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Caving in a muddy section of Black Chasm Cave in California.

A vertical cave in Alabama, US

Caving—also occasionally known as spelunking in the United States and potholing in the United Kingdom and Ireland—is the recreational pastime of exploring wild (generally non-commercial) cave systems. In contrast, speleology is the scientific study of caves and the cave environment.^[1]

The challenges involved in the activity depend on the cave being visited, but often include the negotiation of pitches, squeezes, and water (although actual cave diving is a separate sub-specialty undertaken by very few cavers). Climbing or crawling is often necessary, and ropes are used extensively for safe negotiation of particularly steep or slippery passages.

Caves have been explored out of necessity (for shelter from the elements or from enemies), out of curiosity or for mystical reasons for thousands of years. However, only in the last century or two has the activity developed into a sophisticated, athletic pastime. In recent decades, caving has changed considerably due to the availability of modern protective wear and equipment. It has recently come to be known as an "extreme sport" by some (though not commonly considered as such by its practitioners, who may dislike the term for its perceived connotation of disregard for safety).

Many of the skills involved in caving can also be put to use in mine exploration and urban exploration.

Motivation[link]

Caving is often undertaken for the enjoyment of the outdoor activity or for physical exercise, as well as original exploration, similar to mountaineering or diving. Physical or biological science is also an important goal for some cavers. Virgin cave systems comprise some of the last unexplored regions on Earth and much effort is put into trying to locate and enter them. In well-explored regions (such as most developed nations), the most accessible caves have already been explored, and gaining access to new caves often requires digging or diving.

Naming issues[link]

Caving in the north of England, an area that is also popular for pothole exploring

Clay Perry, an American caver of the 1940s, wrote about a group of men and boys who explored and studied caves throughout New England. This group referred to themselves as spelunkers, a term derived from the Latin spēlunca^[2] and Greek σπῆλυγξ (spēlunks)^[3] meaning "a cave". This is regarded as the first use of the word in the Americas. Throughout the 1950s, spelunking was the general term used for exploring caves in US English. It was used freely, without any positive or negative connotations, although only rarely outside the US.

In the 1960s, the terms spelunking and spelunker began to be considered déclassé among experienced enthusiasts. They began to convey the idea of inexperienced cavers, using unreliable light sources and cotton clothing. In 1985, Steve Knutson (editor of the NSS publication American Caving Accidents) made the following distinction:

…Note that I use the term 'spelunker' to denote someone untrained and unknowledgeable in current exploration techniques, and 'caver' for those who are.

This sentiment is exemplified by bumper stickers and t-shirts displayed by many cavers: "Cavers rescue spelunkers".

Potholing refers to the act of exploring potholes, a word originating in the north of England for predominantly vertical caves. The term is often used as a synonym for caving.

History[link]

Caving was pioneered by Édouard-Alfred Martel (1859–1938) who first achieved the descent and exploration of the Gouffre de Padirac, France as early as 1889 and the first complete descent of a 110 metre wet vertical shaft at Gaping Gill, in Yorkshire, England in 1895. He developed his own techniques based on ropes and metallic ladders. Martel visited Kentucky and notably Mammoth Cave National Park in October 1912. Famous US caver Floyd Collins made in the 1920s important explorations in that area. In the 1930s, as caving became increasingly popular, small exploration teams both in the Alps and in the karstic high plateaus of southwest France (Causses and Pyrenees) transformed cave exploration in both a scientific and recreational activity. Robert de Joly, Guy de Lavaur and Norbert Casteret were prominent figures of that time. They surveyed mostly caves in Southwest France. During WWII, an alpine team composed of Pierre Chevalier, Fernand Petzl, Charles Petit-Didier and others explored the Dent de Crolles cave system near Grenoble, France which became the deepest explored cave in the world (-658m) at that time. The lack of available equipment during the war forced Pierre Chevalier and the rest of the team to develop their own equipment, leading to technical innovation. The scaling-pole (1940), nylon ropes (1942), use of explosives in caves (1947) and mechanical rope-ascenders (Henri Brenot's "monkeys", first used by Chevalier and Brenot in a cave in 1934) can be directly associated to the exploration of the Dent de Crolles cave system.

