BLUE RIDGE GROTTO of the NSS
Meeting Minutes
Jersey Lily’s Roadhouse Meeting Room
November 16, 2018
Attendance:
Susan Burr – Vice Chair Dave
Socky – Treasurer Mary
Sue Socky – Secretary
Bob Gulden - Chair Jeff
Huffman Marian
McConnell
Dusty Gulden Lynn Ott Karen
Kastning
Nicole Gulden Trish
Geiger Doug
Feller
*Odin Gulden Carl Cornett Bill
Walker
*Jason Delafield *Jennifer
Suggs *Nick
Schmalenberger (*guest)
Meeting began at 6:49p. Chair Bob Gulden officiating.
TRIP
REPORTS:
10/6:
BRG grotto trip to Friars Hole
Cave Preserve, WV. Doug Feller, Jeff
Huffman, Nick Schmalenberger, Susan Burr did a thru-trip in the North Entrance, down the 15‘ “dry waterfall” (with a handline, that was a few feet short
of the floor!) and throughout the cave to exit via Snedegar’s Saltpeter Entrance.
It was a fun trip, but they have to go back because they bypassed the
saltpeter works.
10/27:
Horse Thief Cave, MT. Team 1:
Landon Woodward, Marlis Woodward, Natalie Hirneisen, Jennifer Aston, and Tim
(local caver). Team 2: Tony Canike, David Socky, Kathy Schultz, Bill Schultz,
and Brian Mayfield. This is an 8 mile
cave system on the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming. This was
primarily a photo trip. Team 1 went in first, leaving the gate open for us
since we weren’t far behind. The gate was small, in a crawlway. We locked it
behind us. The trip was great. The Entrance crawl was about 600 feet long and
so dusty we used face masks. But after the crawl, the cave was large. We took
many photos. Late in the day, we met up with the first team. We told them we
would continue caving for a while, and that they should come looking for us if
we weren’t out by 2am. They left and we continued caving. On our way out, we
went to unlock the gate, but the key wouldn’t work. After fiddling for a while, we realized that
we had the Bighorn Cave key! Shit! We were trapped in the cave. There was room
close by where we could pace and stay warm, plus we had food and water. After
nearly five hours, at 2:40am, Landon and crew showed up to set us free. Long
cave trip!
10/28: Natural Trap Cave, WY. Participants included Tony Canike, Landon
Woodward, Marlis Woodward, Kathy Schultz, Bill Schultz, Brian Mayfield, Natalie
Hirneisen, Jennifer Aston, and David Socky. We just visited the entrance to
this 70 foot vertical cave, which is heavily gated. It is a paleological
significant cave, where scientist and cavers have work expeditions during each
summer to collect bones of many ancient creatures that have fallen into this
“Natural Trap”.
10/28: Double Barrel Cave, MT. Participants included Tony Canike, Landon
Woodward, Marlis Woodward, Kathy Schultz, Bill Schultz, Brian Mayfield, Natalie
Hirneisen, Jennifer Aston, and David Socky. Again, we only visited the entrance
to this double pit since it was late in the afternoon and we didn’t have our
gear. This pit is located on the edge of the Bighorn Canyon. About 40 feet
down, you could see light, and it became obvious that the bottom of the pit
exited on the side of the Bighorn canyon and dropped a thousand feet down the
canyon to the Bighorn River. What a through trip that would be!
10/29: Bighorn Cave, WY. Participants included Tony Canike, Landon
Woodward, Marlis Woodward, Kathy Schultz, Bill Schultz, Brian Mayfield,
Jennifer Aston, and David Socky. Another 7 to 8 mile system, but this entrance
is vertical, about 60 feet down to a large room with multiple passages going
all over. Once down the entrance drop, the cave is horizontal – and large.
Unlike Horsethief, most of Bighorn is large walking passage with even larger
rooms throughout. There are many formations with lots and lots of gypsum. It was a very beautiful and dry cave. We
spent about 10 hours in the cave, taking many photos.
