BLUE RIDGE
GROTTO
of the NSS
Meeting
Minutes
September
20, 2019
Jersey
Lily’s; Roanoke, VA
Susan Burr, Chair |
Dave Socky, Vice
Chair |
Marian McConnell,
Secretary |
Nick Socky |
Mary Sue Socky |
Lauren Appel |
Gene Harrison |
Lynn Ott |
Jen Suggs* |
Jeff Huffman |
Brandon Phibbs* |
Doug Feller |
Bill Walker |
Bob Gulden |
Dusty Gulden |
Nicole Gulden |
Odin Gulden* |
Nick Schmalenberger |
Jacob Whitlock* |
Zander LeNoir* |
Karen Kastning |
*Guest
1. TRIP REPORTS:
a. From Dave Socky:
8/3: Cave Hollow Arbogast, WV. Participants included Dave Socky, Bob Alderson, Chris
Coates, Bill Koerschner, Dave West, and Karen Willmes. We finished off the
Easter Stream Passage and started the side lead toward the Subway.
8/10: Uvala Sink Dig, WV. Participants included
David Socky, Carroll Bassett, David Smallwood, Nikki Fox, Steve Zeitler, Aaron
Claire, Rob Wardell, Ed Saugstad, and Chris Coates. This is the dig that might
connect into the end of Covert Creek way above the Retreat Camp in Maxwelton.
8/17: Maxwelton Cave, WV. Participants
included David Socky, Chris Coates, Nikki Fox, and David Smallwood, Carl
Amundson, and Joe Calderone. We put 1151 feet in the book in Echo River.
8/26: Serpent Cave, VA. Participants included
David Socky, Dave Collings, Mark Minton, Yvonne Droms, and Kevin Moyers
(owner). This was primarily a science trip, to help a professor doing climate
studies in various areas of the east.
8/28: McClungs Cave, WV. Participants
included David Socky, Nick Socky, and Stephanie Petri. We went into McClungs Lightner
entrance to check the downstream sump to see conditions for the planned dive on
Saturday (Aug 31, 2019). I made it through the tight spot, and then it was
demolished.
8/31: McClungs Cave, WV. Participant includes
David Socky, Nick Socky, Brian Williams, Zeb Lilly, Chris Coates, Errol
Glidden, David Smallwood, Nikki Fox, Rob Wardell, Carl Amundson, and Steph
Petri. The dive trip was successful! McClungs and Maxwelton Sink Cave are now one, known now as The Great Savannah Cave System. It is now 40.6 miles and is the 3rd
longest cave in WV.
9/7: Maxwelton Cave, WV. Participants
included David Socky, Nick Socky, Nikki Fox, Carl Amundson, Chris Coates, Keely
Owens, and Corey Hackley. This was another camp trip to Sweetwater. Surveyed a
total of 2644 feet. But found a sump in upstream Echo
River
9/11: Windy Mouth Cave, WV. David Socky, Nick
Socky, Joe Zokaites, Bill Koerschner, Jason Sargent. Two teams. Up First
Canyon. Total 620 feet of survey
9/14: Dry Cave, WV. David Socky, Joe
Calderone, Rebecca steward. Surveyed 36 stations in the stream and finished at
the Blowhole. This was to get good data for Greg Springer for the spin of the
cave. The old data had problems. In preparation for doing our breakout survey
past the Bitter End in late September.
b. 9/3: Top of the Rock, MO – Marian and Dano
McConnell visited Top of the Rock near Branson, MO; which includes a commercial
cave complete with “Bat Bar” where you can get an adult beverage to sip while
you ride through the cave and on the waterfall tour on a rented golf cart.
c. 8/29-9/2: OTR: Lynn Ott and Mary Sue Socky reported that it was the best
weather in the history of the OTR Convention over Labor Day weekend. There were
1,454 attendees, it was the 70th Anniversary of OTR, and had a 70’s
theme.
