Project Caving overview
Caving trips can be roughly divided as being for recreation or a project. There are many different types of work or project trips with wide ranging objectives:
Exploration and Survey. Many cavers, myself included, have a keen interest in exploration and discovery, but the responsible way to engage in exploration is to survey your discoveries as you make them. Responsible exploration includes documentation and publication.
Science. Many cave trips are taken for the purpose of gathering data to support scientific work. This might involve hydrology, geology, climatology, microbiology, wildlife biology, or geochemistry.
Cave Management. In many caves there is a need to conduct trips to service registers, rescue caches, inspect or replace fixed ropes or rigging, flag trails, or simply inspect and monitor human impact.
Restoration and Conservation. There are many cavers that spend time underground cleaning or repairing formations, documenting historical artifacts or signatures, removing lint, or cleaning up spray paint and trash.
Digging. Many of the world’s greatest cave discoveries have been the result of digs. Some cavers devote much of their time and effort in looking for the next Lechuguilla Cave or Snowy River passage.
Rescue Training. Cave rescue training, such as the type provided by the National Cave Rescue Commission, is typically a mix of above and below ground activities. Mock rescues and other exercises in caves are a key part of the learning process, and a good way to get the knowledge and skills to be effective in a real situation.
Ridge Walking. While most of this occurs above ground, many cavers spend time prospecting for new cave entrances or surface dig locations.
Photography. There are many cavers who only venture underground for the purpose of capturing images of caves and cavers. Photography takes place on almost every trip, but photo-specific trips, with Sherpas and helpers to hold strobes, often results in better images.
Most of the caving I do is for the purposes of survey and exploration. In this section of the website I’ll include a little explanation of the projects I’m involved with, and share some of the results of that work. In some cases these projects are self-led (i.e. a small group of self-organized cavers that are not operating under a formal organization). In other cases the projects are overseen by a public land management agency (e.g. USFS, BLM or NPS), and there may be formal work proposals and permits involved. In still other cases the projects may be managed by a private organization such as the NSS, an official project of the NSS, or the Cave Research Foundation.