11/3:
Mary Sue Socky drove up for the day to volunteer at Grand Caverns, VA. Mary Sue,
Carol Tiderman, Tommy Carpenter, Red Schock, and Charles Kahn spent the day in
the “Persian Palace” room, going off trail to pick up broken glass and trying
to I.D. areas of the cave that was photographed 100 years ago. They think they found one of the areas – it
has been modified during trail development in the past century.
11/10:
Jason Delafield and a group of VPI cavers visited Pig Hole, VA. They dropped
the Entrance Pit, the Empire Drop and exited via the back entrance. Other groups were also there, including a
group from Radford and VPI Venture Out.
11/11:
Karen Kastning and seven other people, including NRVG cavers and Pulaski
HS teachers and a student took part in the NRVG cleanup along Hickman Cemetery Road,
Radford, VA as part of the “Adopt A Highway” program. It was a cold & brisk day, but they
picked up EIGHTEEN full bags of garbage.
Afterwards, they had a quick trip into nearby James Cave, VA.
11/14: Lowmoor Cave, VA. Participants included David Socky, Ed Saugstad,
and Bill Koerschner. Surveyed in the mine near the middle truck entrance and
headed north east. The mine passage this way was more complex then I'd thought,
so we didn't get down the passage as far as I thought we would. We did find
another small entrance. Also, it was very cold in this section of mine. We saw
three Big Brown bats and one Tri-colored. They were all solitary and looked
healthy. We surveyed a total of 1560 feet in about 7.5 hours.
UPCOMING TRIPS:
·
Nov 17 cave trip to Scott Hollow Cave (tomorrow). Leave 8:30a
from HROM. Doug Feller is leader. This is not a beginner trip.
·
Dec. 1, 2018:
Caroling in the Caverns, Grand Caverns, VA – need volunteers to set up, light and take down
decorations, monitor tourists in cave. Contact Carol Tiderman to volunteer.
·
NO December trip is being planned at this time. Maybe
something nearby? On Marian’s neighbor’s
property?
BUSINESS MEETING
November
16, 2018 BRG Treasury Report
Fund Amounts
$ 31.64 Cave Bucks
$ 110.64 Conservation
Fund
$ 185.41 Equipment
Fund
$ 3115.21 General Fund
$ 3442.90 Total Funds David Socky, Treasurer
Committees:
Newsletter –
Got another CARBIDE DUMP out. Editor
Dave – I have been choosing the covers.
If anyone has photos or artwork they would like featured on the DUMP,
please send them in.
Membership –Pay
your dues! Some people (15) have paid
for multiple years.
ROCKS – New
caves on Marian’s neighbor’s property! Nothing from Spencer on quarry access.
Safety & Techniques --- Nothing.
Membership Proposals: None
ELECTIONS. Slate of officers is closed; people
are railroaded into the new term of office.
New officers elected by
acclimation.
Grotto
Chair - Susan Burr, NSS 53888
Vice
Chair - David
Socky, NSS 16334
Secretary
– Marian
McConnell, NSS 37358
Treasurer
- Trish
Geiger, NSS 28182
THANK YOU, outgoing
officers, for your two years of service in your old jobs.
Outgoing
officers will run remainder of meeting.
New officers will assume duties at 1/18/2019 meeting.
Old Business
·
Grotto
Christmas Card designs.
Everyone loved what Marian McConnell created for the BRG card, using
Dave Socky’s photo of a gypsum flower.
This year it will be a 2-sided card (with envelopes). Marian will place order for 85 BRG
Christmas cards; we got the discount + free shipping. Total is $122.98. (Please
pay Marian @ Dec. 16 party.)
·
Karst Day – BRG finally received a check
for the Karst Day grant. $300.00 has
been deposited. Marian McConnell
thanked Dave and Mary Sue Socky for their persistence on obtaining the grant
money.
