Indian Pass Talus Caves TSOD Henadoawda 2017nov4

On an environmental note: this is not a bat hibernation site nor did we find any activity. Yes, we checked with the DEC ahead of time. On a safety note: Follow all caving precautions to avoid getting lost or injured.

Rumors of the Indian Pass talus caves have intrigued me since hearing about them a decade or so ago. Panther Gorge’s talus caves (especially Mt. Marcy Cavern) were very interesting so what mysteries did Indian Pass hold with its almost 2.5 miles of documented passages in various cave systems? A research project and SAR interests led me to contact Chuck Porter, editor of NE Caver. Chuck filled in many blanks.

I mentioned this to Alan Wechsler, a journalist/explorer friend. He immediately decided to write a story about caver, Robert W. Carroll Jr., for an upcoming issue of Adirondack Explorer newsmagazine. His article will have extensive details on Carroll as well as details from our trip. Carroll mapped nearly 12,000 feet of passages in a series of caves below Wallface. The largest Indian Pass caves are the TSOD (Touchy Sword of Damocles) and Henadoawda systems. We found both and explored roughly 400’ of multi-level passage before calling it a day.