In 1941, American cavers organized themselves into the National Speleological Society (NSS) to advance the exploration, conservation, study, and understanding of caves in the United States. American caver Bill Cuddington, known as "Vertical Bill", developed the single rope technique (SRT) in the late 1950s. In 1958, two Swiss alpinists, Juesi and Marti teamed together, creating the first rope ascender known as the Jumar. In 1968 Bruno Dressler asked Fernand Petzl, who worked as a metals machinist, to build a rope-ascending tool, today known as the Petzl Croll, that he had developed by adapting the Jumar to pit caving. Pursuing these developments, Petzl started in the 1970s a caving equipment manufacturing company named Petzl. The development of the rappel rack and the evolution of mechanical ascension systems extended the practice and safety of pit exploration to a larger venue of cavers.

Practice and equipment[link]

Hard hats are worn to protect the head from bumps and falling rocks. The caver's primary light source is usually mounted on the helmet in order to keep the hands free. Electric lights are most common, with halogen lamps being standard and white LEDs as the new competing technology. Many cavers carry two or more sources of light - one as primary and the others as backup in case the first fails. More often than not, a second light will be mounted to the helmet for quick transition if the primary fails. Carbide lamps systems are an older form of illumination, inspired by miner's equipment, and are still used by some cavers.^[4]

The type of clothes worn underground varies according to the environment of the cave being explored, and the local culture. In cold caves, the caver may wear a warm base layer that retains its insulating properties when wet, such as a fleece ("furry") suit and/or polypropylene underwear, and an oversuit of hard-wearing (e.g., cordura) and/or waterproof (e.g., PVC) material. Lighter clothing may be worn in warm caves, particularly if the cave is dry, and in tropical caves thin polypropylene clothing is used, to provide some abrasion protection whilst remaining as cool as possible. Wetsuits may be worn if the cave is particularly wet or involves stream passages. On the feet boots are worn - hiking-style boots in drier caves, or rubber boots (such as wellies) often with neoprene socks ("wetsocks") in wetter caves. Knee-pads (and sometimes elbow-pads) are popular for protecting joints during crawls. Depending on the nature of the cave, gloves are sometimes worn to protect the hands against abrasion and/or cold. In pristine areas and for restoration, clean oversuits and powder-free, non-latex surgical gloves are used to protect the cave itself from contaminants.

Ropes are used for descending or ascending pitches ("Single Rope Technique") or for protection. Knots commonly used in caving are the figure-of-eight- (or figure-of-nine-) loop, bowline, alpine butterfly, and Italian hitch. Ropes are usually rigged using bolts, slings, and carabiners. In some cases cavers may choose to bring and use a flexible metal ladder.

In addition to the equipment already described, cavers frequently carry packs containing first-aid kits, emergency equipment, and food. Containers for securely transporting urine are also commonly carried. On longer trips, containers for securely transporting feces out of the cave are carried.

During very long trips, it may be necessary to camp in the cave. This necessitates the caver carrying sleeping and cooking equipment.

Safety[link]

Caves can be dangerous places; hypothermia, falling, flooding, falling rocks and physical exhaustion are the main risks. Rescuing people from underground is difficult and time-consuming, and requires special skills, training, and equipment. Full-scale cave rescues often involve the efforts of dozens of rescue workers (often other long-time cavers who have participated in specialised courses, as normal rescue staff are not sufficiently experienced in cave environments), who may themselves be put in jeopardy in effecting the rescue. This said, caving is not necessarily a high-risk sport (especially if it does not involve difficult climbs or diving). As in all physical sports, knowing one's limitations is key.

The risks are minimised by a number of techniques:

