CAVE TIME- Beginner Caving at Crossroads

OVERVIEW

hey yall! here is another intro to caving trip! crossroads is a beautiful maze like cave with incredible formations, lots of friendly critters, and some fun intro technical climbing and crawling. This is a great first caving trip BUT I do recommend having some prior climbing or rock scrambling (like Old Rag) skills. If you don’t have this but still feel confident in coming you are more than welcome! We will be taking it nice and slow!

Schedule:
9:00 – Leave Echols
12:00 – Arrive at cave, go over safety/conservation information, and start caving
4:00 – Finish caving and head back to car
6:00 – Back at Echols

Ok Gear: I know this long list can be intimidating so feel free to reach out to me with any questions! We have extras of almost everything so if you have any concerns just let us know and we will help you get what you need.

Gear to Bring:
– Water
– Snack/Lunch
– 24 hour emergency food supply (worst case scenario item- just enough food to last you a day)
– A trash bag (for hypothermia kit again worst case scenario- has never been needed on ANY trip)
– A container for any human waste – pack it in, pack it out (tupperware or old water bottle works)
– Clothes that can get dirty/ripped/ruined ( long pants, and long sleeves are mandatory, preferably not 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 (if you need one please text me!)
– Clean clothes/shoes for the car (please please)
– Trash bag for dirty clothes, shoes, and backpack (make sure it’s big enough, can be same bag as hypothermia kit)
– lunch or snacks

Gear we will bring:
– Caving helmet
– No fewer than 2 working headlamps with spare batteries- if you have your own, that would be preferable!
– Gloves- gardening gloves if you have your own!

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 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

If you have any questions or concerns or are unable to pick up gear (please let me know ASAP), my phone number is (970) 294- 8781 (Allie)