Lechuguilla Expeditions 2013

Post trip reports, requests, expedition announcements.

Moderator: Moderators

Forum rules
Do not post exact cave locations, either by roads or GPS, or post directions to caves.

Lechuguilla Expeditions 2013

Postby cavercrane97 » Dec 30, 2012 9:40 am

Are there any Lech exploration and survey expeditions planned for 2013? If so, how do I get in on one? :grin:
cavercrane97
Occasional Poster
 
Posts: 46
Joined: Mar 3, 2012 10:57 pm
Location: Northern Mississippi
Name: Brandon Crane
NSS #: 62866
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Huntsville Grotto
  

Re: Lechuguilla Expeditions 2013

Postby wyandottecaver » Dec 31, 2012 9:32 am

Others will be more know more details, but unless it has changed, you must first be Sponsored by someone who has already been on a Lech trip as I recall.
I'm not scared of the dark, it's the things IN the dark that make me nervous. :)
User avatar
wyandottecaver
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 2902
Joined: Aug 24, 2007 8:44 pm
Location: Indiana
  

Re: Lechuguilla Expeditions 2013

Postby Caving Guru » Dec 31, 2012 1:49 pm

http://www.nps.gov/cave/naturescience/u ... elines.pdf
This link gives a lot of details on getting on a Lechuguilla expedition.
Caving Guru
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 353
Joined: Jun 21, 2012 2:57 pm
  

Re: Lechuguilla Expeditions 2013

Postby Herman Miller » Jan 1, 2013 2:13 am

Usually easier to go to Mexico though ;)
Herman Miller NSS# 55273SU BOG Candidate 2010, 2012
User avatar
Herman Miller
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 319
Joined: Sep 6, 2005 12:18 am
Location: Republic, Washington
Name: herman miller
NSS #: 55273
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Permian Basin Speleological Society
  

Re: Lechuguilla Expeditions 2013

Postby Extremeophile » Jan 3, 2013 4:54 pm

wyandottecaver wrote:Others will be more know more details, but unless it has changed, you must first be Sponsored by someone who has already been on a Lech trip as I recall.

This was policy during the LEARN era in the 1990s, but is no longer the case. The link that Greg posted contains the current rules, as outlined in the 2006 management plan. Exploration trips are privately run but approved by the Cave Resources Office. Anyone may submit a proposal for survey and exploration, but as the management plan describes, priority is given to teams based on their likelihood to contribute to the goal of completing maps, and the skills and experience of the team. This process tends to favor giving people with prior experience in the cave a better chance of getting their proposals approved. If you don't have this prior experience then you may have better luck trying to get invited on someone else's private expedition. Some expedition leaders like to bring a few new people along each year to help seed the next generation of Lech explorers. To go on a multi-day survey trip you need to be a strong/fast caver, have good vertical skills, and be efficient at survey. It may also help if you have experience with rigging, lead climbing, sketching, and expedition cave camping, but these aren't mandatory. There are also a number of typically shorter science and work trips that go into the cave each year.

Proposals for 2013 were due at the end of December, so teams have largely been selected already.
User avatar
Extremeophile
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 761
Joined: Dec 7, 2009 7:37 pm
Location: Littleton, CO
Name: Derek Bristol
NSS #: 34941
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Colorado Grotto
  

Re: Lechuguilla Expeditions 2013

Postby Caving Guru » Jan 3, 2013 8:25 pm

While that is true that the link I put up mentions many rules, it also describes in detail the qualifications that are needed and how to make a proposal to enter Lechuguilla.
Caving Guru
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 353
Joined: Jun 21, 2012 2:57 pm
  

Re: Lechuguilla Expeditions 2013

Postby johnf93 » May 9, 2013 1:42 pm

Someplace I am sure we all dream about going.
Semper ubi sub ubi.
johnf93
Occasional Poster
 
Posts: 37
Joined: Apr 24, 2013 5:42 pm
Name: John
NSS #: 64986
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Boston
  

Re: Lechuguilla Expeditions 2013

Postby ian mckenzie » May 9, 2013 1:57 pm

Nah - too many pretties...
User avatar
ian mckenzie
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 549
Joined: Sep 16, 2005 9:40 am
Location: Crowsnest Pass, Canada
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Alberta Speleological Society
  

Re: Lechuguilla Expeditions 2013

Postby Extremeophile » May 9, 2013 2:52 pm

There's a team in right now ... can't wait to hear what they find.

The return trip to Oz is entering in about 2 weeks :kewl:
User avatar
Extremeophile
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 761
Joined: Dec 7, 2009 7:37 pm
Location: Littleton, CO
Name: Derek Bristol
NSS #: 34941
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Colorado Grotto
  


Return to Trips & Expeditions Forum

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users

cron