d. 9/7: Mary Sue Socky and Nick Schmalenberger
went up to Grand Caverns, VA for the
day. Nick visited Fountain Cave and
Grand Caverns with Charles Kahn. Mary Sue visited Grand Caverns, helped Carol Tiderman relocated gravel along the footpath, picked up
trash and coins. Carol re-positioned
some of the display lights, and she and Charles Kahn carried out a bunch of old
abandoned lighting cable they found off-trail.
e. 9/14: Mary Sue Socky took a short solo trip into Buckeye Creek Cave, WV. She was checking out cave conditions for a
future cave trip. About 500 in the cave,
just beyond the first logjam, she found and rescued a nearly drowned, very cold
and almost dead red bat. She brought it
to the WVACS field station, where it warmed up, recovered, and flew away. A successful rescue!
f. Grotto cave trip for August was Culverson Creek thru trip from the SSS entrance to the Fuller entrance on 8/17/19. Doug
Feller, Jeff Huffman, Bill Walker, Jacob Whitlock (newbie) & Susan Burr
went. New to all of us. Between Doug, Jeff & Bill reading the maps we made
it! Apparently there is a recently installed cable ladder in one place. We were
excited to see the entrance with an old truck in it.
g. 8/27: Conservation trip to Goodwin's Cave. Jeff Huffman & Susan Burr went to clear a path
to the cave, check out the parking situation & refresh my memory on
Goodwin's Cave for my upcoming trip. Of course it was raining that day, but not
bad. Jeff used his weed whacker & I followed CAREFULLY (LOL!) behind him
with my machete. We chopped down a lot of very tall weeds & in the process
we found 3 turtles that day. Once we cleared the path, we went back to the cars
& got prepared to go into the cave. Jeff & I went in & checked everything
out, including the very long, very low crawl from hell. We poked around a bit
in the back, & then headed out.
h. 9/15: Goodwin's
Cave trip on Sunday with Susan Burr, Doug Feller, Jeff Huffman, Hillary
Huffman, Jacob Whitlock, Jen Suggs, Ryan Cecil (new newbie), Zander Lenoir (new
newbie), Lee Slover (cave owner), Dustin Womack (my son-in-law), Braven Womack
(my 6 yr. old grandson) & myself went. We had a few issues at the meet, but
worked through them & made it to the cave. The path Jeff & I had cleared
was still good. Everyone went into the cave back to the big formation room. We
all just explored where ever at our own pace. I think everyone got back to see
the pool as well. Of course I was mostly occupied with Dustin & my
grandson, Braven. This trip was specifically set up to take them in. This was
Braven's 3rd wild cave trip. Once we finished checking out the formation room,
Braven, Dustin, Doug, Jeff, Jacob, Zander & myself took off into the crawl
from hell! Once through that I let Braven lead in the back area. He was
awesome! He even told me he was a professional. I told him he wasn't until he
had been on at least 100 cave trips. We kept going in the very back until it
just got really difficult & was going to be back to more belly crawling. That's
when we decided to turn around & explore the rest of the back part of the
cave on the way back to the crawl from hell. We all got back through crawl,
looked around a little more in the formation room & then headed out. Jen,
Hillary, Ryan & Lee had already gone out & were waiting for us at the
cars. This property has a lot of pawpaw trees.
Jeff had showed me what a pawpaw was for the first time when we went to
cut/clear a path to the cave. With the owner’s permission I found some pawpaw’s
& we cut one open & all tried a piece or 2 of it after the cave trip.
i. 9/14: Windy
Mouth Survey – Nick Socky. Same trip reports as Dave Socky, but also did
500’ survey in Windy Mouth, and on 8/10-13 did a 4-day trip into Jewel Cave; 9,000’ surveyed.
j. This month’s Grotto trip will be
to Poor Farm Cave in Pocahontas Co.,
WV on Saturday 9/21. Doug Feller will
lead. There is one tight spot; but it is basically a horizontal cave.
