Expanding Cave Knowledge: Marshall’s Cave (INTERMEDIATE)

OVERVIEW

Marshall’s cave is an awesome cave that neither Aidan nor I have been to before. We are working to expand our knowledge of caves to take more people to more places, thus why this trip is marked as intermediate. Please do not sign up unless you have been on AT LEAST 2 caving trips, preferably within the past 4 months.

If that hasn’t convinced you, you get to walk across a super cool suspension footbridge to get to the cave!

Schedule:
10:00am – Leave Echols
12:30pm– Arrive at cave, go over safety/conservation information, and start caving
4pm – Finish caving and head back to car
7pm – 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
– Close toed shoes that can get dirty/ripped/ruined (trust me, you will not want to be in chacos)
– 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)
– No fewer than 2 working headlamps with spare batteries
– At least 1 spare light (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)

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. 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

**Drivers needed! Gas will be reimbursed.**