Caving and Backpacking

[Clinton Ohlers]

Hey, any fellow cavers out there? I'm working out the details a trip for mid-March, possibly early April, that combines a multi-day hike with a cave excursion. Right now, West Virginia looks like the winning destination among the options I've been looking at. There's a good combination of national forest, Appalachian topography, and cave geology there.

I’d be glad to include another BPL member on the trip. If anyone's interested, or simply wants to chime in on promising locations, PM me.

[Adam Rothermich]

Well, Missouri is the 'Cave State'… I think there are something 5500 caves here. Anyway, even with all those caves, I've never once been caving. We were going to go one time in Scouts, but it fell through.
I have no idea of the accessibility or quality of the caves here in Missouri, but there are a lot of them. A few of them have guide services too I believe.

Adam

[Clinton Ohlers]

Hi, Adam,

You know, a number of years ago I did some caving in the Ozarks. It's remarkable how many thousands of caves are hidden away in areas with the right geology. If you are still interested, check out a local "Grotto" (caving organization). The grottos often attract people with overlapping interests in backpacking and rock climbing, as well.

Of course, gearheads should beware. It can lead to a whole other hardware, gadgetry, and ounce-counting obsession.

–CO

[James Yancey]

A nice trip in southern Missouri combines canoeing/kayaking, backpacking and caving. You can float the Eleven Point River (National Scenic River) that borders the Irish Wilderness. The White's Creek trail traverses the wilderness (small relative to most western wild areas, but large by midwestern standards) and it passes by White's Creek Cave. The cave is closed at certain times due to a Gray bat colony, so you need to check the USFS website for specifics. I have made this combo trip (4 to 5 leisurely days) solo several times, and the solitude and adventure are hard to beat!

Southern Missouri and northern Arkansas (the Ozarks) have some decent wilderness trails, karst landscapes, numerous caves, many very large springs (check out Greer Spring on the Eleven Point!)and gorgeous spring-fed crystal clear rivers. The St. Francois Mountains in SE Missouri have some fairly large tracts of public land (National Forest, state parks, state conservation areas, etc.)in an area with granite "knobs" and glades, deep forested valleys, great trails and few people.

Go to the National Speleological Society (NSS) website to find Grottoes near you.

[Clinton Ohlers]

Thanks, James. I'll put those in my file.

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