Concerns to note:
- Bats hibernate in this cave.
- Bring a tarp because it will rain on you at night.
- Wear old clothes because you'll get super muddy.
What ACTUALLY happened...
- Long drive. Very long drive. Keep driving. A couple of pit stops with instructions for NO MORE ENERGY DRINKS!!! So many windy roads in the dark with drop offs on one side and steep cliffs on the other. It almost reminded me of our trip to DC, on the bus, through the mountains. Except we're in WI not somewhere in the Appalachian Mountains.
- Finally! We get to the long gravel road, turn down another shorter gravel road, go around a corner, get halfway up the hill and stuck. Back up a little, but not really too much because there's a pond at the bottom of the hill behind me and when I put my foot on the brake the van keeps sliding backwards. Kinda little bit scary. I put the van in park, put the emergency brake on and sent the boys up the hill to find some help. As I sat there in the dark, watching the trees and the snowflakes drifting down. Beautiful. Quiet. Nature.
- A car came whizzing up the hill and I hoped perhaps they'd stop to offer help but they whizzed right on past and I definitely couldn't blame them. Stopping on this hill would be treacherous. A few minutes later a giant four wheel drive monster truck with a couple of friendly gentlemen who pulled up beside me. Windows rolled down, a little bit of chatting and one of the guys took my place in the van, and managed to zig zag back and forth up that mountain. Success!
- Friday night was 100% cave exploration. We gathered up all our tarps and sleeping bags, staked out our spots in the cave and set the Explorers loose. Our spot was on a rock shelf with a small rock wall to protect us from rolling off the edge. Someone found one bat hanging from a ledge and we all inspected but kept our distance. I was wiped out and despite the echoing shouts, managed to fall asleep, snuggled in my sleeping bag and a tarp pulled up over my head to keep the dripping water out.
- Saturday morning I woke up to find an Explorer sitting on a rock above me, silently watching out like an owl that sees everything moving in the forest around him. It turns out a couple of our Explorers spent less than a couple of hours sleeping. One Explorer didn't sleep at all. Hard core spelunking! Breakfast, exploring, lunch, the challenge was presented. There are some hidden treasures in the cave. Approximately 75 people rushed back to the empty cave to find, in the very front room, a pair of bats flapping around and completely terrified of the mob rushing into their sanctuary. Again, everyone was respectful and left the bats alone to find their way back to safety. Treasure hunting, more exploring, and even taking Mom down into the one crevice she might tolerate. Archer was very kind to be my tour guide and he was encouraging as I slipped down between rocks into a dark wet cove where the only way back out was to pull yourself up onto the drop that you just snuck through. "Now if you just lay back, you'll be able to squeeze under the next rock." But if I lean back, what if I fall off the rock I'm on now? He talked me through another tight spot or two, up and down again until I'd reached my limit. He directed me step by step back out. A small moment of panic crossed my mind as I wondered if I'd be able to pull myself back out of the hole I'd crawled into, but I made it.
- Sunday was pack up, move out of the cave, quick breakfast and then we were off. Ask me sometime about the freezing rain that turned the parkimg lot into a treacherous ice rink. Another great adventure with the Scouts, the foundation of legends and tall tales for many years to come!
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