Tonight’s grotto meeting:

Thursday, Jan. 26
7:30 p.m.
David’s house (If you need directions, email the google group.)

Bring your dues if you haven’t already paid!
$15.00
Cheap!

In case you missed the first one, the NCC is holding a second workday at the Merlins Preserve this coming weekend, on Saturday, September 24th at 10:00am. We’ll be meeting at the parking lot off of Tunnel Hill Rd. in Canaan.

Please bring tools for clearing trails (saws, clippers, rakes, loppers, hatches, shovels, and pry bars), for kiosk/changing area construction (hammers, measuring tapes, etc.) and for putting up trail markers (hammers and nails).

For those coming from the east, south, or west, take Exit B-3 off of I90 onto NY22 North. After 1.6 miles, turn west on Tunnel Hill Rd and travel 0.9 miles to the newly-cleared pulloff on the north side of the road. From the North, take NY22 South. Tunnel Hill Rd is on the right, 1.5 miles after you cross 295.

Parking at the preserve is very limited, so please carpool if you can.

Please note that the preserve can’t be opened for caving until all the surface work is done, so anyone interested in visiting the cave is encouraged to come to the workdays and help out. If you can’t make this one, keep an eye out for announcements in the next few weeks.

Please send me an email if you have any questions. Hope to see you there!

Morgan Ingalls, Interim Preserve Manager

morgan.ingalls@gmail.com

Be sure to check the new calendar here for upcoming events. Last night’s meeting included plans for caving trips and vertical training. You’ll find those on the calendar, as well as on the feed in the left side bar of this page.

If you have additional items to add, please send them to Pat or Judy.

OnRope 1 just posted a few events of interest onto their Facebook page. Here they are:

Speleofest
Friday, May 27, 2011 – Sunday, May 29, 2011 (Memorial Day Weekend)
Lonestar Preserve
Bonnieville, KY

Cave trips, camping, new plans and activities, reconnect with old friends and meet some new ones – Speleofest 2011 offers it all! Located in the heart of cave country, the 40th Annual Speleofest will be held at the ever improving and the shady Lone Star Preserve! The preserve is located in Bonnieville, Kentucky-just north of Cave City on I-65.

Lone Star Preserve is a 67-acre caving preserve, which has been purchased and developed by the Louisville Grotto for the purpose of having Speleofest at a permanent central location in cave country. We have expanded our primitive camping areas throughout the shaded preserve. There’s plenty of room for groups to have their own campsites in the coolness of green trees. Roads and other access make it possible to park at or near your camp.

More info here: http://louisville.caves.org/speleofest.html

Karst-O-Rama
Thursday, June 16, 2011 – Sunday, June 19,2011
Great Saltpetre Cave Preserve
Mount Vernon, KY

The Greater Cincinnati Grotto invites you to attend the 2011 Karst-O-Rama on June 16th through 19th at the Great Saltpetre Cave Preserve in Mount Vernon, Kentucky. This will be an opportunity to meet new friends and join up with old ones. About one third of KOR participants arrive by Thursday night so come early and join the fun.

More info here: http://karstorama.com/

NSS Convention
Monday, July 18, 2011 – Friday, July 22, 2011
Glenwood Springs, CO

The NSS 2011 Convention in beautiful Glenwood Springs, Colorado will bring together cavers worldwide for a week of presentations, discussions, programs, socializing, and recreation.

More info here: http://nss2011.com/

Old Timers Reunion
Thursday, September 1, 2011 – Monday, September 5, 2011 (Labor Day Weekend)
West Virginia

In 2011 we will be celebrating our 62nd annual Old Timers Reunion, but why wait until then? OTR may be but once a year, but it’s never too early to start the planning. One of the big questions I’m asked each year is “will there be a theme, and if so, what will it be and how can we tie it into caving”. Next year there will be a theme as announced at the awards presentation this year. Hopefully this theme will inspire participation from everyone. My goal is to have events that will include people from all corners of the campground. Look forward to one of the biggest Doo-Dah parades, and the Saturday party should we wild enough to wake the dead. The OTR 2011 theme will be, “OTR Hauntings – Halloween Comes Early”, and along this line we have a lot of ideas brewing.

