Caving Trip

If you have taken a look at our schedule for next month..our trip is scheduled for Cumberland Caverns....we have been there many times before..It is a great deal of fun in a commercial cave with the overnight trip permitting a special spelunking for the boys for about two hours. We normally arrive there at 4:30 PM and spend the night in the cave, returning around lunch on Sunday.

The cost is $35.00 per person to get in the cave. It is 250 Miles or less to get there or 500 miles round trip. If we have 25 or more Scouts the gas will cost a minimum of $25.00 for the bus and a follow on car if we can get one. We won't need the trailer or the frank tank for baggage if that's all we do is the cave...we will carry all our overnight clothes on the bus. This doesn't include anything else we do on the way up there (meals) and on the way back (meals). Sometimes in the past we have gone biking in Chattanooga to the battlefield there during the day before the cave, we have gone to lookout mountain for the day before the cave, or we have gone straight to the cave leaving in the early afternoon to get there at 4:30 PM. Depends on what the boys want to do at the PLC.

The cave trip consists of the big tour of the cavern then the boys and leaders who want go on side trips spelunking adventures for about 2-three hours before we turn in for the night. I believe they give us breakfast in the AM.

We are going to discuss all of this at the PLC, so make sure if your son is supposed to be there as a patrol leader, that he is...J Berry has taken A Elders place with no other changes that I know of. Troop positions are listed on the last court of honor print out and may be listed on the troop website:

Ast Sr Patrol Leader J Ellis and K Berry,
Hawks: M Frost,
Penguins: S Hardy,
Venture: B Garrett,
Grizzlies: L Young,
Foxes : D Lepianka

If they cannot be there the assistant needs to be called to represent them. Uniform is not required for the PLC (Patrol leaders Conference).

For us....we are talking a minimum of $70.00 with gas with a minimum of 25 persons and spending the night in the cave. Attendance has been less than average for some reason recently and taking less than 25 will really start hiking the cost of this trip up past $70.00 which is a great deal of money. Naturally, the more that come the less the cost will be.

So.....ask your son and check your own calendar to make sure we have some leaders, if he is planning on coming to the planned cave trip so we can get a head count and make reservations ten days before we get there, or it will cost $5.00 more per person I am going to ask the boys this question this coming Monday at the PLC for a number count by Tuesday night from all the patrols. If we can't get a minimum of 25 persons, I am not sure we need to go and need to plan something else for that weekend that they will attend to keep our costs down. This trip was planned last January by the 35 boys and leaders in attendance with an approval by all..but that was January.

There are several options open, and may be possible, to us that will be discussed Monday night: Backpacking, wilderness survival, shooting sports, maybe rappelling ....maybe ..maybe depending on what the boys want to do.....

I am going to stress again the importance of attendance to keep our costs within family reach..the less that come..the more it costs us...

There are a great deal of activities coming up in the next two months that the boys will be talking to...I would like a good turnout at the committee meeting at 8:00 PM Monday (Sept 22) to see what we can support for the boys..please join us...

YiS Dan S "Delivering the Promise"