·
Auction –
CaveSim T-shirt (L) and NSS Books. Discussion on
whether to auction now, or at BRG Christmas Party.
o
Majority wanted to wait until Dec. 16 party. Silent Auction
on items will be put on BRG website so those who can’t attend party can still
bid on items.
·
Jersey Lily meeting room has been reserved next year, 3rd
Friday of each month, 6:30p. MSSocky
will check with desk and make sure they know the room is free in Dec; we would
like it reserved “our usual” for 2019.
·
Grotto Christmas Party SUNDAY DEC 16, 2018. Socky house.
Noon-6p. Pot Luck, BYOB, family
& friends are welcome. Grotto
approved of Dave and Mary Sue inviting “old, former grotto members” to the
party, too.
New Business
·
RIP John Holsinger, who died 11/10/2018. Caving
legend has passed. Goodbye Captain
Karst.
·
National Cave & Karst Management
Symposium (NCKMS) looking for volunteers sponsors for their Oct. 7-11, 2019
meeting in Bristol, VA. (See packet).
·
Notes from NSS Office (MSSocky). Head’s Up – NSS is
going to insist all grottos develop and implement a “sexual harassment” policy,
or incorporate the NSS policy (under development) into their by-laws. BRG sees no problem with that, and looks
forward to the NSS’ statement.
·
Bob Gulden's NEW and IMPROVED Long and
Deep Cave Lists are
now online.
·
Lynn
Ott, Bob and Dusty Gulden related how Siler’s
Cave, WV had been closed and sealed for at least 10 years. Announcement: Siler’s
Cave has new owners (who are also cavers/Baltimore Grotto members). A management plan is being developed for
Siler’s Cave, the entrance will have to be stabilized, and MAKC will manage
cave access.
Announcements (also see announcement packet & Caver Calendar on
back)
·
Please submit
written cave trip reports to the secretary.
Thanks
·
Caver and cave owner Spencer Frantz gave Marian
McConnell a “goody box” of newspaper clippings, OLD NSS News, cave related
stuff from 1947 – present. Marian will
have these treasures displayed at the BRG Christmas Party.
·
Nov 23-25: Rock
and Mineral Show, Salem Civic Center, Salem, VA $5 adults for weekend; kids r free.
·
Dec. 1: Caroling in the Caverns, Grand Caverns. Contact
Carol Tiderman to volunteer.
·
Dec. 1: Chris
Nicola, No Place On Earth is hosting the Explorer’s Club “Tales From Dark Places”
in New York City. Several caver guest
speakers. $75.00 per person. See (www.explorers.org)
·
Dec. 8: WVACS
Christmas Party! (flyer)
·
Dec 16: Blue Ridge Grotto
Christmas Party
·
Dec 21: NO BRG
MEETING Dec 21:
·
Jan 8, 2018:
Happy Birthday Al Stewart!
·
Jan 18, 2019: 6:30p,
Jersey Lily’s Roadhouse Salem, VA
·
Feb 15, 2019: 6:30p,
Jersey Lily’s Roadhouse Salem, VA
·
Mar 15, 2019: 6:30p,
Jersey Lily’s Roadhouse Salem, VA
·
Apr 6-7, 2019
:(tentative date)
Spring Restoration Weekend, Grand Caverns.
Contact Meredith Weberg.
·
Apr 21-27, 2019: Virginia Cave Week
·
Apr 2019 – Spring VAR one weekend, TBA.
·
May 11-18, 2019 – NCRC Weeklong Cordon, IN
·
June 17-21, 2019: NSS Convention in Cookeville, TN.
·
Oct 7-11,
2019: NCKMS meeting in Bristol, VA
·
Nov 3, 2019:
11:30a, VSS Meeting, Natural Bridge State Park, VA
Meeting
ended at 7:40p, followed by
Program –PPS Dave Socky’s Oct. 2018 adventures “Caving in Wyoming: Bighorn Cave
and Horse Thief Cave”.
Minutes by Outgoing BRG
Secretary,
Mary Sue Socky
FREEDOM!!