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Third Annual Mother Lode
Thanksgiving Bash
Thanksgiving weekend caving started out with some So. Cal. grotto
members showing up to Mike's house on Tuesday and Wednesday to stay for the holiday
week and some caving Thursday through Saturday.
Thursday
afternoon Tony Williams., Tom LaFrank and Allen Hager took the first trip of the
week to Crystal Tuolumne Cave. The three enjoyed the nice weather and scenic hike
which took about thirty minutes. The group explored the cave for a couple of hours
and exited the cave to find the sun had set so they made their way back to the car
by headlamp. The three were back at Mike's by 8:00pm and sat down to eat some turkey
dinner with Mike and his family and friends.
The
next day, Friday would start out with everyone waking up to rain showers. The weather
forecast up until Tuesday had called for mid sixty's to seventy degrees through out
the week and into the following week. (It`s hard to believe these meteorologist's
get paid to be wrong half the time.) The meeting time had been set up for everyone
to meet at Moaning Cavern parking lot at 8:30am to discuss and plan the days adventures.
It was decided that the days caving would take place at the Grapevine gulch area
caves, there were many beginner cavers who had not done much if any caving before
so this was the perfect area to break them in and introduce them to our underground
world. We had eighteen cavers in all and explored four different caves. By about
2:30pm we were all back at our cars for some food, warmth and rest. We would be back
out caving again at 6:00pm to explore two other caves in the Camp 9 area. By then
we had a couple of others who joined us for the nights activities. The group was
divided into two groups and would each do a cave and then switch. Everyone was done
about 11:00pm so we headed back to our homes or camping spots to socialize and then
get some needed rest.
Saturday
started out at about 9:00am at the Moaning parking lot with over thirty people in
attendance for the days activities. We would be doing the caves in the Rockpile area.
It was discussed that the group would be split into several smaller groups to do
the many vertical caves with Tom LaFrank leading one group, Tony Williams another,
and Mike running around between them all to make sure everyone was doing ok and getting
into caves, with the vast majority of the group going with Courtney and Michael White
to explore the many smaller non vertical and beginner type caves in the area. The
cavers ages were from five years to fifty five years old. Everyone was done caving
and back at Moaning Cavern by 6:00pm to do some off trail caving at Moaning itself.
Those who had never been through the circuit before had a great time while those
of us who have been through it stayed in the main part of the cave to socialize.
The nights activities ended with everyone gathered around the campfire by 11:00pm
to socialize and say there goodbyes.
This was the third annual "Moaning Cavern Thanksgiving Extravaganza"
(as the So. Cal. folks call it) and hopefully there will be many more to come.
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