Caving is a hobby very near and dear to my heart. My first experience with caving was in a local cave recommended by someone we went to church with as children, I think I was 16 at the time. Soon after, I fell in love. Each year for my birthday, I would ask to go camping and caving for a weekend. While I was fortunate enough to have parents who would do this with me, when I went to West Virginia University, my mother encouraged me to join the student grotto there. And the rest is history….
So, what is caving?
Caving is the exploration of caves for recreational, occupational, historical or scientific purposes. Many cavers start out caving recreationally, but many who stick with it find that there are many purposes for caving. Typically, during trips, cavers may survey or map caves, take photographs, study cave ecology and geology, or clean, restore, and protect caves. For the purposes of this page, we will mainly focus on recreational caving.
Often, I describe caving as “underground hiking”. There’s a different type of cave for each type of person. There are big open caves…
tight and tiny caves…..
caves with lots of formations….
vertical caves…
and everything in between!!!
Safety Statement
Although there is no literary difference, caving and spelunking are distinguished by cavers as such:
“Cavers are people who go caving that are well prepared, safe, and respectful of caves, spelunkers are the opposite.”
There is something to be said for this, just like with any hobby. Some may think it goes without saying but as I write this article, I feel obliged to write a safety statement.
Individuals should only participate in caving with a grotto, in groups, in known, legal, and stable caves, with proper maps and equipment. Those who are underprepared and inexperienced should never enter a cave without the support of a local grotto. This could result in injury, loss of landowner relations, damage to caves, need for rescue, or death.
How to get involved
If you are looking to experience caves up close and personal, I would recommend joining a local grotto. While there are hundreds of these all around the world, the NSS website makes it easy to find and connect with a grotto near you.
“Grottos” are simply the term for local caving groups.
If you are already located in or near West Virginia, I will spare you the search and recommend a few grottos open to beginners. I have been involved in both of these grottos over multiple years and think they are a great fit for those new to caving and interested in caving.
The West Virginia Student Grotto
Based out of West Virginia University, the WVU student grotto is the only student caving organization in West Virginia. I joined the WVU Student Grotto in 2018 as I began university and was quickly adopted into a fun-loving, adventurous group of students who aren’t afraid to get a little dirty (or a lot). The student grotto hold trips nearly every weekend throughout the semester and also takes stellar Fall and Spring break trips each year.
The WVU student Grotto meets every Wednesday in Hodges Hall Room 202 at 8pm. If you are interested in connecting with the WVU student grotto, check out @wvustudentgrotto on instagram.
The Monongahela Grotto
Based out of Morgantown, West Virginia, the Monongahela Grotto meets on the last Thursday of every month a local venues. Our group discusses news relevant to the caving world both locally and nationally/globally. We share trip reports from recent caving trips and share lots of advice and beta. I have been a member of this group for the last 4 years. In this time, we have seen many fluctuations in membership and have members from nearly all age ranges. Typically, we recruit WVU student Grotto Alumni and any newcomers to caving. We aim to plan one caving trip per month which is discussed at the meetings.
If you would like to get in contact with the grotto, or learn more about joining this group, please email seewestvirginia@gmail.com.
If you are looking to experience some commercial caves to start with I will also recommend a few here too. While these experiences may offer boardwalks, lighting, and minimal exertion that may be helpful for some, please note that commercial caving is different than the caving I promote in this article, but are a great start. Some local commercial caves are:
SEE WV 