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 DJ Craig
         
Moderator
Location: Johnson City, TN
Gender: Male
Break the Silence
 |  |  |  | Project Gloryhole
< on 5/14/2010 10:58 PM >
|  | | | None of these photos are mine. This thread is a compilation of photos by uLiveAndYouBurn, AnAppleSnail, Gretschdiva and FunEli.
Earthen Dams
An earthen dam is a dam that, instead of being built out of concrete, is made of dirt and rock. Some earthen dams are hydroelectric, others are not. They have a major advantage in terms of the cost of building them and they're also a lot more natural-looking than concrete dams. The draw-backs are that they take up more space and that if the water level should rise over the level of the top of the dam, when it floods over it can very quickly destroy the dam, potentially destroying the powerhouse, destroying homes, submerging real estate and even possibly having casualties. The solution to this problem is the gloryhole. This meaning of the word "gloryhole" dates back to long before hardcore porn involving holes in stall dividers. A gloryhole, or a bell-mouthed spillway, is a vertical tunnel, almost like a giant vertical drain, that goes down into the middle of a lake and safely lets high water levels out through an outfall at the bottom of the dam.
Project Gloryhole
Gretschdiva originally found the huge gaping hole in the lake when hiking, and she convinced uLiveAndYouBurn, BounceWiggle, Lord Nikon, Germs and I to go investigate the peculiar find in a few scouting trips. Thus was born Project Gloryhole. We quickly figured out that there would be only two ways into this giant tunnel. Either we ride a boat in at the outfall at the bottom of the dam, about an hour and a half hike from the nearest parking:
1.
Photo by AnAppleSnail
OR we get out our climbing gear and rappel in 300 feet from the top. Note uLiveAndYouBurn standing in the bottom left corner of this picture for scale.
2.
Photo by AnAppleSnail
After about a month of scouting and planning, we got together an awesome team including uLiveAndYouBurn, FunEli and I who are all experienced climbers, and Gretschdiva, Aurelie (who brought a professional video camera and shot and edited some amazing footage), AnAppleSnail and FunEli's dog, who all elected to ride a boat into the outfall and document our adventures from the bottom. BounceWiggle desperately wanted to join us but couldn't due to school work.
3.
Photo by uLiveAndYouBurn
4.
That's me!
Photo by FunEli
5.
Photo by FunEli
6.
On the rappel in, around the point where the vertical tunnel begins to curve around and become horizontal, there is a waterfall of ice-cold water coming in through leaks in the RCP (Round Concrete Pipe). I have a very high threshold for general discomfort when exploring, but this was almost unbearable since I was dressed for the warm spring day 300 feet above me. Unfortunately I was rappelling with a small aluminum rack on FunEli's very stiff, heavy rope so it was impossible for me to get any speed up. I had to slowly drift down through the ice-cold water, getting completely soaked and freezing right at the beginning of a several-hour trip through the cold, leaky, underwater tunnels.
Photo by FunEli
7.
Photo by Gretschdiva
8.
Photo by FunEli
9.
Photo by uLiveAndYouBurn
10.
What we're standing on here is a big pile of ice...in late March. It's really slippery and hard to stand up on it.
Photo by Gretschdiva
11.
Photo by AnAppleSnail
12.
Photo by uLiveAndYouBurn
13.
I bought this inflatable boat from Walmart for $40 and returned it later. It claimed to be a 4-person boat but in reality could only hold two.
Photo by AnAppleSnail
14.
This picture shows the dead end of one of the two tunnels. It was an extremely difficult climb to get up onto the platform in this picture because there was nothing to grab onto; everything was huge and round. But if you look closely in this picture, you can see some aluminum pipes stacked up on the right. These were what Eli used to climb up, then set up a rope anchor allowing uLiveAndYouBurn to take #15. I was too cold and exhausted to make it up there but I went back later and explored further than we went on this trip. There is a lot more up there. None of us had a camera with us on that trip though. Hopefully I'll go back with a camera or someone else with a camera soon and post pictures of that part of the tunnel, which is another 300 foot tall vertical RCP, 40 ft in diameter with a ladder and an elevator going all the way up and lots of cool machinery.
Photo by AnAppleSnail
15.
These are valves coming out of the bottom of the lake. There is a hydraulic system in place that allows the valves to be opened remotely. The fine spray of water around them is leaking out of the bottom of the lake, 300 feet down.
Photo by uLiveAndYouBurn
16.
Our group shot, from left to right, Gretschdiva, uLiveAndYouBurn, FunEli, DJ Craig, Aurelie and AnAppleSnail.
