The Seeker in MA caver joins CaveChat!
Posted: Jul 29, 2013 7:08 am
Greetings caving forum community of the interwebs! I joined this forum as I'm doing my best to return to the underworld of caves after a 2-year hiatus. Not that I ever stopped enjoying it but for many reasons (time, transportation, time, money, time...) I was simply unable to continue caving when I got to MA. I was introduced to caving in Kentucky where a pal of mine took me to Carter Caves on a weekend in mid-fall. No gear -just a set of old clothes, a headlamp, my hiking boots and optimism. I had such a blast that day and was so fascinated by the wonders underground that we continued making the trip to Carter Caves every other weekend straight into winter.
I finally may have an opportunity to return to the caves. I definitely wanted to this summer and I only have 4 weeks before the next college semester so here I am... . After talking with some coworkers where I'm interning who are into rock-climbing and the great outdoors in general, I want to give them a grand intro-to-caving experience. We talked about it last week and I've been trying to find spots here in Mass. I was recommended Purgatory Chasm in Sutton, MA and made the trip up there on my own to explore the lay of the land cause what I don't want to happen is get ready, have these guys get all geared up and then drive 2 hours somewhere only to be let down and it turn out to be a negative experience. If any fellow MA-NH-CT area forum members have recommendations I'd be super amped - this weekend's 0% chance of precipitation has me optimistic.
If I don't get any recommendations here I guess I'll head up to Purgatory Chasm again. I only found one cave close to the Lovers Leap rock wall. Any fellow cavers know about the caves there? I want to check out joining a grotto here but money and time are super tight especially as I need to find either another job or internship within a month as my current internship and only source of income ends soon.
Looking forward to discussing our shared interest for caving and if any of you MA area cavers would be interested in a trip together this weekend let me know!