Cavechat.org

thom wrote:Nearing the day. What should I wear when the time comes for the first entry? I may be the first living being to ever enter the space. What an honor! I'm thinking clean, new painter's cover-alls including shoe covers, latex? gloves, dust mask, etc. I don't want to contaminate the space nor bring anything out that needs to stay there. Thanks.

What you wear is not important.

Wear something bright red or orange so you show up well in the pictures.Be sure it's a brand name (good for getting sponsorships).
Groundquest is right - wear something that protects yourself and be mindful of where you step or crawl.

thom wrote:Nearing the day. What should I wear when the time comes for the first entry? I may be the first living being to ever enter the space. What an honor! I'm thinking clean, new painter's cover-alls including shoe covers, latex? gloves, dust mask, etc. I don't want to contaminate the space nor bring anything out that needs to stay there. Thanks.

Cave environments, even where no humans have ever been, are not sterile and untouched environments. More often than not, various small animals precede us into these places- bats, raccoons, rats, etc. Not to mention the fact that there is usually airflow through various small vents and connections to the surface. While I appreciate your desire not to introduce any contaminants into the cave, I hardly think such measures as you mentioned are necessary. Generally, cavers wear (depending on how cold and/or wet the cave is) long-sleeved non-cotton clothing, protective gloves (not latex), hiking boots, knee pads, and last but not least a helmet. These clothes are for your comfort and protection. Painter's coveralls are most likely made of cotton, which, if they get wet, will not dry very quickly, and will hold the wetness against your skin. This increases the risk of hypothermia, which is always a concern in caves where the constant temp is below 60°.

My wife the photog would certainly second the notion that you should wear bright-colors, such as red, as I am sure you will want some photos of yourself entering the new cave.
Thanks for keeping us posted; please continue to do so!

Trogman

I was given a Go Pro type camera as a Christmas gift that I will use when the time comes.

I was curious if there were any updates to this story. Hopefully Thom hasn't dropped off the forum as so many others before him. This forum sure is a lonely place nowadays!

From browsing a couple of other forums on the web I have noticed the same trend. It seems everyone is going to FB. FB has it's good points, but there are aspects of this forum and the format that cannot be replaced by FB.

Anyway, I digress... Thom, I and the 5 or 10 other folks still on this forum would sure like to know how your little dig project turned out! Thanks!

Trogman

I'm still alive. A couple of unplanned (aren't they usually) surgeries, and a hand injury put me out of commission for a while, but our plans are still to explore the site. The property now belongs to my son, which really makes no difference in the plans. The hole has settled quite a bit during the last year and is approximately three feet below the surrounding ground level now. The daytime temps here have been being in the mid to upper 90s of late so we are waiting for cooler weather to start.