Sylly Week Spelunking! Paxtons Cave- BEGINNER

OVERVIEW

Hey outdoor lovers! Welcome back from break! I hope you all are excited to try some new adventures in the new year! So why not kick off the semester with caving! Paxtons is one of my favorite caves as it has lots of wildlife, belly crawls, vertical climbs, and maze like passages. If you have never been caving this is the trip to join! We will be going fairly slow through the cave and also staying super quiet looking for hibernating bats! Whether you’ve been caving before or have never been, Lillie and I would love for you to come along! Also fun fact, the cave will feel warmer than outside since caves stay relatively the same temperature year round! So if you want to stay warm and still do a fun outdoorsy activity, come caving with us! PLUS we will return to Charlottesville just in time to make it to the disco cowboy party at the shred shack!

** We are still unsure of the gear room situation for this week, so if you are unable to pick up any gear, please let me know by Friday at 3pm and I will grab everything!

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

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
– Caving helmet (please don’t use the club’s climbing helmets; the caving helmets are the old Petzl Ecrin Rocs or the new Petzl Boreos)
– 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! Also make sure you bring layers!)
– 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, 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, my phone number is (970) 294- 8781 (Allie).