100 years since Floyd Collins died…let’s visit his Ghost

OVERVIEW

Hiiii Cville Friends!!! Old alumni back in town because there aren’t any cool caves near Philadelphia.
Floyd Collins died 100 years ago as of January 30, and I want to go honor him by visiting his ghost! *disclaimer: he did not die in the cave we are visiting.*
Anyways Paxton’s is a great beginner/intermediate cave. Feel free to come along if you’ve ever been caving before, and if you haven’t, you’re still welcome to join as long as you feel comfortable with being in the dark and doing some basic rock scrambling. For this trip, we’ll at least be aiming to get to the Floyd Collins room, but might go farther or explore other areas of the cave depending on time. There are no tight squeezes (just normal hands and knees crawling) expected during this trip. There are a few scrambly climbs, but nothing crazy!

Schedule:
9:00am – Leave Echols
11:00am – Arrive at cave and go over safety/conservation information
11:30am – Start caving
3:30pm – Finish caving
6:00pm – Return to Charlottesville and drop you off at home!

Gear we will bring for you:
– Caving helmet
– headlamps
-Knee pads (optional)
-Gloves

Gear to Bring:
– Water
– Snack/Lunch
– 24 hour emergency food supply (just anything that can last you a days worth of meals)
– A container for any human waste – pack it in, pack it out
– Clothes that can get dirty/ripped/ruined ( long pants, and long sleeves are mandatory- please try to avoid cotton)
– Close toed shoes that can get dirty/ripped/ruined
– At least 1 spare light (can be a headlamp or flashlight or even your phone )
– A bag or backpack that can get dirty/ripped/ruined (can be found at the gear room as well)
– Clean clothes/shoes for the car (please please! Also make sure you bring layers! It is still a little chilly out!)

Gear we have extra but please first try to bring your own. If you cannot get your own please notify us ASAP:
– A trash bag for hypothermia kit (like the big Hefty trash bags)
– Trash bag for dirty clothes, shoes, and backpack (make sure it’s big enough, can be the same as your trash bag for hypothermia)
– Extra batteries (the headlamps we are providing are AAA)

Important notes:
– You MUST read the Caving Checklist provided by the club. It can be found under the Resources tab on the website. I have also linked it here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Lv1Hz8qOIvGb0BgVwFrU6NH1EyT3wPqt/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=115487946960226883937&rtpof=true&sd=true
– You are responsible for gathering all of your own equipment. Most of the gear is available at the club’s gear room.
– You should be comfortable crawling around in tight spaces and being in the dark.
– Because caving is such a dangerous sport, I will be very strict in ensuring you have the proper equipment (i.e., if you are not properly equipped with EVERYTHING mentioned above, you are not entering the cave).
– It is a good idea to not have anything massively important scheduled for the evening of the trip in the unlikely event we are delayed

***Need drivers! You’ll get priority off the waitlist.

If you have any questions or concerns or are unable to pick up gear, my phone number is (703) 850-9725 (Renee) and (970) 294- 8781 (Allie)