Hoofer Outing Club Events

Location: Ledge View, Chilton, WI
Contact: Houssam Nassif, nassif@wisc.edu, 608-443-9168

This trip has a catch, please check it at the end of the message.

NOTE: Sarah Lessem volunteered to coordinate a trip-departure at 10 am. Thanks Sarah!

Have you ever wondered what is caving like? Is caving suited for me? Come and discover all about caving!
This is a beginner friendly trip where you will get to experience several caving activities. No prior caving knowledge is required.

Yep! This is a caving sampler! A four-in-one deal! We will go to the Ledge View cave system, where you will be able to see and/or participate in several underground activities:
- cave exploration
- cave excavation
- cave survey
- vertical caving

The Wisconsin Speleological Society (WSS) is excavating the Ledge View cave system and surveying it. We will first explore the caves. Then, you will have the possibility to participate in excavation and surveying activities. You will also see vertical cavers in action.

It is a great trip to try and get to know about caving and its many facets. More advanced trips will focus on one of the above activities. Ledge View is a dry cave, easily accessed, and with little crawling. Most of the rooms and passages are walkable. But if you get challenged, there is plenty of side passages to crawl into!

We will meet at PSC at 8:00 am.
Expect to be back by 6 pm.

What you should bring:
* Urge for underground adventure
* Batteries for headlamps (8 AA)
* One extra light (flashlight works)
* $ for gas
* Gloves
* Knee pads
* Clothes and shoes that you don't mind getting dirty (avoid cotton if possible)
* A trash bag for your dirty clothes
* Fresh clothes and shoes to change into after caving
* A snack or box-lunch

The club will provide helmets and headlamps.
The club sells rubber gloves for 4$ and knee pads for 6/9$.
Any kind of knee pad will do, be it soft or hard, for boxing or rollerskating or whatever other use. It doesn't have to be a caving specific one. Although if you plan on caving a lot, caving knee pads are a good investment.

We may stop in Chilton for some pizza on the way back.

Any questions/concern? please ask!

THE CATCH:
Nate and I want to attend the WSS monthly meeting at Ledge View, Saturday morning 10-noon. It will be a special meeting to come up with a WSS policy statement towards the White-Nose Syndrome Crisis. The meeting is open for non-WSS members. We leave Madison at 8 am to be in Ledge View at 10 am. Caving will take place between noon and 4 pm.

If you don't want to attend the meeting and/or think 8 am is too early, please step up and organize a trip that leaves Madison at 10 am. We can have a group leave at 8 and another at 10. Organizing this trip is trivial: keep a list of cars and participants, and make sure every participant grabs a helmet and a headlamp. I will give you access to the caving cabinet.

PS: If you are interested in caving, Join caving-hoofers@googlegroups.com by applying at
http://groups.google.com/group/caving-hoofers
you will get notices of several non-hoofer caving events, and caving-related discussions.