Caving – An End to the Moratorium

OVERVIEW

As some of you may know, there was a brief moratorium on club caving trips last semester. I am pleased to announce the first official caving trip since then.

Caving is an exhilarating sport full of danger, adventure, and beauty. Terrain can vary from rock scrambling to swimming to sliding down mud chutes. I don’t think I need to further convince you of the awesomeness of the sport, so let’s get down to business.

Logistics:
– Leave from Echols at 10am
– Drive one hour to the cave
– Gear up, talk safety, and adventure through the cave for 5 or 6 hours
– Clean up/change clothes and drive home
– Arrive back in Charlottesville around 7pm

You bring:
– 2 headlamps
– backup batteries for your headlamps
– helmet (I can pick up a helmet for you if you don’t have one)
– trash bag (for hypothermia kit; I will provide the candles and fire starters)
– gloves
– water and snacks/emergency food supply
– sturdy closed toed shoes
– backpack that can get dirty
– change of clothes if desired

Important notes:
– You MUST read the Caving Checklist provided by the club. It can be found under the Member Resources tab (policies > officer policies > caving checklist).
– You should be comfortable crawling around in tight spaces.
– This cave is extremely muddy, so wear clothes and shoes that are okay getting dirty (possibly beyond recovery).
– 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).
– You are responsible for gathering your own equipment. Most of the gear is available at the club’s gear room.
– It is a good idea to not have anything important scheduled for the evening of the trip just in case we are delayed.

Drivers get waitlist priority and are reimbursed for gas (plus 50% tip).