Extreme Endeavors

Subterranean Monitoring Autonomous Research Technology

There's a ten foot high chain-link fence surrounding the perimeter of Hell Hole cave located just south-west of Seneca Rocks in Pendleton County, WV. Germany Valley Road snakes along for about two miles until you reach a gated field on the right where cows graze undaunted through a rocky, mountainous pasture-land. The walk from the main road to the cave is less than a quarter of a mile down a minor-grade hill and is generally uneventful except for the occasional stumble over a grass-covered crag or the curious mountain-cow taking leave from his breakfast to lick the side of your truck.

The first thing you notice about the cave area is the fence that, for the most part, keeps trespassers from disturbing what has become a protected area, and, ultimately, serves the practical purpose of keeping the cows from falling to their death down the drain-like sinkhole of Hell Hole Cave.

There are a couple of signs hanging on the fence near the entrance. One of the placards warns that Hell Hole Cave is a conserved area protected by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources and the Untied States Department of Agriculture. The sign is bright yellow and displays in red lettering important information about the protected "Virginia Big-Eared Bat." These bats use Hell Hole as a winter hibernation ground and are extremely sensitive to changes in their environment.

The second sign is less formal than the government sign and is literally nothing more than a long piece of faded, red wood with the words "Make Peace with God!" carved carefully into the face of the board. This warning is no doubt the prudent words of some lone caver who in just one four-word phrase captures the essence of what one feels the first time they even get near the entrance of Hell Hole Cave.

You have to tie yourself off almost immediately upon entering the gate to Hell Hole. The trip to the entrance, the place where the cavers tie off on logs that have been strategically secured at the massive middle-hole of the entrance, is a preface to how extraordinary Hell Hole truly is. The sinkhole is steep and littered with fallen trees, limbs, and new growth, and with just one slip a person may find the end of their days at the bottom of a one hundred and eighty foot pit--perhaps hoping they had made peace with God.

In the fall of 2004, Extreme endeavors took on the task of fitting Hell Hole with sensors that are being used to monitor the environment of the cave. Because there is a limestone mining operation just a mile away from the cave, biologists want to be sure that there are no changes taking place in things like the barometric pressure, light, temperature, or draft within the cave. If for some reason the integrity of the cave were compromised by the company mining nearby, the effects would be devastating for the bats that for so long have depended on Hell Hole as a safe haven.

The SMART system is an autonomous system that operates on solar power and uses a dial-up modem to access the data that the sensors collect night and day; it is a one-of-a- kind system that provides the most accurate and reliable information about what is happening within the cave. Through one phone call to the system, researchers are able to tell how dramatic the environmental changes are during any given period; they are also able to tell when people illegally enter the cave.

Extreme Endeavors is intent on providing practical solutions in impractical circumstances. With the SMART system, the company has been able to work together with the community, businesses, and government agencies to ensure that vital natural resources are preserved for new generations to appreciate.