Thanksgiving Caving!!!

OVERVIEW

***Since this is my first time leading a caving trip, I will only be accepting people on this trip who have been caving before***

Come join me and Jack this Sunday at Paxton’s cave! Paxton’s cave is a huge (aMAZEing) maze cave that has lots of fun features. There are some tricky features such as belly crawls, vertical climbs, and tight passageways. There’s also a massive room that will be perfect for our Thanksgiving feast (I may or may not provide some Thanksgiving goodies). Overall, this should be a pretty fun trip, and I encourage y’all to bring some Thanksgiving food if you’re feeling extra festive!

Schedule:
9:00am – Leave Echols
11:00am – Arrive at cave and go over safety/conservation information
11:30am – Start caving
3:30pm – Finish caving
6:00pm – Return to 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 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)
– 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, my phone number is (757) 985-9543
-Lillie Ehrmentraut