So You Want to be a Caving Trip Leader? – Caving Trip Leader Training in Paxton’s

OVERVIEW

Have you been caving before? Have you thought to yourself, ‘I need to have more of this in my life’? Are you interested in leading trips to any cave that suits your fancy? This is the trip for you. We are going to Paxton’s, a maze cave, where we are going to practice navigating, flagging, and leading trips. This is a good first step in learning to be a trip leader, and these skills are useful for anyone who caves. This is an intermediate trip, intended for those who have been on at least one caving trip in the past. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please text me at (512)-663-7697

Schedule:
10:00am – Leave Echols
12:00pm – Arrive at cave and go over safety/conservation information
12:30pm – Start caving
4:30pm – Finish caving
7:00pm – Return to Charlottesville!

Gear – I know this long list can be intimidating so feel free to reach out to us with any questions! We have extras of almost everything so if you have any concerns just let us know and we will help you get what you need.

BEWARE – You need to have ALL the gear on the Gear to Bring list. If you don’t have something and don’t reach out to me (512-663-7697) or Jack ((434) 882-3205), you will not be able to come into the cave.

Gear to Bring:
– Water
– Snack/Lunch
– 24 hour emergency food supply (anything that will last for a day’s worth of meals)
– 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 (long pants and long sleeves are mandatory – please try to avoid cotton))
– Close toed shoes that can get dirty/ripped/ruined
– At least 1 spare light (headlamp, flashlight, or phone flashlight)
– A bag or backpack that can get dirty/ripped/ruined (can also be checked out from gear room)
– Clean clothes/shoes for the car
– Trash bag for dirty clothes, shoes, and backpack (make sure it’s big enough)

Gear we have:
– Caving helmet
– No fewer than 2 working headlamps with spare batteries
– Gloves
– Knee pads (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 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 to not have anything massively important scheduled for the evening of the trip in the unlikely event we are delayed

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

If you have any questions or concerns or are unable to pick up gear, reach out to me (512)-663-7697