Raccoon Mountain Cave Camping

Our next pack camping trip will be camping at Raccoon Mountain Cave  http://wildcave.com

We will meet there at 6 PM Saturday March 6, 2010 to check-in (be sure to eat dinner on the way!).  We'll enter the cave and take the tour at 7pm.  The tour lasts 4 hours.  After the tour we'll set up our sleeping bags in the cave and spend the night.  The trip includes a continental breakfast in the morning.  We'll break camp Saturday morning.

Directions:
If coming from I-75 (Atlanta or Knoxville): Exit onto I-24 (westbound towards Chattanooga) and go just over 10 miles to exit #174. Turn right at the bottom of the ramp then go 1.3 miles and our entrance will be on your left. Come to the Gift Shop to check -in.

The Address is: 319 West Hills Dr, Chattanooga, TN 37419 The Phone number is: 423-821-9403

What to bring:

Please have your wavier signed before you show up. Go to http://wildcave.com Go down the left hand side, Wavier's is at the bottom Print out and sign the approprite ones

• No expensive clothing! The tour can be rugged, wet, and muddy with occasional walking in several inches of water.
• Wear long pants. Blue jeans work well, but coveralls, overalls, or work pants are acceptable. Please do not wear anything with an elastic waist as they tend to be pulled down (or even off) when belly crawling.
• Please do not bring paper-type disposable coveralls as they tear easily and offer virtually no protection.
• Wear either a long-sleeved T-shirt or a short-sleeved T-shirt with a flannel shirt over it. Sweat pants and jackets tend to be too hot. Please remember that, even though the cave is always 60 degrees, you can get hot and even break a light sweat during the crawls.
• Hiking boots or high top sneakers (no street shoes). Boots or athletic shoes with good traction are necessary. Worn out, slick sneakers are dangerous! No shoes with cleats as, while they give traction in the mud, are dangerous on bare rocks.
• We will provide you with helmets, gloves, and kneepads to use. This equipment is essential and must be worn during the tour.
• Eyeglasses tend to fog up when you are staying still but clear up with movement. Consider bringing an elastic sport strap to hold your glasses on while you are caving.
• Complete change of clothes as you will probably get dirty.
• A plastic bag for dirty clothes and gear
• You will need to bring a sleeping bag or bed roll, small pad (camping pads work very well, and a plastic sheet, such as a cheap drop cloth you can throw away. Please make sure that the plastic does not have any paint chips on it as they will stick to the cave floor and might upset the delicate ecosystem within the cave.
• Clean clothes to sleep in. Sweat pants, sweatshirts, and warm socks work well. While people stay warm during the tour even though the cave is a constant 60 degrees, they quickly lose body heat to the ground. If you chill easily, we suggest you pack an extra jacket.
• Small flashlight for campsite after tour. Glow sticks are good for those who do not enjoy total darkness.
• We are allowed to carry water (water only) and snacks. The snacks cannot be crumbly like crackers or granola) Use soft granola bars or candy bars. (leave no trace)
• We sleep near the entrance but back in the cave a little.
• The bath room will be close. There are showers available out side of the cave for our use.