CROSSROADS CAVE ON A SUNDAY WOOHOOO!!!

OVERVIEW

Who doesn’t love to spend a beautiful Sunday deep underground? ….Probably most people tbh, but lucky for us, I am not most people! We’re going caaaaavviiiinggg

We’ll be exploring the labyrinth that is Crossroads cave, a cave that you could visit a hundred times and never take the same route twice. There are all sorts of different passages to work through, like climbs, crawls, squeezes, and large chambers with beautiful rock features. This is a beginner-friendly trip, so I’ll be going over safety/conservation techniques before we get underground. But just because it’s beginner, doesn’t mean it won’t tire you out! Since there’s so much of this cave to explore, I’m allocating a bit more in-cave time than usual, so we can go further in if we feel up for it.

Schedule:
10:00 – Leave Echols
12:00 – Arrive at cave, go over safety/conservation information, and start caving
4:30 – Finish caving and head back to car
6:30 – Back at Echols

Gear to Bring:
– Water
– Snack/Lunch
– 24 hour emergency food supply
– A trash bag for hypothermia kit
– A container for any human waste – pack it in, pack it out
– Clothes that can get dirty/ripped/ruined, INCLUDING GLOVES
– Close toed shoes that can get dirty/ripped/ruined (I recommend boots, but hiking/running shoes with good traction will do)
– Caving helmet (please don’t use the club’s climbing helmets; the caving helmets are the old Petzl Ecrin Rocs with a suspension system instead of a foam system) *Note: I may get all the helmets from the gear room myself to make sure there’s enough for everyone. I’ll send out an email if I do.
– No fewer than 2 working headlamps with spare batteries
– At least 1 spare light in addition to your 2 headlamps (can be a headlamp or flashlight)
– A bag or backpack that can get dirty/ripped/ruined
– Clean clothes/shoes for the car (please please)
– Trash bag for dirty clothes, shoes, and backpack (make sure it’s big enough)
– Knee pads (optional)

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(*see my note above). 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 (even trash bags and spare clothing), 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

**Driver needed! You’ll get priority off the waitlist, and gas will be reimbursed.**