Cavechat.org

Hey there!

I'll start off by introducing myself! My name's Cory and I'm very new to caving. I've been out here in Colorado for about 5 years now and I think I'd like to get into this hobby.

Last year a friend and I climbed up Marble mountain looking for Spanish Cave. With no trail or coordinates we found the entrance with the help of a photo of the limestone formation with a small circle indicating its location. I had read everything written on this cave and was originally attracted to it for the legends and folklore that surrounds.

Since then I have been fascinated with the entire experience and have gained a hunger for more adventures of the kind.

Everything about this hobby is attractive to me: the secrecy, the stories, the adventure, the preservation and the camaraderie of fellow cavers. I feel drawn.

Anyways, I'm happy to be in this group! And I hope I can get some useful pointers on getting started here in this great state!

Thanks!

-Cory

Hi Cory -

You don't say where in Colorado you are located, but there is a fairly active caving community throughout the state. I'd strongly encourage you to check out one of the NSS chapters ('grottos'), where you can meet other cavers, get instruction on caving practices, hear about where folks are caving and about upcoming trips. The Colorado Grotto (https://www.coloradogrotto.org/) meets in Denver on the 1st Thursday evening each month; the Front Range Grotto (http://frontrangegrotto.org/) meets in Northglenn on 2nd Wednesdays If you're in the Springs area, the Southern Colorado Mountain Grotto (hmmm - my link for them seems broken) meets on the 1st Wednesday each month, or if you are north, the Northern Colorado Grotto (https://northerncoloradogrotto.wordpress.com/) meets on 2nd Tuesdays in Fort Collins. Further west, the Timberline Grotto (http://caves.org/grotto/timberline/index.htm) meets quarterly and serves - basically - the Glenwood Springs area, while the Colorado Western Slope Grotto (http://coloradowesternslopegrotto.org/) alternates its meetings between Glenwood and Rifle. Finally, the Red Canyon Grotto (http://www.nssio.org/find_grotto_detail.cfm?gid=000460) might be meetings in Canon City on the 2nd Wednesday of each month - or they may be somewhat inactive?

Congrats on finding Spanish! That's a pretty stout cave to start with - did you get very far inside?

Regards,
Stuart

And, once you get into a local grotto, note that the NSS's national Board of Governors is meeting in Denver this October. The meeting usually kicks off with a party Friday night (10/20) and the Board meets all day on Saturday (10/21). Members are welcome to attend either/both functions and observe the business of the NSS.