Page 124 - The Exceptional Harley Fetterman

JUDY K JOHNSON

Real Trex was a DARS camping program for the blind based in
Austin with Eric Schavrda, Scott Baltisberger, and Chris Wright as it's
driving forces. Their adventures included camping at sites such as:
Port Aransas, Inks Lake, McKenny Falls and Whirlpool Cave
Preserve in Austin. Chris Wright, a DARS social worker who was
blind himself, was an excellent adult role model for Harley. These
unique adventures were popular opportunities for visually impaired
individuals to get to know and enjoy each other while surfing,
picnicking, camping, canoeing, and even spelunking caves.

Figure 72: Chris and Harley, living on the edge!

The Whirlpool Cave was a unique experience for anyone. Just
putting on traditional spelunking gear such as knee pads, and
headlamps tends to bring on nervous anticipation. Beyond the cave
entrance, which was covered by a thick metal hatch to keep the cave
secure, there was a nine-foot climb straight down into an underground
landing which split off into four acres of cave passages which end up
54' below ground level. The underground caverns ranged in texture
from clay (thousands of years old) to fine beach sand (originating
from a time when the coastline of Texas was in Travis county).
Rainfall passing through the cave system feeds into Barton Springs.

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