Caving in Wv

OVERVIEW

This is a 2 day trip to scenic west virginia to explore Sharpe’s and Simmons Mingo caves. We will leave early Saturday morning, drive to Sharpe’s, cave for the afternoon, then camp outside of Marlinton. Sunday we will drive up to Simmons Mingo (about 45 min from the campsite) and explore the cave, then return to Charlottesville. This is a great way to see some caves, but get ready to be muddy as Sharpe’s has a stream and waterfall inside.

Some things to keep in mind, especially if you’ve never been caving: We are going to be underground for a number of hrs, and it’s generally about 50 degrees down there, dress accordingly. You might have to crawl through some tight spots, or up and over rocks. Be ready for some physical exertion, this is not just a walk and look at pretty formations (though there are pretty formations). Please read over the caving guide provided by the club before we go. http://www.outdoorsatuva.org/resources/?CavingChecklist

Food: Cave snacks will be provided, as well as breakfast for Sunday. Plan to bring food for lunch/dinner. There is a Subway/store in Marlinton that we can stop at (I plan to) as well.

The trip can handle between 4 and 10 people, but I can only take 3 in my car, so additional drivers are needed if more people sign up.

Gear that you will need:
Provided by the club: caving helmet, knee pads, gloves, headlamp, tent, sleeping bag(?)
Provided by you: Extra lights, batteries, caving clothing that can get muddy (shoes/boots, heavy material pants [jeans are good], shirt, light jacket, backpack/fanny pack of some kind)

*Please note that due to WNS all gear that goes into a cave will be decontaminated saturday night in between caves in a 10% bleach solution, so make sure that you are okay with putting your gear in that.