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Caving is a potentially dangerous activity and should not be undertaken without the guidance of an experienced caver. This is NOT an instructional manual on how to cave, but is a guide to help you understand what you should look for as a novice caver or the leader of a youth group looking to have a safe and fun caving experiences.
The Boy Scouts of America and the National Speleological Society have good material on conducting a safe and fun caving adventure. Even if you are not part of these organizations, you should consider using their material as your guidelines. If you are a unit of the Boy Scouts of America you must read the Guide to Safe Scouting section on caving, as well as Caving; A policy statement and guidelines on caving (bin pub. # 19-102a) before you submit your Tour Permit. All of this information can be ordered through a local Council Trading Post or accessed from the NSS Youth Groups website.
Why do kids want to go caving? Because it's fun. It challenges them physically as well as mentally. Why do we want your youth to go caving? It gives them a "hands-on" opportunity to discover their natural environment from a bottoms-up perspective.There are several commercial caves in Pennsylvania that would give a youth group an opportunity to experience a real cave. Find this information on the Wild Cave Tours and Commercial Caverns page in the NSS Youth Groups web site.
Contact a local grotto that could help you with planning a caving activity for your youth group. Most of them can give a talk about cave conservation, caving technique and safety, as well as provide an experienced guide for a wild cave tour. Learn how to work with grottos before contacting one. Learn how to be a youth leader that cavers will want to work with in the future. These will give you some insight on how to contact a grotto for assistance on a caving activity.
Please remember that these grottos are made up of volunteers. While they may be willing to help out, they are not obligated to do so. It all depends on time available and your willingness to work with them, their caving ethics, and schedule. Generally speaking, the spring and fall are prime time for these folks to go caving with their fellow cavers and not a good time for planning other activities. It's best to contact a grotto months ahead of when you would like to go caving and talk to them. Be flexible with your dates.
Remember that most of the time cavers have to arrange to permission to enter a cave months in advance. Be aware that no ethical caver will ever give out information or locations on wild caves, so please don't ask.
Beginner's Information
Safety First!
Disclaimer: Caving is an inherently hazardous activity, with bruises and twisted ankles being common injuries. Broken bones, concussions, entrapment, disabling injuries, and deaths have been known to occur during caving trips. This information is not a substitute for instruction, experience, or personal responsibility.
Caving can be physically and emotionally demanding, and stressful. It is important that you are prepared, fit, properly equipped, sober, and healthy.
We strongly recommend that beginners cave with and be led by experienced, knowledgeable cavers. Cavers need to understand their personal skill level and the difficulty of the cave being visited -- it is your responsibility to not exceed your abilities and skill levels. Inform your trip leader and companions of any situations or conditions that may limit your abilities and capabilities.
Average cave temperatures are near 55 degrees with humidity of 100%. Dressing in layers of synthetic insulating clothing can help protect cavers from the constant hazard of hypothermia.Cave Conservation
Caves are very fragile, it is illegal to damage or remove formations or anything else from the inside of a cave. Formations will not grow back for thousands of years, if they grow back at all. Many animals that you may see in a cave are also protected by law and should not be disturbed.
Most caves do not clean themselves, trash, paint, human waste, food crumbs will all remain in a cave for a very long time and impact the cave environment. Always pack out everything you take into the cave.
Please look at the NSS Youth Groups web site for more information.
If you have any questions about youth group caving in the Pennsylvania are, please feel free to contact me directly.
Allen Maddox
Philadelphia Grotto Youth Group Liaison
National Speleological Society Youth Group Liaison Pennsylvania Regional Coordinator
The NSS does not intend this information to be an endorsement of safety or quality of the programs listed. This information is meant to be used only as a guide and resource to program availability. The safety or program quality is to be assessed by the youth group leader.