• Checking that there is no danger of flooding during the expedition. Rainwater funneled underground can flood a cave very quickly, trapping people in cut-off passages and drowning them. After falling, this is the most likely fatal accident in caving.^{[citation needed]}
• Using teams of several, preferably at least of four cavers. If an injury occurs, one caver stays with the injured person while the other two go out for help, providing assistance to each other on their way out.
• Notifying people outside the cave as to the intended return time. After an appropriate delay without a return, these will then organise a search party (usually made up by other cavers trained in cave rescues, as even professional emergency personnel are unlikely to have the skills to effect a rescue in difficult conditions).
• Use of helmet-mounted lights (hands-free) with extra batteries. American cavers recommend a minimum of three independent sources of light per person, but two lights is common practice amongst European cavers.^{[citation needed]}
• Sturdy clothing and footwear, as well as a helmet, are necessary to reduce the impact of abrasions, falls, and falling objects. Synthetic fibers and woolens, which dry quickly, shed water, and are warm when wet, are vastly preferred to cotton materials, which retain water and increase the risk of hypothermia. It is also helpful to have several layers of clothing, which can be shed (and stored in the pack) or added as needed. In watery cave passages, polypropylene thermal underwear or wetsuits may be required to avoid hypothermia.
• Cave passages look different from different directions. In long or complex caves, even experienced cavers can become lost. To reduce the risk of becoming lost, it is necessary to memorise the appearance of key navigational points in the cave as they are passed by the exploring party. Each member of a cave party shares responsibility for being able to remember the route out of the cave. In some caves it may be acceptable to mark a small number of key junctions with small stacks or "cairns" of rocks, or to leave a non-permanent mark such as high-visibility flagging tape tied to a projection.
• Vertical caving using ladders or SRT (Single Rope Technique) to avoid the need for climbing passages that are too difficult. SRT however is a complex skill and requires proper training before use underground and needs well-maintained equipment. Some drops that are abseiled down may be as deep as several hundred meters (for example Harwood Hole).

Cave conservation[link]

Many cave environments are very fragile. Many speleothems can be damaged by even the slightest touch and some by impacts as slight as a breath.

Pollution is also of concern. Since water that flows through a cave eventually comes out in streams and rivers, any pollution may ultimately end up in someone's drinking water, and can even seriously affect the surface environment, as well. Even minor pollution such as dropping organic material can have a dramatic effect on the cave biota.

Cave-dwelling species are also very fragile, and often, a particular species found in a cave may live within that cave alone, and be found nowhere else in the world, such as Alabama cave shrimp. Cave-dwelling species are accustomed to a near-constant climate of temperature and humidity, and any disturbance can be disruptive to the species' life cycles. Though cave wildlife may not always be immediately visible, it is typically nonetheless present in most caves.

Bats are one such fragile species of cave-dwelling animal. Bats which hibernate are most vulnerable during the winter season, when no food supply exists on the surface to replenish the bat's store of energy should it be awakened from hibernation. Bats which migrate are most sensitive during the summer months when they are raising their young. For these reasons, visiting caves inhabited by hibernating bats is discouraged during cold months; and visiting caves inhabited by migratory bats is discouraged during the warmer months when they are most sensitive and vulnerable. Due to an affliction affecting bats in the northeastern US known as white nose syndrome (WNS),^[5] the US Fish & Wildlife Service has called for a moratorium [1] effective March 26, 2009 on caving activity in states known to have hibernacula (MD, NY, VT, NH, MA, CT, NJ, PA, VA, and WV) affected by WNS, as well as adjoining states.

Some cave passages may be marked with flagging tape or other indicators to show biologically, aesthetically, or archaeologically sensitive areas. Marked paths may show ways around notably fragile areas such as a pristine floor of sand or silt which may be thousands of years old, dating from the last time water flowed through the cave. Such deposits may easily be spoiled forever by a single misplaced step. Active formations such as flowstone can be similarly marred with a muddy footprint or handprint, and ancient human artifacts, such as fiber products, may even crumble to dust under all but the most gentle touch.

Caving organizations[link]

Cavers in many countries have created organizations for the administration and oversight of caving activities within their nations. The oldest of these is the French Federation of Speleology (originally Société de spéléologie) founded by Édouard-Alfred Martel in 1895, which produced the first periodical journal in speleology, Spelunca. The National Speleological Society of the USA was later founded in 1941 (originally formed as the Speleological Society of the District of Columbia on May 6, 1939) and the Swiss Society of Speleology created in 1939 in Geneva, but the first speleological institute in the world was founded in 1920 in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, by Emil Racovita, a Romanian biologist, zoologist, speleologist and explorer of Antarctica. The Pakistan Cave Research & Caving Federation was founded in Pakistan in 1997.

