Home What to Bring Medical Form Participant Agreement Rock Climbing and Rappelling Adventures Canoeing Adventures Hiking, and other Adventures Ideas to Ponder What’s it all about? Why do we do what we do? News, Special Events, and Links WILD GUYde Adventures, LLC 1047 Stuart St. Harrisonburg, VA 22802 (540) 433-1637 lester@wildguyde.com

Caving Adventures “Unusual travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God” (Kurt Vonnegut) “All sights of nature are beautiful. All great natural phenomena are greatly beautiful. That is a fundamental fact. Our business is not to question it, but to see the beauty if and when we can” (Sir Martin Conway) Half-Day Caving: The underground sidewalk and the tourist cave light show are not for you. You want to see it the way it was before the electrician got there! Primitive caves have all the features of the subterranean world – speleothems (stalactites, flowstone, soda straws, and columns), lots of real mud, and sometimes even bats (but most of them are asleep, and all of them are harmless). Pull on your coveralls, clip on your helmet, adjust your headlamp, and down we go. There are squeezes if you want them, and belly crawls for the adventurous --- but there are also corridor ceilings higher than your house, and large cavern rooms for the claustrophobic. Learn cave travel safety, underground navigation, and some “total body movement.” Find out what the year-round underground temperature is, and then finally emerge back into sunlight with a new appreciation for what happens underneath Virginia when limestone and groundwater meet. The gleam of your smile might be the only thing shining through the mud on your face! Locations available in both Virginia (20 minutes from Harrisonburg) and West Virginia (between Seneca Rocks and Elkins). These trips are not advised for individuals with an extremely sedentary lifestyle, or for young children. Beginner Caving is a great introduction for first-timers and younger cavers. This involves largely horizontal movement (walking, stooping, and crawling). Intermediate Caving is a nice step up for folks who have been underground before, and who are fit enough to manage some strenuous vertical moves and sustained physical effort. ($125 for 1-3 people; $25 for each additional) Design Your Own Adventure: Numerous other options exist, including hiking and climbing guiding along Virginia’s Blue Ridge or at the Nelson Rock Outdoor Center (WV), a climbing self-rescue clinic, outdoor fitness training, group orienteering challenges in the National Forest, and flatwater paddling instruction for beginners and children. We can customize to meet the interests of your family, scout troop, or youth group. Call to talk about your needs. (540-433-1637 or Lester@wildguyde.com). “Beware of all enterprises which require new clothes.” (H.D. Thoreau) He must have been a caver..!