Glade - 11/24/2024
Harriet Reporting
Harriet, Lori, Melanie, Bre, Maya, Michael, Zakai, Grant, Cora, Athen, Tim and Josie met up at Glade cave at 12:45, geared up and then headed in to the cave! We entered the cave at 1pm after going over a few basic cave rules (don’t touch the ceiling ect.). Once we got to the first dark room we gathered around the map and had a quick lesson about what makes a cave a cave, how to orient a map, and our plan for the trip. This was the first or second cave experience for the majority of people on the trip. We used 7 loaner helmets on the trip (thanks Casey for lending out extra to supplement the 4 grotto helmets). Next, explored the front section of the cave for a while making sure everyone got a photo and check all of our comfort levels before heading towards the back of the cave. As we passed the entrance Cora headed back out to her car and the rest of us continued using the handline and then ladder to get further back. With the lack of rain Glade was pretty dry and we didn’t have to step in any puddles, even the one typically there below the ladder was dried up. After the ladder and non-existing water, we did an optional loop with a tight squeeze that 9 out of the 11 of us did. We then headed back to the exit, exiting at 3pm, took a group photo, and headed to the Valley Pike Farm Market to grab a snack and hang out.
