GO Club Caving
Caving (sometimes referred to as spelunking) combines a variety of activities — hiking, rock scrambling, free climbing, exploration, geology, conservation, advanced rope climbing, and even wading and swimming — into a single unique underground adventure! Caves have formed in every region of the world, and the mid-atlantic region is home to more than 2000 explored caves. The caves in this region can be 500+ million years old, and are formed by the continuous growth of structures in ancient limestone that is generally older than the Appalachians themselves! Caving participants may see beautiful cave formations, fossils, bats, and more. And with caves maintaining a constant average of 55 degrees F year-round, caving becomes the perfect winter adventure!
Trip Options:
Introduction to Caving
1) WV Introduction to Caving:
This cave is located in the West Virginia panhandle on the WV-MD border, about 1.5 hrs from DC. There are two entrances to the cave, lots of small side passages, nice formations, and has a 40+ foot drop about 2/3 of the way in that requires ropes to get down (this second part of the cave is the intermediate trip, since it has the rappel, some crawling sections, then climbing back up the rappel). There is one small beginner level cave right next to it that we can also visit if time permits.
Price is $125 per person.
2) PA Introduction to Caving:
This Pennsylvania caving adventure starts out with a tunnel that goes under Interstate 81, and opens up into a wet and muddy cave with some great passages for adventurous exploration. For those who have completed the Introduction to Caving in WV, and want another short day trip, Pennsylvania caving provides a good challenge for beginners, without too much climbing. About 2 hours from DC.
Price is $125 per person.
Advanced Caving
Have you been bitten by the caving bug? Ready to push yourself a little deeper into adventure caving? If you are willing to drive a little farther from the DC area, you can find a longer or deeper caving experience – or both! We can train you for rappelling and ascending in an underground environment – which is quite different from above ground – and provide the necessary equipment for such an experience.
Contact us for more information!