2.
BUSINESS MEETING
a. Treasurer’s Report (by Trish
Geiger, Treasurer)
Cave
Bucks 31.64
Conservation
110.64
Equipment
169.65
General 3,345.85
TOTAL $3,567.78
b. Committees:
·
Newsletter
– Carbide Dump – thanks for all the articles, photos, etc. There may not be an issue in October; will
depend upon Dave’s travels.
·
Membership
– It’s not too early to pay your 2020 dues.
·
ROCKS
– Next week there will be a dig in Lowmoor to Locomotive Breath.
·
Safety
& Techniques – No report from Dano at this time.
c. Membership Proposals: None.
d. Old Business: None.
e. New Business:
§
2019
Fall VAR updates – pre-registration, etc.
§
All
current BRG officers are coming up on 1 year in office. Does everyone want to
do a 2nd year? Does anyone
wish to step down? Nominations will be open October 18 and close November 15.
§
Requirements
for Cave Trips: Do not post directions to caves on public sites! Be sure to wear hiking boots. Be on time.
Bring a complete change of clothes. Use a backpack with shoulder straps. Leave
a call-back. Everything is on the list that is given out to newbies before a
trip – take the list seriously! Pay the driver $5 minimum towards gas;
depending on distance, $10 may be appropriate.
§
Some
BRG lights need replacing – Mary Sue motioned, Susan seconded, buying 4 new
lights. Vote passed unanimously. LED lights with 200 lumens and uses AAA
batteries.
§
Report
on Buckeye Creek Cave – see trip report above.
§
Update
on owner’s lock for Porter’s Cave – pending, but we plan to cut off lock that
has no key and get keys made for owner, etc.
§
Announcing
Great Savannah Cave System, WV – see trip reports above.
§
Do
we wish to book Jersey Lily’s for our BRG meetings in 2020? Yes; Mary Sue will check with the owner. [Mary Sue completed this; all set for 2020.]
§
Grotto
2019 Christmas Party – Will have on Sunday, December 22 instead of the BRG
meeting on Friday December 20th. Time and other info to be
determined. Pot luck, BYOB, etc.
§
Grotto
Christmas Cards – Submit your ideas and designs at the October BRG meeting.
Marian will order through Shutterfly. In the past we have also used photos from
cave trips.
§
NSS
Updates – Mary Sue is notifying BRG trips who were inadvertently dropped from
the NSS membership list – you must contact the NSS Office in Huntsville, AL to
renew.
§
NSS
Awards – Now is the time to nominate cavers for Fellow, Arts & Letters,
Outstanding Service, etc. Deadline is November 15th.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
·
Please
submit your cave reports preferably via email to marian.mcconnell@gmail.com so she can copy and paste into
the minutes.
·
Next
BRG meetings is October 18th.
·
RIP: We’ve lost some great cavers recently,
including Red Watson (of CRF and Cave Books), Lee White, and Judy Smith. May they rest in peace.
PROGRAM:
Guest speaker Nick Socky gave a multi-media presentation on his recent
expedition and survey trip to the Tears of the Turtle Cave, MT, which is the
deepest limestone cave in the USA. Excellent presentation!
Cold beer: about 8:30p.
CAVING
CALENDAR:
9/26-29: Fall VAR – Friar’s Hole Cave Preserve,
Lobelia, WV. $45 per person.
10/5: Lynn Ott
shared information about “Tales from Dark Places” at the Explorer’s Club in New
York with Chris Nicola; $75 per person.
10/7-11: National Cave & Karst Management
Symposium, Bristol, VA.
10/10-13: TAG Fall Cave-In – Lookout Mountain, GA. You
must be a current NSS member to attend, or be the guest of an NSS Member.
10/18: BRG Meeting at Jersey Lily’s
11/3: VSS Meeting
at Natural Bridge State Park, VA at 11:30a
Minutes by Marian
McConnell