BLUE RIDGE
GROTTO of the NSS
Monthly Meeting Minutes – Jersey Lily’s Salem, VA
November 19, 2021
Attendance:
Marian McConnell – Chair Lauren Appel – Vice Chair Mary Sue Socky – Secretary
Dave Socky - Treasurer Kevin
Johnson *Carrie
Doupnik
Susan Burr Larry Manning Lynn Ott
Jeff Huffman Doug
Feller Carl
Cornett
Renee Rowland Christopher Rowland Paul Thomas Rowland
*Tracy Martino (* denotes guest)
Meeting called to order 6:49p by Chair Marian McConnell.
Trip reports:
Summer 2021: Renee Rowland reported that some of the Rowland family went on an exciting whitewater raft trip this past summer.
10/1-3: Larry Manning was an
instructor for the recent NCRC Orientation to Cave Rescue class in
Martinsburg, WV. They used Silers Cave,
WV for the rescue site. Everyone did
great! Larry said they were a unique
group to teach – rescue folk and cavers from all over attended the 2-day class.
10/3: Larry Manning and some NCRC participants
visited Crossroads Cave, VA. Good 4-hour
trip!
10/16: BRG trip to Paxton Cave,
VA. Very good trip!
10/26: McClungs Cave, WV. Participants included David Socky and Joe Zokaites. Surveyed the climbing pole lead that is on the right just before the start of the entrance canyon. The one that comes close to the Beetle Run Auxiliary passage (but it is 50 feet higher than the Beetle Run Auxiliary passage. We surveyed everything but the low stream crawl which goes for a few hundred feet. We also didn't finish the mud crawl at the end because I didn't fit in the last part of it. It will be a 'small person' survey. But we did survey 796 feet in 6.5 hours.
10/30: McClungs Cave, WV. Participants: David Socky, Bob Alderson, and Joe Zokaites. Surveyed the rest of the upper-level lead near the end of the First Breakdown. It was a short survey, but Bob did dig out the lead at the end. He got around 2 corners only to find it ended in breakdown fill. Another lead was too tight - a 1 x 1 foot tube of solid rock. Because Joe needed to get back sooner rather than later, we decided to exit. We did take the time to improve the footsteps through the entrance canyon, making the traverse a little safer. We exited at 6:30pm for an 8-hour trip and 272 feet of survey.
11/1: McClungs Cave, WV. Participants : David Socky, Mary Sue Socky, Bill Koerschner, and Kathryn Koerschner. This was the LCT survey, for Ladies Cave Trip. We surveyed Travertine Avenue, the first right hand side lead from the historic entrance. Bill sketched, I did cross sections, Mary Sue did point and back sights, while Kathryn did front sights. Good easy 5-hour trip in which we surveyed 691 feet.
11/6: Fountain Cave, VA. Participants: David Socky & Mary Sue Socky. Dave took measurements for doing the profile of the cave. Also surveyed the water passage on right near the back of the cave (lowest point in the cave). There was no water, but it was really muddy. Thick goopy claylike red mud that was a foot and a half deep. Mary Sue identified historical landmarks from old woodcuts while Dave sketched.
11/8: McClungs Cave, WV. Participants included David Socky, Bill Koerschner, and Bob Alderson. We completed the big loop at the beginning of the Seven Fingers Area, surveyed the JEB Stuart passage, which was actually really nice. Surveyed through the large breakdown room where our connection for the loop was. Did some tight crawls and picked up 50 feet of new cave. It was a good 12-hour trip with 1268 feet of survey.
