 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Huntsville Grotto sponsors one horizontal trip and one vertical caving trip each month for Grotto members.
Horizontal trips are to caves that do not require any technical rope skills such as rappelling.
Generally the horizontal trip is on the first Saturday after the
regular monthly meeting and the vertical trip is
on the third Saturday following the regular monthly meeting. There may be exceptions, so see the
trips schedule below for exact dates and trip locations.
For when and where to meet email the trip leader.
This information is also announced during regular monthly meetings
Advance notice indicating you wish to attend a trip must to be provided to the trip leader.
Further the trip leader must agree to you attending before you participate on any
grotto sponsored cave trip. Giving notice lets the trip leader know how many will be on the trip.
It also reserves you a spot if the group size needs to be limited. This notice can be by signing up for
the trip at the grotto meetings or by email, click here.
In your email say what trip you plan on attending, who you are and if anyone will be with you.
Emails must be received no later than the Thursday prior to the trip.
The Huntsville Grotto policy requires that everyone participating in a grotto-sponsored cave trip sign a Release From Liability form. This form can be given to the trip leader, given to any grotto officer or mailed to:
For vertical trips, you must have either successfully completed a Single Rope Technique(SRT) course or already be proficient in single rope technique before going on a vertical trip. You must also have all your own gear and be comfortable using it.
For all trips, the individual trip leader has the authority to disallow you from attending the trip if he or she does not think your skills or judgment are sufficient for the trip in question. They may also limit the number on the trip to limit impact on cave or insure they can safely lead the group. See above for Notice Requirements.
You must have a hardhat and a hardhat-mounted light to attend a horizontal caving trip. If you do not have a hardhat or light, you can borrow them from the Huntsville Grotto. Wear sturdy boots and clothing that you do not mind ruining (once you wear clothing into a cave, it usually is good for nothing else but caving). Leather gloves are very handy, and for many caves, kneepads are recommended (we also have a few cheap kneepads you can borrow). You must have at least three sources of light, so bring extra flashlights (mini-maglites and LED flashlights make great emergency lights) and plenty of extra batteries. Also, don't forget food and water. Although the relative difficulty of each cave is listed below, if you have any questions please talk to the trip leader for that trip. If you have never been caving before, we highly recommend reading our Information for New Cavers booklet (note: it is 23 pages long, so it might take a while to download).
Vertical trips are for people who have experience with single rope technique (this is rappelling and climbing the rope itself). While rock-climbing experience is helpful for learning single rope technique, it is not the same. If you are new to vertical caving and would like to learn, we periodically offer a basic vertical orientation (which we encourage new and experienced cavers to take, as there is always something new to learn). Some information about each trip is provided in the schedule below, but if you have any questions please ask the trip leader for that trip.
| Date | Horizontal Trip | Vertical Trip |
|---|---|---|
| 1/7/12 | Limrock Difficulty: Beginner Trip Brian Stoltz POST:10 Cavers attended. |
|
| 1/21/12 | Tumbling Rock Due to Wet Weather Difficulty: Easy' Mark Ostrander POST:3 Cavers attended. |
|
| 2/4/12 | Kennamer Cave - Bottom Up Difficulty: Strenous, Exposure Be Prepared for Some Climbing No Personal Climbing Gear Req'd No Beginners Mark Ostrander POST: 17 Cavers attended. |
|
| 2/18/12 | Dinky, Snakes 200, Graham Pit Difficulty: Moderate Hike & Pits Mark Ostrander POST: 9 Cavers attended. Amy Hinkle's Pictures of Dinky Amy Hinkle's Pictures of Snakes Amy Hinkle's Pictures of Graham Larry Foreman's Pictures of Dinky Larry Foreman's Pictures of Snakes Larry Foreman's Pictures of Graham |
|
| 3/10/12 | Lamon's Cave Difficulty: Easy Cave, Steep Hike Tony is not Kidding on STEEP Tony Amundson |
|
| 3/24/12 | Mystery Falls, Chattanooga TN Difficulty: 289' Mark Ostrander POST:9 Cavers attended. |
|
| 4/7/12 | Bryan Mtn Cave Difficulty: Easy, Through Trip, Wet on Bottom Mark Ostrander |
|
| 4/21/12 | Skylight Cave Difficulty: 105' Easy Pit, LONG Walk Mark Ostrander |
|
| 5/5/12 | Old Blowing Cave Moderate Jennifer Pinkley |
|
| 5/19/12 | Water Well Difficulty - Strenuous Wet Multi Drop Wet Suit and Limited Size Mark Ostrander |
|
| 6/9/12 | Bluff River Cave Difficulty - Easy, beginner Level Brian Stoltz |
|
| 6/23/12 | Stephens Gap - Pull Down Difficulty - Moderate Mark Ostrander |
|
| 7/7/12 | Snail Shell Weekend Difficulty: Moderate, Wet Overnight Camping Two Days of Caving Tommy Royston |
|
| 7/21/12 | Blunder Hole Difficulty: Strenuous Wet Multi-Drop, Tough Hike Wet Suit, Limited Size Mark Ostrander |
|
| 8/4/12 | Talucah Cave Difficulty: Moderate, Slippery Tony Amundson |
|
| 8/18/12 | Surprise Pit Difficulty: 400+ Strenuous & Steep Hike 8 Person Limit Mark Ostrander |
|
| 9/8/12 | Talley Ditch Cave, Stevenson AL Difficulty: Moderate & Wet Mark Ostrander |
|
| 9/22/12 | Wilkson Hollow Horror Hole Difficulty: Moderate & Maybe Wet Second Group Doing Horizontal Trip Mark Ostrander | |
| 10/6/12 | Byers Cave, Fox Mtn GA Difficulty: Challenging No Beginners, Long Day Mark Ostrander |
|
| 10/20/12 | Green's Well, 230' Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous Steep Hike Mark Ostrander | |
| 11/10/12 | Iron Hoop Difficulty: Easy & Wet 4wd to Cave Entrance Jennifer Pinkley |
|
| 11/17/12 | Mandy's Pit 160' Difficulty: Moderate, Long Hike Mark Ostrander |
|
| 12/8/12 | Tumbling Rock Difficulty: Beginner Trip Lights on Xmas Tree Brian Stoltz |
|
| 12/22/12 | None Planned |