Boston Grotto

Spring 2013

DaveC — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 13:40:42 +0000

Well, Cavers, we’re heading into Spring 2013! There’s a great lineup for this year, starting with local underground activity between now and the Spring 2013 NRO (in May). Members are excited to keep helpin’ with the Berkshire digs, and there are a few more formal trips planned between now and NRO.

After NRO, we’re exploring options for a longer trip, perhaps down South or out West, as conditions and cave openings and closures allow. Our prior trips (Utah, New Mexico, Spain) have all been excellent, and we look forward to heading back out again soon.

The best way to get involved (in anything) – join us for the next Grotto meeting!

Trip report – Freedlyville Quarry

DaveC — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:44:20 +0000

Last weekend, Boston Grotto member Mitch B. brought some MIT friends along for the Freedlyville skating trip. Each year, MIT’s Admissions people hire a few students to blog about their experiences at the ‘Tute to help prospective students get a feel for what life is like at a place like this. One of the people he brought, Rachel, happened to be one of this year’s freshman bloggers. She wrote a great trip report, complete with pictures, and posted it on the MIT site – check out what she wrote!

December Trip Reports

DaveC — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 01:08:09 +0000

Lance returned from Utah — reported briefly on trips to Main Drain and others (found three new) and an exploration trip to Neilson’s Well… and went cayoneering at Platt Clove in the Catskills.

Grotto members continued the digging with the Berkshire Diggers; Ramon entered a small room with an upstream dig; returned to RLP for continued work, but no new passageway was entered; an earlier trip (Ramon, Dave) explored areas in Vermont.

September Trips

DaveC — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 00:03:47 +0000

Apologies about the hiatus! The Boston Grotto hasn’t been sleeping on the job!

Recent trips to the Fall NRO, and Rusty Stove, Burroughs, and others, including Merlin’s Cave. An MIT group visited Crane Mountain Cave.

A group from both Boston and MIT attended the Orientation to Cave Rescue (OCR) in Caanan, New York.

One member reported on a trip to Ft. Stark – mentioned that it had stalactites & soda staw decoration in its concrete.

Trips, April 2012

DaveC — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 01:20:31 +0000

April Trips:

Merlin’s Cave – Bolting trip, and three led trips at the NRO. Members Tom Kinsky, Aaron Tester, Daniel Schott, Lee Nichols and Dave Crusoe participated from the Boston Grotto.

Gulf Brook Trip – Hike up, ridgewalk, scrambling. Some rappelling and canyoneering through the brook.

Morris Cave – Tom Kinsky and Aaron Tester led a trip through Morris Cave.

Upcoming (check trip calendar):

Trip to Knox Cave; Trip to Purgatory Chasm; Climbing & vertical practice; Trip to NRO; Mount Monadnock.

Trips: March 2012

DaveC — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 00:11:53 +0000

February 3 & 4: Overnight trip in Clarksville. Permission was received for two members to test their overnight packing and gear abilities by camping in Clarksville Cave.

March 3 & 4: Bentley’s and Clarksville Cave, visited by a group from the BU Medical School. Wading across the lakeroom (Clarksville) wasn’t successful (very wet!). A single bat was observed in Bentley’s Cave. The bat’s name is Alfred.

Pat Conners, Keluo Yao and Dave Crusoe joined John Dunham and Morgan Ingels on a dig of Corkscrew Cave. Several additional feet of dirt were hauled, to open several additional feet of passage.

Boston Grotto 60th Anniversary Party

DaveC — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 20:41:18 +0000

The Boston Grotto is 60 years old! We had a great celebration with lots of good food, drink and entertainment, and of course great company. Thanks to everyone who came and contributed to make this event a success!

Schoharie County Fundraiser at Howe’s Caverns

DaveC — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 13:09:53 +0000

On February 25, cavers Tom Kinsky, Aaron Tester, Keluo Yao and Dave Crusoe joined about 17 others from New York and Connecticut to raise funds for Schoharie County flood relief by participating in a mapping trip to little-visited sections of Howe’s Cavern.

The local television, YNN, station filmed preparation and some of the initial exploration, although we found the lowest sections of the Mystery Passage/Lake almost entirely sumped – a ~1 inch air-space for 70-120 feet. Several attempts were made to push the passage, and a group from New York was finally successful in pushing the near-sump to access the rest of the cave. Mapping will happen later this year when the water level decreases.

YNN’s televised report is online, http://hudsonvalley.ynn.com/content/top_stories/575029/cavers-explore-howe-caverns-for-a-good-cause/, but leaves out some of the juicy narrative describing the long, low-airspace near-sump.

We thank Howe’s Caverns for hosting the fundraiser (and for a hearty lunch!) and Grotto member Pat Conners for sparking the conversation that led to the fundraiser. In entirety, cavers present raised approximately $2,035, augmented by another $6-8,000 collected by Howe’s since the hurricane.

North American Bat Death Toll Exceeds 5.5 Million From White-nose Syndrome

DaveC — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:54:50 +0000

On the verge of another season of winter hibernating bat surveys, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists and partners estimate that at least 5.7 million to 6.7 million bats have now died from white-nose syndrome. Biologists expect the disease to continue to spread.

Trip Reports: December, 2011

DaveC — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:55:56 +0000

Greetings, all!

November and December 2011 saw quite a few trips to the Berkshires to explore and cave. The Coon Hollow karst was the destination of some trips. Members Tom Kinsky, Pat Conners, Aaron Tester and Dave Crusoe were active on these trips.

In December, 2011, member Dave Crusoe visited Grutas de Cacahuamilpa in Gurrero, Mexico.

In December, 2011, one of our members returned to his home state Utah to explore and map several caves.