11/13: Maxwelton Cave, WV. Participants included David Socky, Joe Calderone, Eric Landgraf, Nick Socky, Chris Coates, and Nathan Kearney. This was a 44-hour Maxwelton Camp trip from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon. This trip included two bolt climbs, a 30-foot traverse, and 912 feet of survey. While Nick Socky, Chris Coates, and Nathan Kearney bolted up the forty-foot climb, Joe Calderone, Eric Landgraf, and Dave Socky surveyed the cave leading up to the bolt climbs. But first, Eric and Dave had to dig out the long access belly crawl so Dave could fit into all this new cave! He was finally able to squeeze through and the survey commenced. The survey stopped at the bottom of a 45-foot waterfall because the climbing team ran out of rope. We finished the day by surveying side leads in Sweetwater and the Confluence Room. We were back at camp by 11:30pm. Maxwelton Cave is now 27.04 miles long, and the Great Savannah Cave System is 49.07 miles!
11/14: Mary Sue Socky, Kevin
Johnson and Carrie Doupnik gave a Caving Presentation for the Roanoke VA
Master Naturalists.
UPCOMING TRIPS
· Tomorrow Sat. 11/20/2021: BRG trip to Porter Cave, VA.
· 12/14/2021: Kevin and Carrie Johnson and Mary Sue Socky have volunteered to help with “Caroling in the Caverns” at Grand Caverns. They will be carpooling. Leave Roanoke at 2p, return around 11p. Interested? Contact Mary Sue.
Next Month’s Trip – Come to the BRG Christmas
Party Sunday, December 12, at Dano & Marian’s house. 10a – 5p.
Potluck, BYOB. Experienced cavers allowed in the Daylight Cave of
Catawba Murder Hole. RSVP Marian
McConnell at marian.mcconnell@gmail.com
BUSINESS MEETING
11/19/2021 BRG Treasury Report – Dave Socky, Treasurer
Fund Amounts
Cave Bucks $ 241.00
Conservation $ 0.00
Equipment $ 104.12
General
$ 3,281.61
Total $3,626.73
*Cave Bucks: All Cave Bucks donations are voluntary; funds go to cave conservation programs.
Committees:
· Newsletter – printing costs are going up. We have fifteen printed copies mailed each month. Postage has gone up to .58 per stamp.
· Membership – We welcomed a new member last month. Tonight, we have a new membership application. Pay Your Dues!
· ROCKS – nothing
· Safety & Techniques – Dan’s hip replacement has healed. Now he needs a shoulder replacement; spring 2022. Hopefully, he can instruct a rope session at River Rock Climbing Wall during the winter.
Membership Proposals: MSSocky welcomed Larry Manning, NSS 37229, as the newest BRG member. Larry paid his 2022 dues.
Carrie Doupnik, NSS 71075, has applied for BRG membership. Carrie’s sponsor is Mary Sue Socky, seconded by David Socky. Carrie’s membership was immediately tabled until the next BRG meeting.
Old Business:
· BRG Christmas/landowner cards – have arrived, will be mailed during the Thanksgiving weekend using the new issue USPS “Otter Stamps”.
· BRG has reserved the back meeting room at Jersey Lily’s Salem for the 3rd Friday of each month in 2022.
·
Al
Stewart’s caving books auction - ended a few days ago, was a Great
Success! 80% of the books were sold to
the BRG community, netting close to $600.00. The remnant was brought to the BRG meetings
and sold as “make me an offer!” Al is
currently in SpringTree rehab and is doing better.
·
Caroling in the Caverns has requested
volunteers for Dec. 4, 11, 18. Kevin
Johnson, Carrie Doupnik, and Mary Sue Socky are volunteering for Dec. 18. Leave Roanoke 2p, go to Grand Caverns, light
pretty little fires inside cave, sing, herd humans, extinguish fires, return to
Roanoke by 11p. Anyone else interested
in volunteering?
·
Donations to MAKC and WVCC were voted on last
month. Have they been sent? Will be soon!
·
Donation to JSS in memory of John Fox was voted on
last month. Has it been sent? Will be soon!
·
Wi-Fi Hotspots and future meetings? Nick Schmalenberger is caving in Mexico with
Rolland Moore. No report.
·
Grotto Nominations:
Nominations were opened Sept. 17, 2021:
Chair: Marian McConnell
Vice Chair: Lauren Appel
Secretary: Mary Sue Socky
Treasurer: David Socky
The nominations are now closed.