See also[link]

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Burger, Paul (2006). Cave exploring. Guilford, Conn.: FalconGuide. ISBN 0-7627-2560-5. OCLC 62615915 53912806 62615915. 
• Marbach, George; Tourte, Bernard; Alspaugh, Melanie (translator). Alpine Caving Techniques. Speleo Projects,Switzerland. ISBN 3-908495-10-5. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Caving

Look up caving in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Caving at the Open Directory Project
• The National Speleological Society American organization devoted to caving, cave science, and cave conservation
• The British Caving Association The national governing body for underground exploration in the UK.
• Speleological Abstract (SA/BBS) Annual review of the world's speleological literature, edited by the Bibliography Commission of the UIS.
• Try Caving Information for anyone interested in trying caving/potholing in the UK.
• U.C.E.T. - United Cavers Exploration Team (Also covers Mine Exploration - UK
• Speologie.org - Caves of Romania

This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the French Wikipedia. (January 2011) Don't speak French? Click here to read a machine-translated version of the French article. Click [show] on the right to review important translation instructions before translating. Google's machine translation is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into English Wikipedia. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. After translating, {{Translated|fr|Fernand Petzl}} must be added to the talk page to ensure copyright compliance. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

Fernand Petzl
Fernand Petzl in 1979
Born	April 7, 1913
Died	May 31, 2003

Fernand Petzl (April 7, 1913 — May 31, 2003) was a caver and manufacturer of outdoor equipment under the brand name Petzl.

Petzl lived most of his life in the village of Saint-Ismier (near Grenoble), France at the foot of the mountain Dent De Crolles. He first went caving in Trou du Glaz in 1933, and was immediately captivated by the idea of exploring beyond the cave's known limits. Subsequent explorations there with Pierre Chevalier, Charles Petit-Didier and others culminated in connections to other caves in the massif, forming the Réseau de la Dent de Crolles which, in 1947, became the deepest cave in the world. Petzl also participated in explorations in the Gouffre Berger, which set a new world depth record in 1956 as the first cave deeper than 1000 metres (-1122m). Petzl was a proponent of cave explorations by small teams, an innovation at the time.

During this period, when there were no manufacturers of specialized caving equipment, cavers adapted equipment from other sources, or made their own. After 1933 Petzl began making rope ladders for his own use, developed a scaling-pole in 1940, and began testing the first nylon ropes in 1942. In 1968 Bruno Dressler asked Petzl, who worked as a metals machinist, to build a rope-ascending tool he had developed, and in the 1970s Petzl started a small caving equipment manufacturing company that bore his name. In subsequent years the Petzl brand was expanded to include climbing and ski-mountaineering gear, and continues today as one of the world’s best–known manufacturers of mountaineering equipment.

References[link]

• Meredith, Mike Interview with Fernand Petzl, Caving International no.7, 1980.
• Chevalier, Pierre Subterranean Climbers, Faber & Faber, 1951 and Zephyrus Press, 1975.

This French business-related biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Kimya Dawson
Kimya Dawson playing a set at Harvest of Hope Festival in St. Augustine, FL in 2010.
Background information
Birth name	Kimya Dawson
Born	(1972-11-17) November 17, 1972 (age 39)
Genres	anti-folk
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, Musician,
Instruments	Guitar, Vocals
Labels	K Records
Associated acts	Moldy Peaches, Aesop Rock
Notable instruments
guitar, vocals

Kimya Dawson (born November 17, 1972) is an American singer-songwriter, best known as a solo performer and as one half of The Moldy Peaches. In Swahili, "Kimya" (كيميا) means "silence"^[1] or "silent".

Career[link]

Dawson became well known as Adam Green's counterpart in The Moldy Peaches.^[2] Since the Moldy Peaches went on hiatus in 2004 Dawson has released a string of lo-fi homemade albums and toured widely in North America and Europe.

Kimya's most recent album is "Thunder Thighs", released in October 2011. It contains collaborations with Aesop Rock on songs such as "The Library" and "Walk Like Thunder" and Pablo Das on "Unrefined".

Dawson's children's album, Alphabutt, was released on September 9, 2008. Song titles include "The Alphabutt Song," "Seven Hungry Tigers," "Little Monster Babies," "Wiggle My Tooth" and "Pee Pee in the Potty," and collaborators include former Third Eye Blind guitarist Kevin Cadogan and a number of Dawson's other musical friends and their children. She has also been invited to participate in the Sesame Street television program.^[3]

Soundtrack work[link]

Dawson's songs are featured in the films The Guatemalan Handshake and Glue, both of which were shown at the Olympia Film Festival in November 2007.^[4]

In 2008 Dawson contributed the song "Anthrax"—about 9/11—to the soundtrack of the Body of War documentary.^[3]

"Anyone Else But You", a song she recorded with The Moldy Peaches was used in the documentary Murderball, about a team of wheelchair rugby players. This song was also used in the movie Juno. The melody of this song, with new lyrics, was used in a commercial for Atlantis.com.

