I still consider myself a new caver

[Vertigo]

I have been on about thirty-something caving trips, but I've only been caving for about a year. I've only been on three vertical caving trips so far. I looking forward to a lot more time underground.
When I was younger, maybe 10 or so, my family went to Carlsbad Caverns. It was here that I fell in love with caves. I heard about Lechugilla cave and immediately wanted to go. The idea of seeing things that only a few people have ever seen enchanted me. I also liked the idea of spending days underground on an expedition and wondered how people got the supplies through the cave. I was really bummed when I found out I couldn't go on the "wild" cave trips. I was too young.
So I forgot about caving for a long time until last year a friend of mine asked me to go caving with him. So here I am.

[Ernie Coffman]

Welcome on board, CAVER 86! Hope you'll enjoy many years of great, safe caving and one of these days, you'll be on one of those Lechie trips that you only have read about. Hopefully, by now, you've joined up with a grotto and are an NSS member, to boot! You'll see a lot of great articles and pictures in the NSS NEWS, so...if not, definitely do it!
Faraway Ern in Oregon Territory