Josh has been caving with us for a while. He has several caves on his resume. This was Mikey's second caving trip. He was excited to try this cave after an enjoyable trip to Wind Cave.
We arrived at the property about 11:30. The owners were there already. After our greetings and suiting up we all gathered in the "cave house" where we divided up into 2 groups, Crew 9 in one group and Crew 456 in the other. Crew 9 went to the Earth Room first. It's tight, but the reward is great. Very well decorated with formations and preserved. Then we headed out towards the bigger passages of the cave. There is a little climbing, and little squeezing, and a little chimneying. For the most part this is an easy cave to get around in and you can see most of the "Historic Section" without much technical caving skills. There are some fragile parts in this section and some wildlife you need to be aware of and take care to not disturb. But this is what makes this cave very worth while to see and enjoy.
We did not get to every part of this section, but we did spend close to four hours in there. The other group was already out and changed by the time we exited the cave. Everyone was hungry and ready to find a place to go for food and to relax before we started our long drive home. We found a pizza place called "Villa Roma Pizza" which accommodated our group of 10 people with no effort. The food was good, probably better than most of the places we've eaten.
Andy File is the Advisor for Crew 456. He's also a member of York Grotto and Philly Grotto. This Crew has been becoming more active in climbing and caving this past year. We invited them to join DBG-Crew 9 on a trip to Ruppert Cave.
The second half of this article is from the Crew 456 group.
For More Info on Crew 456 contact: Andrew Filer - 717 571 9165
Crew 456 Advisor Carreragt87@techie.com
Venture Crew 456 would like to thank Dragon Breath Grotto and Allen, for inviting us along to Rupert Cave. Will, Mark, and I went on the trip. This was Mark's first trip into a cave, and he loved it. The guys got to enjoy the mud room, and the series of newly discovered pits. We talked about the various formations in the cave, and checked the bat population for signs of White Nose Syndrome. The guys are excited to go caving, and want to bring friends next time.
Andy Filer
To see more pictures of this trip click here.
Go to Dragon Breath Grotto Venturing Crew 9 Home Page.