More info here: www.otr.org

The August meeting will take place at Rob & Anne DeBeque’s on Friday, August 20th at 7:30 p.m.

The NSS 2010 Convention will have a “Gear Station” to provide, at no cost, caving clothes and gear for use during the Convention by cavers arriving from areas that are not affected by WNS.

Cavers coming from areas affected by WNS should bring their own gear.

We expect to have a good selection of typical caving gear. However we cannot guarantee the selection, nor will we handle batteries, carbide lights, or vertical gear. We will maintain a list of caver contacts at the Convention that may have vertical gear to lend. Batteries can be purchased from Convention vendors.

Gear in any quantity and quality is needed for our visiting cavers.

If you have gear that you can donate or loan, please bring it to the Convention for use by cavers visiting from non-WNS areas. If you have gear but are not going to the Convention, please arrange to transport it, for assistance email info@ctcavers.org and include “Caving Gear” in the subject line.

Typical caving gear:

• headlamps (electric)
• helmets
• boots 
• cave pack, day packs
• overalls, coveralls, cave suits
• gloves
• pants
• shirts
• jackets, sweaters
• socks
• undergarments (poly-pro, wool)
• wetsuits, neoprene socks
• any other gear that would be useful

 About Donating and Loaning Gear 
  

Q. What gear does the gear station need?

A. Please see the list above, plus any other gear that would be useful to visiting cavers. If you have vertical gear that you can loan, we encourage you to put your contact info on the list posted at the Gear Station.

Q. Donate or loan – what is the difference?

A. You can donate gear, loan gear, or split your gear so some is donated and some is loaned:

• Donated Gear: This is gear you are giving to the NSS/NRO gear stash. There is no paperwork to fill out.
• Loaned Gear: This is gear you plan to pick up at or before the end of the Convention. This gear will be tagged to identify it as belonging to you. If you decide that you do not need it back, just leave at the Convention.

Q. Does loaned gear need to be left for the week?

A. No, you can loan gear for any number of days.

Q. What information is needed to provide when leaving gear to loan?

A. Your Convention badge, and you will be asked to complete a form listing what you are loaning and when you expect to pick it up. This form will have a simple release, stating that we cannot guarantee the return of any gear and you will not use it outside of confirmed WNS areas. As a reminder, there is no paperwork for gear you donate. Printing and completing the form in advance (other than the item tag number) can speed the drop-off process. See Caving Gear Lending Form.pdf.

Q. What responsibility does the Convention staff have to you if you loan gear to the Gear Station?

A.  Your gear will likely be returned wet and perhaps more soiled than when left. Should gear not be returned to us when expected, we will do our best to locate the gear during the Convention. We do not guarantee that your gear will be returned to you, and will not replace it or reimburse or cover any inconvenience. If it appears that your gear will not be returned, you can pick equivalent gear from the donated gear.

Q. How is the gear identified so we know it is your gear?

A. Gear loaned will be tagged with a “wrist band” of the type used at concerts and fairs. You should also write your name on your gear.

Dropping off and picking up gear

Q. When can gear be dropped off?

A. For loaned gear, whenever the Gear Station is open to do the paperwork. For donated gear, either at the Gear Station or at alternate locations at the Convention. Ideally, drop off gear early in the Convention week.

Q. Can someone other than the gear owner leave gear to loan?

A. Yes, and that person will fill out the paperwork as if it is their gear. The actual owner can be listed on the form as an alternate contact.

Q. When can loaned gear be picked up?

A. Any time the Caving Gear Station is open and the gear is not out. The preferred time is Friday from late morning through mid afternoon. If you expect to pick up gear before Friday morning, please let us know in advance so the gear is not out.

Q. Can someone other than the gear owner pick up gear?

A. If that person is listed on the form as an alternate contact.

Q. What if the owner does not pick up their gear?

A. You can arrange to pick it up or have it shipped (at your expense). On Sept 1, 2010, gear not claimed will be considered donated to the NSS/NRO gear stash.

Q. What if gear is not returned in time to be picked up? 

A. We will do our best to track down your gear. We will tell you, if you ask, who borrowed your gear. In general we will provide, to anyone who asks, any info from our records to resolve issues. To protect personal information, we will not allow general browsing of the records.

