Delving Deep – Intermediate Crossroads Caving

OVERVIEW

We are going to Crossroads, a maze cave, where we are going to head towards the back of the cave to see where it goes. We may even do a bit of underground river wading. This is an intermediate trip, which means we’ll be moving a bit faster and stay in the cave a bit longer than a beginner trip. While there won’t be any crazy squeezes, you should be pretty comfortable with tight spaces. If you haven’t been on a caving trip before but think you’d be up for that, feel free to contact me and we can talk about it.

Schedule:
9:30 am – Leave Echols
11:00 am – Arrive at the cave and go over safety/conservation information
11:30 am – Start caving
5:30 pm – Finish caving
7:30 pm – Return to Charlottesville!

Below is a gear list. It can look like a lot, but make sure you’ve got everything on it. If there’s something you’re missing, let us know! There’s a good chance we’ll have an extra you can borrow.

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)
– Clean clothes/shoes for the car
– 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 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 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! Jack: (434) 882-3205 and Ben: (847) 602-2516