Dawson's music was featured in the movie Juno, in that her "sweetly melancholic acoustic-strummed tunes" helping define the character of a pregnant young teenager who decides to have her baby.^[5] Dawson helped choose many of the songs for the Juno film, helping to set the film's mood.^[5] The soundtrack was voted by NPR listeners as the 14th best of the year in a listener poll for 2008.^[6] Dawson sings about diverse topics:

And there on the soundtrack ... is Kimya Dawson, her primal, primitive odes to tire swings and vampires and roller coasters goosing us along, her wobbly voice and furtively chicken-scratched double-time guitar like a terrified little kid who just ditched the training wheels and is now somehow barreling down a mountain.

—Rob Harvilla, The Village Voice, 2008^[7]

Dawson's authentic persona, sometimes compared to indie folk artists such as Quinn Marston,^[8] has a demeanor which is "sheepish and guileless and awkward in a way that you really can't fake" and who sometimes looks "legitimately terrified" during performances, according to Village Voice music critic Rob Harvilla.^[7]

Five of Dawson's solo songs, two from Antsy Pants, as well as one from the Moldy Peaches, are included on the Juno soundtrack, released in December 2007.^[9][10][11] Composer Mateo Messina also based the film's score on Dawson's music.^[12]

The soundtrack album, after two weeks topping Billboard's Digital Albums chart, reached No. 8 on the Billboard 200, in its first week of release.^[13] In its first full week of physical release the album sold 68,000 copies, reaching No. 3 on the Soundscan album chart. It missed out on the No. 1 spot by only 2,600 copies.^[14] The following week it jumped to #2, while selling 15% fewer copies (58,000), just 2,000 copies behind first place.^[15] In the album's third week of physical release it finally made the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 and Soundscan charts, selling 65,000 copies.^[16]

Dawson has two new songs that were released on April 8 on a follow-up album Juno B-Sides: Almost Adopted Songs that is available exclusively on iTunes.^[3]

Two songs were also included in the soundtrack to Unmade Beds.

Other collaborations[link]

Dawson performs on recordings by Ben Kweller,^[17] They Might Be Giants,^[18] The Mountain Goats,^[19] John Wayne Shot Me,^[20] Your Heart Breaks, and The Terrordactyls.^[21]

The Third Eye Blind track "Self-Righteous" on their album, Out of the Vein features a duet with Dawson and Third Eye Blind's lead singer Stephan Jenkins.^[22] Dawson also appears on the new Third Eye Blind record, Ursa Major, on the track "Why Can't You Be". This song was available as a bonus track on the iTunes Store download.

Regina Spektor collaborated with Dawson on the song "Fire" on the Hidden Vagenda album. Kimya Dawson also collaborated with fellow antifolk Jeffrey Lewis. They made a band called 'The Bundles,' with Jack Lewis and drummer, Anders Griffen, though released the songs under the name Kimya Dawson and Jeffrey Lewis, on a split with Jeffrey Lewis and Diane Cluck.

Under the name Geniusis, Dawson released the free album Holiday Rampage alongside Aesop Rock, Johnny Druelinger, Jason Carmer & Quinn Tuffinuff.

In February 2011, Dawson recorded a Daytrotter session with Aesop Rock, in which they performed three songs together. This session was later released in May 2011.^[23] Kimya and Aesop are currently collaborating on a new album, which will be released in 2012.

Kimya released the solo album "Thunder Thighs" in October 2011. The album features guest performances by Aesop Rock, John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats, Nikolai Fraiture of the Strokes, Forever Young Senior Citizen Rock & Roll Choir, Olympia Free Choir, Quinn Tuffinuff, Kimya's daughter Panda and more.

She has performed numerous times with Paul Baribeau, whom she references several times in her songs.

