Beginner Caving at Crossroads Cave

OVERVIEW

We are going to Crossroads, a maze cave, where we are going to head towards The Pit and then maybe visit some other parts of the cave to see cool stuff. This is a beginner trip, which means it’s perfect if you’ve never caved before. Although there’s plenty of room in some parts, you should expect to do a bit of crawling and be comfortable in smaller spaces. If that all sounds fun, join us on the last caving trip of the year!

Schedule:
9:00 am – Leave Echols
10:30 am – Arrive at the cave and go over safety/conservation information
11:00 am – Start caving
3:00 pm – Finish caving
6:00 pm – Return to Charlottesville!

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

Gear we have (you don’t need to bring):
– Caving helmet
– No fewer than 2 working headlamps with spare batteries
– Gloves
-knee pads (optional)

Gear to Bring (YOU have to bring this!):
– Water
– Snack/Lunch
– 24-hour emergency food supply (just anything that can last you a day’s worth of meals)
– A container for any human waste – pack it in, pack it out (old water bottle or screwable tupperware)
– Clothes that can get dirty/ripped/ruined (long pants and LONG sleeves are required- NO COTTON (that means no jeans))
– 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)
– A change of Clean clothes
– A pair of clean shoes
– A trash bag for hypothermia kit (hefty trash bags are good)
– Trash bag for dirty clothes, shoes, and backpack (make sure it’s big enough)

Important notes:
– You MUST read the Caving Checklist provided by the club. It is linked here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Lv1Hz8qOIvGb0BgVwFrU6NH1EyT3wPqt/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=115487946960226883937&rtpof=true&sd=true
– 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 not to have anything massively important scheduled for the evening of the trip in the unlikely event we are delayed

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out! William: (630) 697-0459 and Ben: (847) 602-2516