Horsethief Cave 3-27-21

Wyoming Jeepers head back the flank of the Bighorn Mountains to visit Horsethief Cave, Bighorn Cave, Devils Canyon, Natural Corrals and more. Check out the beautiful scenery with us!
Jeep Jeeping Adventure Back Country Off Road Offroad trail Big Horn excursion Mountain overland jeeping Wyoming Bighorn National Forest mountains horse thief Big Horn
Melissa Cook's Book - melissacook.us
Music - On the Road by Black Room
taketones.com/tags/banjo​

[@curtd7117]

20:11 drone footage absolutely breathtaking. So glad y’all get out and show off our beautiful state!! Don’t forget to show Myron your agate.

[@wyomingjeepers]

Glad you loved the drone footage. We try to show the beautiful places and the drone helps!

[@AuthorMelissaCook]

There are so many beautiful places to see here. The drone does a great job of giving us a birds-eye view. I'm so glad you liked it. Thanks for watching and leaving us a comment. We appreciate it.

[@gregjones2217]

Two of my friends and I retraced your trip to horse thief cave as well as bighorn cavern, natural trap and of course the illustrious Armpit City. We also crossed the canyon by natural trap and I wouldn't send just anyone that way. Especially from west to east. The drop offs are near vertical and it is very narrow. Our thanks to you for your the video that suggested the trip. I can now scratch "lunch in Armpit City" from my bucket list.

[@melissacook]

What happened to the road? Glad you were able to enjoy the trip. Thanks for watching.

[@wyomingjeepers]

Glad you were able to make this trip! It is a lot of fun and a beautiful spot. :-)

[@AuthorMelissaCook]

My knee has not entirely healed a year later for all those who are wondering. I woke up unable to put any weight on my knee the next day and went into urgent care. I spent a week on crutches and have knee pain to this day. The specialist said surgery could help, but it might not, and with my MS, surgery can cause new symptoms. So, I deal with it. Life is short; enjoy every moment - knee pain or not. :-) - The Chatty One

[@RonHei]

I’ve been in the Bighorn Cave. It’s about a 70’ drop from the top on a rope. The cave system itself is very expansive and basically on a horizontal plain once you’re down and extends for thousands of feet. It’s very hard climbing back out on ropes though so be prepared for having the correct equipment. We used rope ascenders.

[@wyomingjeepers]

I bet you enjoyed it. It is a big cave system... We have seen the maps.

[@melissacook]

Wow! I would not be able to climb back out and need to be rescued. Yikes! I'm not big on entering caves these days after the uranium incident. Thanks for watching and leaving us a comment.

[@thecuriousvida]

Awesome video guys! That drive up the steep grade at the end to the edge of the cliff looked like it got the anxiety levels up 😁 Take care from Casper, WY ✌

[@wyomingjeepers]

That is actually a very steep hill. Also, it is very hard to see what is on the other side when you get to the top. Nice to have someone from Casper watching!

[@AuthorMelissaCook]

Hello Casper fan. Yes, that was a scary ride by the cliffs. We weren't sure what was at the top. Thanks for watching and leaving a comment.

[@Ohmy1956]

Awesome video. We are talking about making this a day trip out of Billings. Super neat

[@wyomingjeepers]

Glad you like the video. It was a fun trip. Make sure you make it to Devil's canyon too. It is very beautiful. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@AuthorMelissaCook]

It is a great place to visit most of the year. Thank you for watching and commenting. We appreciate it. 😊

[@georgem7965]

Bighorn Caverns and Horsethief cave connect underground. Combined they have miles of passages, some of them beautifully decorated. However, it is not a beginner's cave. You need some spelunking experience and, preferably, someone who is not a novice and is familiar with the cave. I spent a lot of time underground in Horsethief and Bighorn in the '60s and '70s and helped map a good bit of it. Very cool place but you have to be careful. An accident way in the back could be a VERY Bad thing. It would be very tough to evacuate someone. A typpical trip into Horsethief with experienced cavers was usually 8-12 hours.

[@wyomingjeepers]

You are correct, they are not beginner caves by any means. I have a map of these caves I got with a book back in college over 35 years ago called "Caves of Wyoming". This may be the map you helped create... Thanks for helping to map the cave! It is not a cave I want or plan to explore very far. I believe they have a key and a locked gate in there now and that is about as far as we went. Good info and thanks for watching and commenting!

[@georgem7965]

@@wyomingjeepers The cave is managed by the BLM in Worland. They would have the most up to date map. There are several tight passages towands the back such as "The crack where the water comes down" (which is actually a dry verical crack). Guys usually hang up in their shoulders and women usually get stuck in their hips or butt. Heavier set folk simply cannot navigate it even if they are muscular. And, yes, I am mentioned in Caves of Wyoming and contributed to the maps. It was written by a couple of my caving buddies. I am mentioned as one of the early Wyoming cavers even though there were many before me going into Wyoming caves. I only started in 1964. Also, there is a lot of cool stuff in Bighorn Caverns but it requires rope work to get in and out which should not be undertaken without knowing what you are doing and having some expertise.

