Caving

Waiver and Permit

1. There is one waiver and one permit to complete. Please do both today! 

2. Complete this waiver for the Atlanta Area Council, which are supplying our instructors and guides. 

3. Permits for Southeastern Cave Conservancy (SCCi)must be signed by every participant. We have a couple of permits, with limited spots per permit. Please click on the first permit and sign that one. If it is full, come back and click on the second permit. Only sign one of the permits, and make a note you completed it!

4. Notes about the permit

   • Click the link below to review and sign one of the two permits (where there is space). 

   • Parents/guardians should sign a release for minors by typing the minor's name and then signing the release. If you are an adult going into the cave, your completion of the form will be for you and your minor. 

   • Read all the info that you are clicking. These are good reminders about the expectations for respecting the cave and about being safe while in there. 

   • As a member of our group, you must sign a release form. The group's permit cannot be approved until all members of our group have signed the release form. 

   • Permit 1

   • Permit 2

About the Campout

We will leave Friday night to drive 3 hours. Please eat dinner prior to arrival at OGUMC. Arriving in the dark at Camp Jackson, Scouts will set up tents and get sleep in preparation for a full day of cave exploring. For Saturday lunch, participants should pack and bring their lunch from home. Other meals (Sat breakfast, dinner, and Sunday breakfast) are being planned by adults and prepared by Adults and Scouts during the weekend. Saturday morning, participants will arrive at Tumbling Rock and gather in their assigned groups (based on comfort with crawling, tight spaces, etc; all levels of confidence will be able to enjoy caving) and given an orientation by experienced instructors. We will be underground most of the day, eating lunch within. 

• Tumbling Rock: Great cave for cavers of all skills and interests, both beginners and the more adventurous. Mostly walking and scrambling over boulders but a little bit of crawling. Lots of big rooms. Some stunning formations. There are routes for more adventurous cavers. (30 min from camp)

Weekend Weather

Here is the area forecast.The trip will happen rain or shine. It will likely be VERY COLD camping. 

Packing list

• Participants should plan for clothes and gear in 3 bags

Bag #1: Bag with gear for inside cave (see below list, "Required items for caving")

Bag #2: Garbage bag with clothes for when out of cave. This bag will be in vehicle and needs to be accessible when you exit the cave. After changing put dirty clothes in garbage bag and a label on it with your name.

Bag #3: Clothes and gear for at the campsite  (see the standard packing list and the cold weather packing list. It will get cold!! 

• On Friday, while at your home, pack your Saturday lunch and snacks. (Saturday lunches are not provided or part of the cost of the campout)

• Money for lunch stop on Sunday return

• Review below for additional packing requirements

Notes about cold weather camping

Your Scout should be responsible for what he packs, as that is how he will learn to be prepared for future campouts  . . . . but with very cold temperatures and precipitation and wind in the forecast, we need parents to look over their shoulders and ask some (or many?) questions (rhetorical if you can so they continue to make the decisions, but drive it to the right conclusion). We won’t have enough backup warm gear if your Scouts doesn't have what he needs so scrutinize WHAT he has and reinforce WHEN he will wear it.

Your Scout will be more comfortable if he . . . .

• changes out of clothes he wore during the day and into clean and dry clothes before he gets in his sleeping bag. This is a MUST! Many Scouts don’t want to change clothes because it is cold in the tent or because a tentmate might come in the tent. There are individual bathrooms at our campsite for him to change if he would prefer. Please reinforce that he needs to change into new clothes Friday night and Saturday night before going to bed. There are showers if he wants to shower after caving (recommended!)

• sleep on a good sleeping pad. If your Scout sleeps without one, he will be cold as his body is in close contact with the cold ground. If you need a sleeping pad, let us know. There are a couple in Scout Hall you can have or borrow. 

• have the warmest sleeping bag you own. 

• have a sleeping bag liner, which can warm you up by another 10+ degrees, depending on what it is. Here is an example of one I have. Sending an extra blanket would be a cheaper way. 

• wear these (clean and dry) clothes in their sleeping bag . . . . 

  •  long underwear . . . . (two layers is better than one)

  • a hat (very, very important)

  • gloves (personal preference. . .  lightweight fleece are good)

• fill a Nalgene bottle with HOT water and put it in his sleeping bag. If he brings a Nalgene (must be a Nalgene to take the heat), we can do this for Saturday night. The lid will have to be screwed on tight and stay closed (we will verify after filling it).

• use the bathroom before going to bed

• have a healthy, non-sugary snack before going to bed

Finally, please ensure he has the needed gear and clothing and organize his gear as we have listed it on the website so your Scout has what he needs. All of those things for in the cave are very important to remember. Because it will be cold, he will want to get changed efficiently so having exactly what he needs when he needs it is important. 

When to wear class A uniform

Scouts and adult leaders will wear Class A shirts at the following times:

• We always travel in uniform to and from the campout

• For Scouts Own Service

Medication 

If your scout will take medications during the weekend, please have your Scout turn it over to the medical officer when arriving for departure at OGUMC. 

• • • Complete this Medication Administration Form

    • NO prescription, over the counter medicine, vitamins or herbal supplements are permitted in a scout’s gear.

    • The Scout’s medication, along with the completed form should be placed in a Ziplock bag.

    • Medications MUST BE in their ORIGINAL containers.  We will be unable to accept anything without the original container. 

    • Please label the Ziplock bag with your Scout’s name.

    • Emergency medications such as Epi-pen and albuterol inhalers should be kept with the Scout at all times!!!!!

MEALS

• Everyone should bring from home a bagged packed lunch to eat inside the cave on Saturday

• Meal plan is TBD. Previous caving trip, was Grubmaster budget is $15/person. Patrols prepare Saturday breakfast and dinner, and Sunday breakfast. Adults will plan/cook as a patrol and use this same budget for their meals.

• All patrols are expected to put together menus that are enjoyable, healthy, and that use their cooking skills.

Caving groups

These will be communicated at a later date

Tenting

T77 Scouts are to coordinate tenting with other Scout(s) on their own which includes who they are tenting with and who is bringing the tent. They do not need to communicate their arrangements to the Scoutmaster. Check out the Tenting Guidelines here. 

• Reminders about tenting for cold weather 

  • should put as many Scouts as possible in a tent 

  • No solo sleeping 

  • can store gear outside tents underneath tarps to maximize how many Scouts are in a tent

  • tentmates must be within two years' age of each other 

KEY CONTACTS

• Senior Patrol Leaders

  • • T77, Vishnu Ghanta

• Trip Planner, Andrew Kraft, ‭678-778-5824, akrafty@me.com

  • Trip Leader, Clinton Cole, ‭(678) 595-3332‬, ctcole0308@gmail.com 

• Scoutmaster

  • • T77, Clinton Cole, ‭(678) 595-3332‬, ctcole0308@gmail.com

Hospital

Highlands Medical Center (between 15-30 minutes from each cave and campsite)

380 Woods Cove Rd, Scottsboro, AL 35768

(256) 259-4444

https://highlandsmedcenter.com