Personal life[link]

A sometime resident of Bedford Hills, New York, Dawson moved in December 2005—with her mother, father, brother, Akida Junglefoot Dawson (Akida means "chief" in Swahili), and nephew—to Seattle, Washington. She married Angelo Spencer, a musician. On July 28, 2006, Kimya gave birth to a daughter, Panda Delilah, and in November 2006 she moved with her new family to Olympia, Washington. After Panda was born, Dawson and Spencer took a break from touring for a few months, playing only occasional local shows.

Dawson has knuckle tattoos which read "LAFF LOUD" and "ROCK SOFT". She also has a freebird tattoo on her left calf.

Dawson once started a rumour that she was a cousin of The Strokes' drummer Fabrizio Moretti.^[24]

Dawson is good friends with Bryan Danielson.

Discography[link]

Before The Moldy Peaches Rough Trade releases there were several homemade CDRs.

With The Moldy Peaches[link]

• The Moldy Peaches – Released September 11, 2001 by Rough Trade Records
• County Fair/Rainbows – A single released in 2002
• Moldy Peaches 2000: Unreleased Cutz and Live Jamz 1994-2002 – Released March 18, 2003 by Rough Trade Records and Jess Turpin

Solo albums[link]

• I'm Sorry That Sometimes I'm Mean – released November 5, 2002 by Rough Trade Records
• Knock Knock Who? – released August 3, 2004 by Important Records
• My Cute Fiend Sweet Princess – released August 3, 2004 by Important Records
• Hidden Vagenda – released October 5, 2004 by K Records
• Remember That I Love You – released May 9, 2006 by K Records
• Alphabutt – released September 2008 by K Records
• Thunder Thighs – released October 18, 2011 by Great Crap Factory

With Antsy Pants[link]

• Antsy Pants – released 2006 by Plan It X Records

With The Bundles[link]

• The Bundles – released 2009 by K Records

Compilations[link]

• Third Eye Blind's 2009 album: Ursa Major [Bonus Track Version] – "Why Can't You Be (With Kimya Dawson) [Bonus Track]"
• "Third Eye Blind's 2003 album: "Out of the Vein" – "Self Righteous"
• Antifolk Vol. 1 – "I'm Fine"
• Anticomp Folkilation – "Will You Be Me" (Live)
• Afro-Punk Compilation Record Vol. 1 – "Loose Lips"
• AFNY Collaborations. Volume 1 – Kimya Dawson and Jeff Lewis
• Titanium Heart and Chains of Love – Kimya Dawson and Matt Rouse EP (collaboration) Unicorn Sounds
• A.K.A.- smooth jams e.p. with Adam Green and Akida Junglefoot Dawson
• The Art Star Sounds Compilation February 2005 – "Velvet Rabbit" (Live)
• No Parachute. Vol. 1. A compilation of indie music videos. (DVD) – "Lullaby For The Taken" (video directed by Ted Passon). 2005, Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records.
• Robot Boy DVD. Compilation of short films and videos by Ted Passon. – "Lullaby For The Taken". 2005, K Records/Secretly Canadian.
• I Killed the Monster: 21 Artists Performings the Songs of Daniel Johnston – "Follow That Dream" 2006, Second Shimmy
• Juno Soundtrack – Rhino Records 2008
• The Terrordactyls song "Devices" featuring guest vocals by Kimya Dawson
• Body of War: Songs that Inspired an Iraq War Veteran – "Anthrax". Sire Records March 18, 2008
• Tallahassee Turns Ten: a Mountain Goats Cover Album (2012) ^[25]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kimya Dawson

• Official Website
• LiveJournal
• Kimya Dawson on Myspace
• lyrics @ SongMeanings.net

Audio & video[link]

• Kimya Dawson and Matty Pop Chart – Live at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota on November 28, 2008 (YouTube)
• Kimya on the Live Music Archive
• PUNKCAST#1099 Live video – Union Hall, Brooklyn – January 20, 2007 (RealPlayer)(mp4)
• Kimya at Amoeba Hollywood

Interviews[link]

• Scene Missing Magazine Interviews Kimya Dawson February 1, 2005
• Kimya Dawson interview on MonsterFresh.com March 2008
• Kimya Dawson interview on Ground Control March 2008
• Kimya Dawson interview on BeatLawrence.com April 2008
• Kimya Dawson on Amoeba

