Saltpeter, Soot, and Skeletons: New Trout Cave (ADVANCED)

OVERVIEW

New Trout is one of three large caves in the Trout cave area. It is know for many interesting features that should make it very fun to explore. Geologically speaking, the cave contains many interesting fossils from the Rancholabrean period, some of which are apparently visible on the walls. The cave contains several simple long passages and big rooms, but also the infamous saltpeter maze. The sediment in the maze contains nitrate, which was mined for use in gunpowder during the civil war. Soot and other evidence of miners is still present in some areas. There have been several rescues from the saltpeter maze that have made national news, thus earning it infamy. If we get further back, there are some passageways filled with up to 2 feet of dust. Overall should be a good time & very fascinating.
Since neither Aidan nor I have been to New Trout before, this trip is advanced. That means you must have been on AT LEAST 2 CAVING TRIPS BEFORE, with one of them happening in the past year with the outdoors club.

Schedule:
10:00am – Leave Echols
12:00pm – Arrive at cave and go over safety/conservation information
12:30 – Start caving
4:30 – Finish caving, return to car
7:00 – 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 (GLOVES, long pants, and long sleeves are mandatory)
– Close toed shoes that can get dirty/ripped/ruined (trust me, you will not want to be in chacos); see note about clothes
– 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)
– N95 mask for the dust (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. 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