New project lead. A full week underground in August. The best dataset this system has ever had. After four years of project weekends, the Bighorn-Horsethief Cave (BHHT) Survey Project is entering its most ambitious season yet — and it kicks off in less than two weeks.
The April weekend is two weeks away
The first project weekend of 2026 runs Saturday, April 25 – Sunday, April 26. Trips this weekend are into Horsethief Cave only, no Friday operation. Sign-ups are open now.
What this project is
The Bighorn/Horsethief system sits on the Montana–Wyoming border, northeast of Lovell, WY. Bighorn Cavern and Horsethief Cave connect into a single system that, as of the April 2025 cartography update, is 3.86 miles long and 149.6 feet deep — with over 4 miles of total surveyed passage when back-shots and surface lines are included. Cartographer Ryan Maurer reports that 98.3% of the data is currently flagged “good” in COMPASS, a remarkable state for a resurvey of a cave this size.
The goal is straightforward: a modern, publishable map of the whole system, built on clean data. That means new survey in remaining leads, re-survey of older lines where the numbers don’t hold up, and steady cartography work between weekends.
New leadership in 2026
After four years leading the project from startup through its second mile of survey, Will Boekel has handed the project lead role to Dan Austin, who joins us from the South Dakota caving community with a long track record of successful survey projects. Will isn’t going anywhere — he’s shifting into the Gear / Logistics / Camp Lead role, where he’ll keep the operation running on weekends and drive the badly-needed camp repairs this year. Katey Bender continues to handle Communications and Cartography, and Ryan Maurer remains Lead Cartographer.
I appreciate all the hard work that’s already been put into this, and I’m hoping to keep the momentum going. Bear with me while I learn some of the nuances of the cave and project — I’m confident that you all have a great thing going and we can make it sustainable for years to come.
Dan Austin, incoming BHHT Project Lead
2026 project weekend schedule
| Weekend | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| April | April 25–26 | Two days only. Horsethief only. Sign-ups open now. |
| May | May 23–25 | Memorial Day weekend |
| June | June 19–21 | — |
| August | August 9–16 | Full project week — Steve Zeman cooking |
| September | September 5–7 | — |
| October | October 10–12 | Tentative |
No July weekend this year — it’s been replaced by a week-long August project instead, with PESH veteran and Western Bighorns camp cook Steve Zeman feeding the group all week. If you’ve been waiting for a trip with real runway to learn survey, that’s the one.
How to sign up
- April weekend sign-up: forms.gle/1gVyETzkEzijRYKH8
- Join the project Google Group for future weekend announcements:
bhhtsurvey@googlegroups.com— sign yourself up, it’s open. - No prior survey experience required. Beginners are trained on-site every weekend, and there are always non-survey roles (camp, gear, ops) if the cave isn’t what you’re there for.
Help wanted at camp
The Armpit complex has taken a beating — windows are broken out, the ops-building ceiling is coming down, and there’s a real list of safety issues forming up. Terry just built a full workbench in ops, and Gideon hauled up boards to repair the porch. If you want to come to a weekend and work surface projects instead of caving — shutters, roof tin, general rebuild — reach out to Will Boekel or Dan Austin directly. Materials donations also welcome.
Why bother?
Because this is the kind of survey project that actually finishes. Four years in, the data is clean, the leadership bench is deep, the relationship with BLM’s Billings Field Office is solid, and there’s a real map at the end of it. If you cave at all in the Northern Rockies, this is the best chance you’ll get to put footage on a map that’ll be referenced for the next fifty years.
See you at camp.
Questions? Reply on the project Google Group, or email the grotto officers. New to NRMG? Head to our membership page to get involved.