See Caving Gear Lending Form.pdf.

For more information on the NSS Convention and WNS, please see: http://www.nss2010.com/white_nose.php

More info on caving gear at the Convention is: http://groups.google.com/group/nro-nss/web/caving-gear-for-visiting-cavers-2

Questions, comments? info@ctcavers.org and include “Caving Gear” in the subject line.

Our July meeting takes place on Friday, July 16 at 7:00 pm at Greg Atwood’s Copper Creek Farm in Shortsville.

On Wednesday, June 16, six grotto members took a trip to Eagle Cave in the Adirondacks.  We left Copper Creek Farm at 8:00 am  in two cars: Greg Atwood and his daughter,  Amberly, drove together and Dave Parker drove John Harrison, Kim Maley, and Pat Rapp.

The ride up to Chimney Mountain took about 4 hours. We stopped at the halfway point and bought sandwiches at a gas station/deli from a gentleman who really wanted us to buy “salamis.” Our plan was to eat at the trailhead, but at the last leg of the journey the bridge was out, so we ate our sandwiches on the road (literally) and then detoured around to the other side of the bridge.

Minutes before arriving at the trailhead, the rain began (perfect timing!), which made for a damp walk up the mountain. It was a steep hike, just as Greg said it would be. Still, John tried to run up the mountain–presumably to make the rest of us look bad.  Along the way, Greg found an orangey-red salamander which Amber immediately befriended. After petting him for a while she put him off to the side of the trail and we made our way up to the Chimney.

The chimney was a very cool bunch of huge boulders. Unfortunately, it was not where we were supposed to be. We had missed the turnoff to get to Eagle Cave and we had to do some backtracking and bouldering to get back to the other side of a valley. Along the way, “some” people (ahem) told Amber stories about bobcats, bears, and giant sea monsters. She was pretty brave, but decided to stay close to the adults anyway.

We got to the slanted horizontal cave entrance earlier than expected (but I don’t know what time it was.) After a very short distance, we reached the drop. There was a wooden rope ladder already in place. Greg belayed all of us over the edge, with John going first in order to put Joe’s cable ladder in place for us. The cable ladder was weird and I think most of us used the rope ladder instead. Once he got all of us and our gear down the 15 foot drop, Greg belayed himself over.

The bat room was large and Greg told us the wall had been covered in bats in February. John found a spider. We didn’t see any bats in the bat room, but we did run into a group of people who were on their way back to the ladder. They had a couple of very dim flashlights and no helmets. 

The cave was very dry and sandy. It was a nice change from the wet, muddy caves I’d been in previously, and the sand was easy on my elbows — I have very few bruises. We did some crawling around for quite a while. We found one moldy bat hanging from the ceiling. Dave took a picture of it – see photo below. The cave had some very large rooms and the boulders were quite large and chunky. There were lots of little crevices but where we were, most of them didn’t really go very far.

Around 5:00 or 5:30 we started heading out. We wanted to get up the ladder, out of the cave, and down the mountain before dark. Getting back up went very smoothly.  We ran into more people with flashlights and no helmets while we were on our way out. We saw some graffiti, which was disappointing.

When we came out of the cave it was raining. We packed up and headed down the mountain, and lost the trail again. We did some scary maneuvering in some very exposed places, but nobody slipped on the wet leaves and fell to their death, so it’s all good. We picked up the trail again and the rest of the walk down was very pleasant.

We got back to the cars about 8:00 p.m. Kim had brought chicken salad and egg salad, and since the rain had changed to a light mist by the time we got to the cars (perfect timing again!) we ate sandwiches before heading home.

On the way home, Greg and Amber saw a bobcat cross the road. They were ahead of us, so we missed it, but we were lucky enough to see the “funky ufo flying saucer shaped vulture feeder thing” on someone’s lawn. This was Kim’s first trip and she said she had a great time, would definitely go again, and thanks for the memories.

No knees were blown out in the making of these memories.

We will meet at Joe and Judy’s on Friday, April 16 at 7 pm. Tonight’s meeting will feature a guest speaker.