Photo by FunEli
Check out uLiveAndYouBurn's blog entry about the trip, which has some cool video and another write-up:
http://www.nopromi.../?p=1017#more-1017
FunEli's gallery on his photography web site:
http://tastelessph...gotten-industrial/
And AnAppleSnail posted more photos on his Flickr:
http://www.flickr....84/in/photostream/
EDIT:
And Aurelie shot and edited this amazing 10 minute video:
http://www.faceboo...php?v=423758034691
[last edit 5/14/2010 11:40 PM by DJ Craig - edited 1 times]
"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..." -Dr. Suess |
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Intrinsic
Location: Collingwood
Gender: Male
| | Re: Project Gloryhole
<Reply # 1 on 5/14/2010 11:07 PM >
| | | | Balls.Of.Steel
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YoelT
Location: Viet Nam
Gender: Male
| | | Re: Project Gloryhole
<Reply # 2 on 5/14/2010 11:07 PM >
| | | | Glory
www.yoeltaom.as |
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aurelie
Location: pacific northwest
Gender: Female
high tech:: low life.
| | | Re: Project Gloryhole
<Reply # 3 on 5/14/2010 11:07 PM >
| | | | Video of this event:
http://www.faceboo...php?v=423758034691
reckless thoughts abide; anachronistic and impulsive.
loosely jacketed against the cold and ten thousand worlds for the choosing. |
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jeepdave
 
Location: Anderson, SC
Gender: Male
It's also a gun.
| | Re: Project Gloryhole
<Reply # 4 on 5/14/2010 11:08 PM >
|  | | | Really. Fucking. Epic.
Awesome adventure and write up.
Insanely jealous.
Ezekiel 25:17 |
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AnAppleSnail
Location: Charlotte, NC
Gender: Male
ALL the flashlights!
| | | | Re: Project Gloryhole
<Reply # 5 on 5/14/2010 11:15 PM >
| | | | I hope nobody dumb tries this and screws it up. At least we have our Super Seekrit entrance 
Achievement Unlocked
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jeepdave
Location: Anderson, SC
Gender: Male
It's also a gun.
| | Re: Project Gloryhole
<Reply # 6 on 5/14/2010 11:55 PM >
| | | | Posted by AnAppleSnail
I hope nobody dumb tries this and screws it up. At least we have our Super Seekrit entrance
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That was aimed at me wasn't it lol.
Ezekiel 25:17 |
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ElExplorador
Location: Somewhere along the ride to World's End, Argentina.
>> m o m e n t u m >>
| | Re: Project Gloryhole
<Reply # 7 on 5/15/2010 12:00 AM >
| | | | This looks amazing.
Time for a road trip.
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WarBird69
Location: Eastern TN
Gender: Male
Atomic Bird of War
| | Re: Project Gloryhole
<Reply # 8 on 5/15/2010 12:15 AM >
| | | | Jesus, you guys find all the epic locations.
Love the shots!
When twilight draws near, when you are pushed to the very limits of your soul, when it seems that all you have left are the dead remnants of the fabric of your life:
-- BELIEVE |
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\/adder
Location: DunkarooLand
Gender: Male
I'm the worst of the best but I'm in this race.
| | | Re: Project Gloryhole
<Reply # 9 on 5/15/2010 12:50 AM >
| | | | We have one of those around here and you can walk right into it. Unfortunately I doubt I could get enough people interested/capable to go rappelling down into it. You guys are inspiring if I can ever scrounge up a crew.
Seriously sweet stuff, the technical info and back-story only adds to what I read months ago on Nopromise...
"No risk, no reward, no fun."
"Go all the way or walk away"
escensi omnis... |
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Buffalonian
Location: Buffalo, NY
| | Re: Project Gloryhole
<Reply # 10 on 5/15/2010 12:54 AM >
| | | | 9, 12 - obsenely amazing.
I cream, you cream, we all cream for .. white spooge. |
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Blue Taco
Location: The Burnie
Gender: Male
| | | Re: Project Gloryhole
<Reply # 11 on 5/15/2010 2:18 AM >
| | | | Damn.
Job well done!
"I am the stone that the builder refused"
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insanebuslady
Location: ?
Gender: Male
"You talkin' to me?"
| | | Re: Project Gloryhole
<Reply # 12 on 5/15/2010 5:50 AM >
| | | | Holy guacamole Spiderman, that's some crazy shit.
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Avius
Location: Washington DC / NOVA
Gender: Male
Wow you guys!
| | | Re: Project Gloryhole
<Reply # 13 on 5/15/2010 11:59 PM >
| | | | Epic. I'm sooooooo bummed I had to leave early. These are some sweet shots, btw.
In places forgotten, tread where you will. -=- http://www.flickr.com/photos/avius/ |
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xGROMx
Location: OBX, NC
Gender: Male
| |  | | Re: Project Gloryhole
<Reply # 15 on 5/17/2010 2:49 AM >
| | | | This is great! I just wish sometimes I wasn't living on the beach.... there is sh** around here. Closest, 4hr drive.....
All men are created equal, then a few become firefighters. |
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Ashes in the Snow
Location: Raleigh, NC
Gender: Male
Ladder Addict
| | | Re: Project Gloryhole
<Reply # 17 on 5/17/2010 6:06 AM >
| | | | Why didn't you guys just jump in and slide down?
Seems like the most obvious way to get down to me.
http://www.flickr.com/kwikstix |
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Avius
Location: Washington DC / NOVA
Gender: Male
Wow you guys!
| | | Re: Project Gloryhole
<Reply # 18 on 5/17/2010 1:33 PM >
| | | | Posted by Ashes in the Snow
Why didn't you guys just jump in and slide down?
Seems like the most obvious way to get down to me.
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Good idea! If you don't mind being the proud owner of the most egregious wedgie in the history of mankind.
In places forgotten, tread where you will. -=- http://www.flickr.com/photos/avius/ |
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Liska
Location: Western Massachusetts
Gender: Female
| | Re: Project Gloryhole
<Reply # 19 on 5/17/2010 1:38 PM >
| | | | Holy freaking shit these are fantastic!
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It has been a while since I last climb though.