Lockridge Aqua – Beginner Caving!!!

OVERVIEW

Come join us this Saturday as we brave the frigid waters of Lockridge Aqua!

This cave features an entrance which requires you to be almost totally submerged in water. It’s pretty cold so we’ll be bringing wetsuits for everyone. Once you’re past the entrance though, it really opens up, and you can stay mostly dry. We’ll be able to walk upright for much of the cave, making this a good spot for beginners. There are some enchanting formations and fossils and we might even find some albino fish or other strange mutants/monsters.

Don’t let the entrance intimidate you. This is a really nice cave and I’m sure everyone reading this can handle the brief cold water exposure. It looks like it’ll be warmer this weekend too, which should help with the water temp a bit. To be safe though, you can only join if you can tread water for 30 seconds.

Schedule:
10:00am – Leave Echols
11:45am – Arrive at parking lot
12:10am – Start caving
4:20pm – Finish caving
6:30pm – Return to Charlottesville

Gear we have:
– Wetsuits
– Caving helmets
– Headlamps with tons of batteries (If you have headlamps of your own, bring them and let us know)
– Gloves
– First aid and hypothermia kits

Gear to Bring:
– Water
– Lunch + snacks + emergency food (total food should get you through a full 24 hours)
– A container for any human waste (old water bottle or screwable tupperware)
– Headlamp(s) if you have them, but we’ll have plenty to share
– Clothes that can get dirty/ripped/ruined (long pants and long sleeves are mandatory- please try to avoid cotton)
– Close toed shoes that can get dirty/ripped/ruined
– A bag or backpack that can get dirty/ripped/ruined (if you don’t have one ASK US, we have extras) (can be found in the gear room as well)
– Clean clothes/shoes for the car
– Trash bag for dirty clothes, shoes, and backpack (make sure it’s big enough) (we’ll bring extras so it’s fine if you can’t find one)

Important notes:
– You MUST read the Caving Checklist provided by the club. Here’s the link:
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, We 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’s a good idea to not have anything massively important scheduled for the evening of the trip in the unlikely event we are delayed.