Enchanted Rock
Enchanted Rock, as seen from the trail leading to its summit on a busy hiking day.
Elevation	1,825 ft (556 m)
Location
Location	Llano County, Texas, USA
Coordinates	30°30′23″N 98°49′07″W / 30.50639°N 98.81861°W / 30.50639; -98.81861Coordinates: 30°30′23″N 98°49′07″W / 30.50639°N 98.81861°W / 30.50639; -98.81861
Geology
Type	granite

Enchanted Rock (16710 Ranch Rd 965, Fredericksburg TX) is an enormous pink granite pluton rock formation located in the Llano Uplift approximately 15 miles (24 km) north of Fredericksburg, Texas, USA and 15 miles (24 km) south of Llano, Texas. Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, which includes Enchanted Rock and surrounding land, spans the border between Gillespie County and Llano County, south of the Llano River. Enchanted Rock covers approximately 640 acres (260 ha) and rises approximately 425 feet (130 m) above the surrounding terrain to elevation of 1,825 feet (556 m) above sea level. It is the largest such pink granite monadnock in the United States. Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, a part of the Texas state park system, includes 1,644 acres (665 ha).^[1] Designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1936.^[2]

Geology[link]

Enchanted Rock Panorama

Geological exfoliation at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area

The prominent granite dome is visible for many miles in the surrounding basin of the Llano Uplift. The weathered dome, standing above the surrounding plain is known to geologists as a monadnock. The rock is actually the visible above-ground part of a segmented ridge, the surface expression of a large igneous batholith, called the Town Mountain Granite^[3] of middle Precambrian (1,082 ± 6 million years ago)^[4] material that intruded into earlier metamorphic schist, called the Packsaddle Schist.^[3] The intrusive granite of the rock mass, or pluton, was exposed by extensive erosion of the surrounding sedimentary rock, primarily the Cretaceous Edwards limestone, which is exposed a few miles to the south of Enchanted Rock^[3]

History[link]

Archaeological evidence indicates human visitation at the rock going back at least 11,000 years.

According to the book ^[8] The Enchanted Rock published in 1999 by Ira Kennedy ^[9][10]

These hunter-gatherers had flint-tipped spears, fire, and stories. With these resources, some twelve thousand years ago, the first Texans became the wellspring of Plains Indian culture. On the basis of archaeological evidence, human habitation at Enchanted Rock can be traced back at least 10,000 years. Paleo-Indian projectile points, or arrowheads, 11-12,000 years old have been found in the area upstream and downstream from The Rock. The oldest authenticated projectile point found within the present day park is a Plainview point type, dating back 10,000 years.

The rock has been the subject of numerous geological surveys and paintings.

Legends and Mysticism[link]

Folklore of local Tonkawa, Apache and Comanche tribes ascribes magical and spiritual powers to the rock (hence the name 'Enchanted Rock'). While attempting to hide from Anglo settlers in the area, the natives would hide on the top two tiers of the rock, where they were invisible from the ground below. The first European to visit the area was probably Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca in 1536. The Tonkawa, who inhabited the area in the 16th century, believed that ghost fires flickered at the top of the dome. In particular they heard unexplained creaking and groaning, which geologists attribute to the rock's night-time contraction after being heated by the sun during the day. The name "Enchanted Rock" derives from Spanish and Anglo-Texan interpretations of such legends and related folklore; the name "Crying Rock" has also been given to the formation.

The following is on a plaque on Enchanted Rock^[11]

From its summit in 1841, Captain John C. Hays, while surrounded by Comanche Indians who cut him off from his ranging company repulsed the whole band and inflicted upon them such heavy losses that they fled. Marked by the State of Texas 1936

In reality John Coffee Hays did defend himself in the rocks against an attacking Comanche band for a long period of time until the Rangers arrived to repel the warriors. After this the Comanche considered Jack to be a mystical warrior of great bravery and honor. This has been documented on both sides, Comanche lore and Texas historians.

