The Children Yearn for the Mines: Caving @ Lowmoor [03/23]

OVERVIEW

Howdy! Me and Rory have been dying to check out Lowmoor Cave since we heard stories of its massive rooms and built-in parking lot (that’s right, we park INSIDE the cave). This should be a relatively chill cave with wide rooms as part of it used to be a mine, so if you’ve been nervous about doing tight squeezes, this is the cave for you. Cavers of all abilities are welcome, this should be a cool one!

Schedule:
10:00am – Leave Echols
11:45pm – Arrive at cave and go over safety/conservation information
12:00pm – Start caving
4:15pm – Finish caving, return to car
6:00pm – Back at Echols

Gear WE will bring:
– First Aid Kit
– Flagging tape
– Lighter and candles for hypothermia kit
– Caving helmets
– Headlamps with spare batteries
– Gloves
– Some kneepads

Gear YOU need 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 (long pants and long sleeves are mandatory)
– Close toed shoes that can get dirty/ripped/ruined
– 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