Resistance was futile. No one put up a fight. The current slate of officers was voted in
for one more term for 2022. Congratulations?
New
Business
·
VAR Fall Zoom meeting 10/17/2021, 4p. The meeting was attended by BRG members Dave
Socky, Mary Sue Socky, Kevin Johnson, Carrie Doupnik, Meredith Weberg. See attachment for highlights.
NEW
VAR Officers for 2022.
CHAIR
– Meredith H. Weberg
Vice
Chair – Janet Tinkham
Secretary
– Kim Fleishmann
Treasurer
– Carol Tiderman
·
Request from Larry Wheeler, Manager, The Caverns at
Natural Bridge VA for BRG help in moss abatement. Susan Burr is interested in helping Larry
further. Susan and Jeff Huffman will
meet, talk with Larry.
·
Requests from various groups continue to come in. Some are rock climbers, someone looking for a
cave guide, homeschool groups - most people are out of area/out of state – all
are referred to a nearby show cave and the given the contact info of a grotto
close to their location. Local folks – invite
to a BRG meeting!
·
NSS Vertical Training Commission Charter – Lynn Ott
translated as “this is how to train the trainers.” This is at National (NSS Level). Contact Hazel Barton for more information.
Announcements
·
Al Stewart may make it to his 92nd
birthday – please sign his card.
·
Renee Rowland wanted to say a personal
Thank You for visiting with them at their Bedford Lake property.
o
Renee also wanted to know if their bat
house could be mounted on a pole with purple martin houses, or does she need to
keep the bat house and bird houses separated?
·
Keith & Lisa Goggin are planning their
post-Christmas party (and bonfire). BRG
is invited; date and details TBA.
·
Pandemic Caving – let’s be healthy going
underground. Rules have been posted in
the DUMP.
·
Winter closure for bat caves in West Virginia begins Sept.
1.
·
Winter cave closure for bat caves in Virginia begins Oct. 15. Please
respect all cave closures.
(Announcements
cont.)
·
The upper entrance to Boar Hole, WV, is very
closed. Use the radio/culvert entrance
on Carroll Bassett’s property instead!
·
(Lynn Ott) Cricket Maze Cave will have an Open House on April 30, 2022, noon-6p. Caver Gloria Briggs will be honored at this
event. Nearby Silers Cave (managed by Jim McConkey) will be open to
experienced cavers for one or two days during the April 30-May 1 weekend. More
info TBA. Cricket Maze Cave and Silers
Cave are near Martinsburg, WV.
2021 CAVER
CALENDAR:
·
Nov 26-28 NEW!! Rock and Mineral Show, Salem Civic Center. $5.00
adult admission good for all 3 days.
Kids 14 & under free with accompanying adult. OMG the fossils and jewelry! Will also have geode cutting.
·
Dec 4, 2021 -
Virginia Cave Board meeting, @ James Madison University in Harrisonburg VA.
·
Dec 11 NEW! Salem Museum presents “The Other Side of the
Mountain… Catawba Valley.” There
will be a display on Murder Hole. (Marian McConnell)
·
Dec 12 – BRG
Winter Party, 10a – 5p, potluck, Dan
& Marian’s house in Catawba.
·
NO BRG MEETING IN
DECEMBER.
2022:
·
Jan 21 BRG
meeting
·
Feb 18 BRG meeting.
·
Mar 18 BRG
meeting.
·
May 20-22, 2022 –
Spring VAR/MAR, @ Grand Caverns (rescheduled)
·
June 13-17, 2022
– NSS Convention, Rapid City SD.
·
Jul 16- 21, 2022
– NEW! NCRC National Weeklong, which will
be held in Covington, VA.
Meeting adjourned 7:46p, followed by
Program: “Emergence
Outtakes” and “Exploring Clarksville Cave.”
Good shows.
It was all over at
8:20p
Cold Beer!
Minutes
Submitted by
Mary Sue Socky, Secretary