[@wyomingjeepers]

@@georgem7965 Very neat that you are in the book. I used the "Caves of Wyoming" book to find and go in the Coon Odor Cave as well as the Upper and Lower Kane Caves near the Bighorn River. The Kane caves are fine for novices like me as they are just one straight passage. I have no interest in doing the "real" caving even though I have an interest in learning about and seeing the local ones. I think the most awesome one in the area is the Great Expectations Cave in the Bighorn Mountains. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4Kzi5SqmtSphrs

[@AuthorMelissaCook]

Wow! That is great information for our viewers. Thanks for sharing and commenting. It is much appreciated. 🎉😊

[@georgem7965]

@@AuthorMelissaCook Glad to be of help. Caving was a big part of my life when I was younger. Most of my old friends are old cavers. My late wife and I used to tell folk that we met in the early '70s in an underground organization, the National Speleological Society. That was a REAL underground organization, not one of the fakes like the Weathermen or the Black Panthers. ;-) If nothing else, my words may help someone stay out of trouble underground. Cave rescues are no fun for anyone involved.

[@rstoelk1]

I Love your videos of wheel’n in Wyoming. The videography is well done. Thanks for sharing your adventures.

[@wyomingjeepers]

Thank you for watching. We are glad you appreciate the videography. We do spend some time putting it all together and try to get shots that work well. Thanks again!

[@AuthorMelissaCook]

Thank you, Ryan. Elaine and I do our best to shoot great footage so Elgin can create a solid video. We appreciate our viewers and commenters! - The Chatty One

[@4ever9er]

Great job making a video of your trip ...as usual! We always look forward to seeing your next adventure!! Melissa, hope your knee continues to heal up fine.

[@AuthorMelissaCook]

Elgin puts in quite a few hours of editing time with every video and thinks of something to improve upon the last one. We have two more shows recorded, and he already has new ideas for improving those. Thank you so much for watching and commenting on our show. We appreciate you! And yes, the knee is better than it was this time last year, but it's not the same. That won't stop me from seeking the next adventure, though. - The Chatty One

[@wyomingjeepers]

Thank you for watching! Glad you enjoy the videos.

[@OverlandPNW]

Ouch bad knee injury! The cave was fascinating and you found the drone controller!

[@wyomingjeepers]

It was quite a trip! Thanks for watching and commenting... I notice you have a couple of new videos on your channel I need to watch. Will be watching shortly!

[@AuthorMelissaCook]

Ouchie is right! Still hurts a year later. Dang! The cave was quite interesting, and yes, we FOUND IT! Yippee! Thank you so much for checking out our show and leaving us a comment. - The Chatty One

[@TheUncrowdedPATH]

Your editing and video are getting better all the time! Great video! Drone work is real good too!

[@wyomingjeepers]

Thank you very much. We are just a bunch of amateurs but we do try to make it look nice! Thanks for watching.

[@TheUncrowdedPATH]

@@wyomingjeepers I think you guys do great videos...and we do a lot of the same trails... I'm up the road in Laurel. I'm an amateur as well... I've slowly increased my equipment to have a little better stuff than I started...but still use a tiny drone, an old used go-pro, my phone, and a 4 year old camera. We will look out for you on the trails!

[@wyomingjeepers]

@@TheUncrowdedPATH Thank you. We do almost all of the video on iPhones. They seem to do a nice job. I checked out your Wicks Tunnel video. That is a really neat tunnel. I'm going to have to read about it.

[@AuthorMelissaCook]

You should join us for the ride. We will be having a spring trip. Thank you for your kind comments about our videos. They are time intense for editing, so this summer we spent our time filming new shows to put out the winter. Stay tuned we have plenty more coming. 😊

[@kriskriskris32]

What an amazing ride! Sorry you fell and hurt your leg 😢. Hope it was minor

[@AuthorMelissaCook]

Dang! It wasn't minor. It's been 26 months and I'm still struggling with that knee. In fact, I am hoping the doctor can figure out what it wrong with it next week. I have to keep it straight or I have pain. Thanks for asking though. Yep, it was a bad fall. I couldn't put weight on it the next day and used crutches for a week. It's painful. It was a fun ride though. 🙂 Thanks for watching and leaving a comment.

[@wyomingjeepers]

Glad you enjoyed the video. It was a great ride. Melissa is a trooper and still going strong even though her knee gives her grief. :-)

[@kriskriskris32]

@@AuthorMelissaCook I feel your pain! I hope the doc figures it out soon. The struggle is real🙏

[@wyomingjeepers]

Hi, Kris. This is Wyoming Jeeper Melissa Cook. Elgin and I are publishing the Wyoming Jeepers Trail Guide and would like to use your comment in our book for the featured comment on the Devil Canyon - Horsetheif Cave chapter. Is that okay with you?

[@VideosOffRoad]

Did you need any kind of permit or key to explore the cave?

[@melissacook]

Well, I'm not sure about a permit but a key is required. Check with the local BLM. Thanks for watching.

[@wyomingjeepers]

The first 100 yards or so doesn't require a key or permit. To go beyond does require a key (probably a permit) as the cave is very large and would require experience to be safe. The BLM controls this so I would check with them regarding permits and the key.