2023-11-17 7 PM PST

Hybrid thanks to James Mooreshire. In person at the Phinney Ridge Center, Room 6.

In person attendance: Sarah Burgess, Laina, Dusty, Richard Jack, Moana, Sirius, Bill Link, Nancy Thorp, Molly, Will, Carl, Garrett, Katt Greaser, James Mooreshire, Daryl Greaser, Mark Garnik, Bram Lovelace, Helen

Remote attendance: [Lee Florea and +1 associate], Maurice, Will, Aidan, Talon, Drew Stasak, [Aidan, Tommy, Sainier], Alex K., Gage Owens, Cortney, Shannon H.

Votes

Election format (see below)

Passed: Approx 14-0

Holiday party funds ($120)

Passed: Approx 10-0

Presentation

Scapegoat cave system in Montana
– Daryl about history.
— Montana Cave, resurvey started by Daryl in mid 2000s.
– Maurice on this year’s event:
— 1 mile of survey completed.
— cliff leads remain unchecked
— dye trace connects Kathy’s Icebox to One More Day
— 16 participants
— pizza party
– Daryl Greaser and Brian Gindling are who to contact to get involved.

Trip reports

• Maurice caved on Vancouver Island with VIGEG. Noah, Joe, Megan, and Richard joined from WA. A river passage, people brought inflatable boats. (Dreamtime Cave, Minigill Cave).
• Lee Florea went to Rhino cast on columbia plateau. “Blue Lake Rhino Cave”.
  • Size is about 6′ x 7′
  • Formed by lava creating a cast around the rhino
• Grout Trout Lake Haloween: ~35ish people.
  • Aidan had rope cannon in Dynamited:
    • It was shot over a lava bridge but lob wasn’t heavy enough to properly rig
    • It was resplendent, however
    • Video of event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWg4rArg938
  • Cheese cave had an excellent late-night Halloween costume party
  • Eric squeezed 10 people into a Prius to do a glow-stick cave trip
• Eric Jorgenson went to Hell’s Canyon. Idaho cavers have the info: 70 caves. Small, well decorated. Next trip in spring.
• Eric, Sarah, Chandler pushed crack on Excelsior Ridge Trail
  • pits are in a line/tectonic cave (don’t show in lidar)
  • lots of rockfall hazard
  • found some mushrooms
• Aidan and Sarah and some new cavers went to Church Mountain Cave.
  • It was very wet
• Richard joined a VICEG group trip to Thanksgiving cave:
  • VICEG has a cabin by Thanksiving cave (has RUNNING WATER)
  • looking to be resurveyed (most recent map was 1986)
  • “all walking passage” high consequence/crevasses etc
  • 30 min south of Tasus (100 miles down a dirt road from Campbell river)
  • LONG approaches from WA
• Survey training to Dynamited:
  • Lee taught
  • many attendees and learned alot!

Annonucements

Holiday party

• Sunday 12/10 @ Lumber House brewery (~4-10 PM)
• Jake Earl’s Brewery (Black Diamond WA)

Screening of movie at Subterranian

• Monday 11/20 @ 9 PM
• special early screening!
• Won best adventure @ Banff
• Grand Illusion Cinema (U District Seattle)

USFS changing climbing rules

• Lee Florea announced that USFS is looking to change climbing rules and we may wish to comment
• https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public/CommentInput?project=ORMS-3524
• Review on guidance on hard point installations for climbing (includes caving & rock climbing)
• Comment period ends: 1/16/2024 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Standard Time)

Planned trips

Jackman creek cave

• possible stream passage to survey (?)
• “accessible” winter caving

Lime hill

• 2k ft elevation, so may be accessible
• SE corner of WA (along hells canyon)

Cave ridge

• Maurice planning a snowshoe/ski trip up Cave ridge (at some point in Dec/Jan)

Business meeting

New Business

Elections

• will create a google doc for each position
• Talon will send out code to all people and vote similarly to past year
  • every paid member may vote
  • independent third party will be count votes
• five positions open:
  • president
  • vice president
  • secretary
  • treasurer
  • member at large (tie break vote)

Nominations:

• open now until day after holiday party

Voting:

• will be from day after holiday party until end of December

Transfer:

• first meeting of 2024 (in Jan) Executive committee will transfer over to new one

Holiday party

• to assist, contact Eric (cleaning/prep/potlock)
• sarah may run caver storytelling
• maurice making a carpool doc
• can hang rope from ceiling (maybe pre-party activities?)
• contact Sarah to be involved in holiday party stuff
• Dusty may give presentation about rope for Newton at the party

Meeting schedule:

hybrid meetings are popular (probably we want to continue with these)

• new Executive committee should come up with new meeting schedule
• can be difficult for people out of town to make it on Fridays

Grotto newsletter

• Daryl is retiring (after winning 5 ribbons)
• all newsletters on the website!
• trip reports can be put without much difficulty into the newsletter
• Daryl: maintain & preserve our legacy as pdfs; critical!
• Sarah: we have been to places that fewer people have been than even the moon; we need to document it