Going Underground!

For those of you that don't know, there has been a recent infectious fungus up & down the East Coast (from Canada to the Carolinas) that is decimating the bat populations.  Scientists are working very hard to figure out how White Nose Syndrome is killing the bats, how it is spreading, and how we can stop it.  This has been a major concern for the speleological society because WNS kills up to 100% of the bat population that it reaches.  Little Brown Bats (the most common species we see around here) have mortality rates over 90%.  :(   For several years now, entire cave systems have been shut down to prevent humans spreading WNS between caves to new bat populations.  However, regulations have been created that will allow cave entrance once again (YAY!), providing there is strict cleaning and disinfecting of gear between cave trips. 

(UPDATE:  WNS has been confirmed as far west as Ohio and Kentucky within the last few months!)

Obviously, the Girl Scout caving program has suffered because of WNS.  We have been shut down for about three years now, but the new cleaning regulations are allowing us to start trips once again.  Of course, we are essentially rebuilding the program from scratch:  we had to re-establish contact with the cave owners and see who was allowing visitors; our girl members have scattered to the winds (as well as some adults); and, as luck would have it, our main recruiting workshop event was canceled this year due to bad weather.  All this resulted in a trip this weekend with 12 girls and 25 adults.  Haha!!  All of us adults were so excited that we ALL signed up even though there were not enough girls.

First - The Bad News- My group of girls was supposed to be the "Junior Staff in Training" group.... the girls who are old enough & experienced enough to help the younger girls.  Usually, at full capacity, each group of cavers has 2 adults, 1 junior staff, and about 5 girls.  However, my girls are nowhere near responsible enough to help lead others.  There was little motivation, exploration, or personal responsibility seen all weekend.  That's not to say they didn't have fun; but they would have had probably as much fun in the mall back home.  It didn't matter to them that they were in a cave at all.  :( 

Now, The Good News:
1. Got to see the "second family" once again.  There were even some of the now-college girls that came back!  (That's Mom's favorite part about our caving program: you get to see the girls mature from bratty 12-year-olds to responsible junior staff & college ladies.)

We had a retroactive high school graduation ceremony for them since they missed it.  Each spring, the soon-to-be-graduates get caving mortarboards and a ceremony.

2.  In the adventures to get permission to enter caves again, we actually got some "new" caves opened up to us.  My group went into Norman on Friday.... and Norman has been closed to the public for about 10years!!  I haven't been in it since *I* was a girl in the program.  I even made the brave leap to take my camera in with me and got some good pictures.

The funny thing about the picture of the water dripping into a rimstone pool is that I have (somewhere) the exact same picture from 10years ago!  Haha!  Some things just stay the same I guess.

3.  On Saturday, my group went into Lost World Caverns, owned by friends of ours.  The front section of the cave is made into a commercial tour with lights and handrails and such, but the back part is open for "wild" tours.  Unfortunately, my camera pooped out on me and died that morning, so I have no pictures of that GORGEOUS cave. Seriously, if you are ever in Lewisburg, WV, go check out Lost World.  It is sooooooo pretty!

4.  I got new toys to try out this trip!  Now that I am a adult on these trips, I have to carry more supplies and emergency gear.  My old pack is still usable, but just not big enough, so I upgraded my pack.  I also got a hose to connect to my Platypus water packs to try a "hydration system" rather than just water bottles.  Then, I used the rainy weather as an excuse to wear my cute new rain boots!  Squee!  Overall, everything worked splendidly for me and I really liked all the changes!  (However, the downside to having a sippy-hose for your water is that you drink more and really stress your bladder by the end of the day!)