VERY BEGINNER FRIENDLY CAVING- Island Ford Cave

OVERVIEW

Hey outdoorsy people! So I’m jealous that I missed the opportunity to explore this cave last weekend, soooooo we are going back!!
If you have never been caving before and worried about the difficulty, Island Ford Cave is a really great place for beginners so I totally recommend stepping outside your comfort zone and sign up! BUT if you are one of our loyal cavers who have caved before, we will have opportunities for you as well to challenge your abilities in a brand cave you have never explored before, sign up as well. Soooooo basically what I am saying is if you are free Saturday, come caving! This will be a super uber chill trip and we will go at whatever pace you all are comfortable with!
I am also wanting to start the tradition of getting Chipotle after caving so if you want to get grub with some cool people, you should signup as well! I am really excited to see you all soon!

Schedule:
10:00am – Leave Echols
12:00pm – Arrive at cave and go over safety/conservation information and start caving!
4:30pm – Finish caving and head back to the car
7:00pm- Back in Charlottesville and get Chipotle!

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) and lots of layers! Although its a pretty mild temp inside the cave, it will be VERY cold outside the cave so make sure to bring extra gloves, hat, socks, etc.
– 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 (please let me know ASAP), my phone number is (970) 294- 8781 (Allie) and (757) 985-9543 (Lillie).