Powered Paragliding, Paramotoring and Cave Exploration, Imagine the Possibilities!

I am a powered paraglider pilot and cave explorer. I have been primarily exploring wild west coast caves since 1979. I have been a National Speleological Society member since 1980, concentrating most of my efforts in the field of photography and conservation. California has a wide variety of caves with a large concentration of lime stone caves just minutes from my home in the Sierra mother lode of central California.

One evening in early 2001 I viewed a National Geographic’s special of a couple anthropologists flying around the Sudan desert with paramotors on their backs. These scientists were looking for signs of ancient human existence on top of skyscraper tall, flat top formations jutting up from the desert floor. I immediately thought this would be the perfect platform to search for remote caves. How is this possible you ask? Most caves on the west coast hover around 56 degrees. Because natural caves breathe, you can see a condensation cloud rising from the entrance. The bigger the cave, the higher the column of condensation. On my first flight from the Columbia airport, I headed straight for a known large cave in the Stanislaus river canyon. As I approached the cave I could see the rising air from a half mile away. Now it was time to us this technique to locate new caves in previously inaccessible terrain. I headed to the Camp Nine area scouting the south facing slope. The area I had picked out was overgrown with 6 foot high brush that is extremely difficult to penetrate. At the top of the ridge I could see a limestone outcropping which seemed to trend down through the brush. At the bottom of the slope I could see the limestone reappear. This lead me to believe the limestone continued through the brush from the top of the ridge to the bottom. From the air I could see that this was in fact true.

Flying at 100 feet I was able to locate a small condensation cloud about 1000 feet down from the upper limestone outcropping. I was unable to actually see the entrance, but the column of rising air was distinct. I pulled out my GPS, flew directly over the spot and marked its location. A couple weeks later my caving partner and I pulled out the topographical map and plotted the best way to approach the spot. After a half hour of crawling on our hands and knees we reached the location and discovered a vertical shaft about 9 inches wide in a small outcropping. We could feel and see the air rising from the hole but it was too small to enter. Our plan now is to return in the near future to perform the excavation necessary to make entry.

To locate the cave entrance without the use of my paramotor could have taken months of crawling around with the ticks, snakes and all the other critters that live there. The powered paraglider has opened up a whole new dimension of cave exploration for myself and fellow cavers. More exploration updates to follow.

If paramotoring has progressed cave exploration, imagine what other uses it may have for you!