Caving, Horizontal Caving, Camp Caving Programs, Caving in TN, Caving in GA, Caving in AL,

The Adventure Guild offers Caving?
This is not really recent news. The Adventure Guild has been running wild group cave trips for years. It is our belief that many in the caving community frown on such activities, and may make wrong assumptions regarding our values and ethics regarding the underground environment. Because of that we'd like to go on record and say that we understand and respect the very fragile environments that exist beneath our feet. For that reason, we've established solid guidelines for our cave trips in order to do our part to protect those environments. First, we only use caves that are widely know to be "sacrifice" caves, that is, those caves that over the years, have already been used, abused, cleaned up, and that continue to see quite a bit of traffic. Secondly, we do not announce the names of the caves we use, their whereabouts, nor offer any form of direction to them. Thirdly, as a matter of policy, all participants are required to wear helmets with headlights, gloves, specific clothing, and are given strict instruction on what can and cannot be done while inside the cave. Fourthly, we practice and teach a sound Leave No Trace Ethic. Fifthly, we have limits on the number of people in the group, age limits, and time limits. And sixthly, we do not venture into the arena of vertical caving at all. Cave rescues take massive amounts of time, resources and manpower, so we do due diligence to make sure that we will not need to be rescued.

So the greater and more important question should be, "Why does The Adventure Guild offer cave trips?"
As in all aspects of our programming, we use the outdoors as a means to teach, instruct, and motivate people to reach higher and develop potential. The Chattanooga area is one of the finest locations in the country to discover the subterranean world. Going underground is so foreign to most people that the range of emotions can be exhilarating. Confronting the fear of the unknown is one powerful feature that we work around. It is the application of the risk vs reward model of adventure education that makes a caving experience so powerful. Why do we take people into caves? It's simple. We take people into caves because it positively impacts their lives. And to us, that's a really good reason.

The Chattanooga / Tri-State area is one of the finest places in the country to discover the world beneath our feet! The unique geologic strata in our area is a veritable "swiss cheese" of caverns, caves and passages, that sometimes house underground lakes and streams. It's rare for most people to consider that such wonderful and fantastic places exist, let alone that they might be able to venture into them. The Adventure Guild provides opportunities for individuals and groups to do just that! Options and locations vary. Cave trips can be provided as a stand alone activity, or as part of a larger program or retreat. Group size is typically limted to 12 persons per caving session (that is, not more than 12 in a cave at a time), which makes it a perfect option for adding into a rotation of activities during a larger event or retreat.

One might think that a caving excursion is all slippery, muddy, fun. However, a trip into a cave can be a very powerful experience for participants. It is an experience that is shot through with real-life analogies that can be presented, discussed and applied in debriefing sessions, both during and after the activity in order to maximize the impact.

Group Pricing: $50 per person (6 minimum, 12 maximum)