Guano Agony – Intermediate Caving at Paxton’s

OVERVIEW

Paxton’s cave map has some weird names on it, so we’re going to try to find a few of those places: Guano Ecstasy, Guano Agony, Worm Garden, and Clambake Alley. Hopefully we’ll see some bats if the first two places are named accurately.
This is an intermediate trip, which means you have to have caved before. It shouldn’t be super difficult, but as always there will be some climbs and probably some long crawls, and we’ll be going a bit faster this trip so we have time to look around.

***Need a driver! You’ll get priority off the waitlist.

Schedule:
9:00 am – Leave Echols (the corner of McCormick Rd and Hancock Dr)
11:00 am – Arrive at the cave and go over safety/conservation information
11:30 am – Start caving
4:30 pm – Finish caving
7:00 pm – Return to Charlottesville!

Gear YOU need to bring:
– 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))
– Closed-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 (we have some caving-specific gear, just ask me, do not check out gear room backpacks)
– Clean clothes AND 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)

Gear WE have (you don’t need to bring):
– Caving helmet
– No fewer than 2 working headlamps with spare batteries
– Gloves
-knee pads

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 – DO NOT expect to get back early

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out! William: (630) 697-0459 and Jack: (434) 882-3205