. The was nestled in a beautiful valley at about 10,500 ft. And while a 1.5 mile hike doesn't seem too strenuous, it was the first hike in Gypsy's 7 week old life. But she did great following us down the trail. Once inside Signature Cave (named for a signature left inside, likely belonging to a seasonal miner in the late 1800s) we put on hard hats and headlamps and ventured inside. Once inside the first chamber, Steve gave us a tour and explained the research that was being done inside the cave. For an added adventure, some of us decided to crawl into the next chamber. For those of us who had never caved before, it was incredible being inside a completely dark, silent room. On the hike back, we were able to find an abundance of pika pellets, which was exciting. As soon as we got to the cars it started to rain. By the time we drove to the next locality, the rain seemed to only get worse, so we decided to head back to Gunnison to have dinner with Steve and Dr. David Meltzer of SMU, also working on the project at Signature Caves. All in all, it was a great day!
Crossing the stream on our hike to Signature Cave. (notice Gypsy being carried by Liz in the foreground)
Signature Cave.
Emma and Jonathan just inside the entrance to Signature Cave.
Emma after crawling through the small passage to the inner cave.
Daniel inside the excavated chamber.
Dr. Steve Emslie explaining the different strata inside the cave.
Steve inside the first chamber.
Jonathan crawling his way towards the inner chamber.
The passageway was rather narrow...
Anne climbing her way out after Jonathan.
Eating lunch outside the cave.
Gypsy napped on a rock while we collected pika pellets.
The valley where the cave is situated, next to what remains of a miner's cabin from the late 19th century.
After a hard day's work, arguably the hardest yet in her short life, Gypsy crashed in the car while we ate dinner.
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