Other legends ^{[12] [13]} associated with Enchanted Rock are

• Named “Spirit Song Rock” for native legends
• Revered by native tribes as a holy portal to other worlds
• Anyone spending the night on the rock becomes invisible
• Spanish priest fled to the rock pursued by native tribes, disappeared, and returned to tell a mystic tale of falling into a cavern and being swallowed by the rock, encountering many spirits in the tunnels, eventually to be spit out two days later
• Haunted by spirits of warriors of a now-extinct native American tribe who were slaughtered at Enchanted Rock by a rival tribe
• Haunted by a native American princess who threw herself off the rock after witnessing the slaughter of her people
• Alleged sacrifices at the rock by both Comanche and Tonkawa tribes
• Believed to be a lost silver mine, or the lost El Dorado gold
• Bad fortune and death will befall anyone who climbs the rock with bad intent
• Footprint indentations on the rock of native American chief who sacrificed his daughter, condemned to walk Enchanted Rock forever
• Woman’s screams at night are of a white woman who took refuge on Enchanted Rock after escaping a kidnapping by native Americans
• Spanish soldier Don Jesús Navarro’s Enchanted Rock rescue of native maiden Rosa, daughter of Chief Tehuan, after her kidnap by Comanches intent on sacrificing her on the rock

Flora and fauna[link]

Sedum growing on top of Enchanted Rock near a vernal pool.

Vernal pool at the top of Enchanted Rock in 1998.

More than 500 species of plants,^[14] from four chief Plant Communities - Open Oak Woodland, Mesquite Grassland, Floodplain, and Granite Rock Community, inhabit the rock. Vernal pools, ecologically threatened depressions of flora and fauna adapted to harsh environments, contain fragile invertebrate fairy shrimp. Other wildlife includes bats, ringtails, squirrels, and fox. A wide variety of lizards, including the Texas Horned Lizard also make the Enchanted Rock area their home.

Designated a key bird watching site,^[15] bird enthusiasts can observe Wild Turkey, Greater Roadrunner, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Western Scrub-Jay, Pyrrhuloxia, Canyon Towhee, Rufous-crowned Sparrow and Black-throated Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch, Common Poorwill, Chuck-will’s-widow, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Vermilion Flycatcher, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Bell's Vireo and Yellow-throated Vireo, Blue Grosbeak, Painted Bunting, Orchard Oriole. Vesper Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, and Harris's Sparrow.

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area and Conservation[link]

Campers staying in primitive area of Enchanted Rock S.N.A.

Park activities include caving,^[16] hiking, primitive backpack camping, rock climbing and picnicking. The Summit Trail^[17] is the most popular hiking path.

Emphasis is placed on activity safety and ecological preservation. Visitors are asked to keep human incursion at a minimum by not disturbing plants, animals or artifacts.^[18]

Federal and state statutes, regulations and rules governing archeological and historic sites apply.^[19] The state Game Warden as a commissioned peace officer is authorized to inspect natural resources and take any necessary action for the preservation of the resources.^[20]

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department partners with Friends of Enchanted Rock,^[21] a volunteer-based nonprofit organization that works for the improvement and preservation of Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. Scheduled Summit Trail tours are the third Saturday of the month starting April, May, September, October, November, and December. Private tours are available for groups at other times.

Gallery[link]

• 

  Enchanted Rock in 1912, showing exfoliation of the granite parallel to the surface.^[22]

• 

  Enchanted Rock aerial view in Sept. 2008.

• 

  A view of distant rain clouds, from atop Enchanted Rock in July 2008.

See also[link]

• Albert, Texas
• Cherry Springs Dance Hall
• Doss, Texas
• Easter Fire
• Fredericksburg, Texas
• Harper, Texas
• Luckenbach, Texas
• Spy Rock
• Stonewall, Texas
• Texas Hill Country

References[link]

Additional reading[link]

• Dobie, J Frank; Estill, Julia (1995). "The Enchanted Rock in Llano County". Legends of Texas: Volume II: Pirates' Gold and Other Tales. Pelican Publishing. pp. 78–82. ISBN 978-1-56554-073-6. 
• Allred, Lance (2009). Enchanted Rock: A Natural and Human History. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-71963-7. 
• Moore, Stephen L (2007). "Enchanted Rock and Bird's Fort". Savage Frontier: 1840-1841: Rangers, Riflemen, and Indian Wars in Texas. University of North Texas Press. ISBN 978-1-57441-228-4. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Enchanted Rock

• PDF of Anavato Martinez Original Headgrant, Texas General Land Office
• Enchanted Rock State Natural Area
• Enchanted Rock from the Handbook of Texas Online
• E-Rock: Virtual Trip to Enchanted Rock
• Technical rock climbing at Enchanted Rock