Maritimes - Summer 2008

July 5 - 25, 2008

Day 9 - July 13: Fundy, Albert County, Lake Cave, & Flower Pots: The Underground Lake

This was one of our favourite caches on our trip. At first the mood wasn't the greatest as the bugs were bad and we worried about the kids being bitten but once we got to the cave it was spectacular. Once at the lake, the kids enjoyed a brief snack while being cool and bug free while Rubby explored a bit. Samantha was just excited to have her helmet and go 'spelunking' (not that she got any further than the cave entrance! *grin*)

The Earthcache description of the underground lake:
"The Underground Lake is a moderately sized, active gypsum cave formed by partial collapse of a major dissolution cell. The main chamber is approximately half flooded with water and contains an active overflow stream in a small side passage. The cave is found in a line of sinkholes at the base of a 30 meter cliff. The cave is entered by going down a 45 degree scree field. The scree is composed of large smooth pieces of gypsum covered with a thin layer of mud. It is extremely slippery and requires a rope for protection from a slip. Once the cave is entered the scree is not as steep and composed of pea size fairly dry rock. The cave is formed in one of New Brunswick's most important Mississippian gypsum deposits. Dating back to the 1800's the district has been the center of an active gypsum industry, but the recent economic down turn of the gypsum industry in this part of New Brunswick has resulted in the 1980 abandonment of the areas' quarries. The gypsum that is exposed is a gray to white rock formed in a shallow sea 300 million years ago."

Heading to the underground lake cave... it was really buggy!