September 13, 2008 marked the NR Club's second annual caving trip down in Southern Indiana.  The goal of such a trip is always to expose students to new challenges they won't likely get otherwise; it's about temporarily leaving your comfort zone.  Small groups are best for caving, but if we have as much interest as we did this year from people that wanted to go but had conflicts with the White River Cleanup, we might try to make it two weekends in the future so more students can participate.  We cave with an experienced caver, Dave Everton, who works for Indiana University but spends every weekend leading groups for free or restoring caves that have been vandalized by those who don't appreciate the natural beauty of karst.   Buckner cave has a few areas of small stalactites ("c" for coming from the ceiling, stalagmites have a "g" for starting on the ground), commonly known as soda straws.  The straws are only a couple inches long and drip water onto our heads occasionally, reminding us that the cave is still alive and growing.  Unfortunately, the sad truth of this cave and many is that it was a favorite party spot for Bloomington residents for dozens of years and there is hardly a room that hasn't been "decorated" with spray paint, clay spit wads on the ceilings, beautiful calcite "manipulated," and smoke writing, and don't forget the beer bottles of those wise enough to mix caving and drinking.  Note: It can take hours and hours to get a stretcher out of a 16-inch crawlway. 

            The club spent Friday tent camping at a state park, playing Frisbee, swimming by night, and making a campfire for s'mores despite the dampness and pending storm.  After a light breakfast Saturday morning, we drove to Buckner cave, now protected by a conservancy, and "suited up" for getting dirty safely.  Part of our caving expedition involved assisting in the sandblasting project by using the equipment to blast sand onto surfaces destroyed by graffiti, which just wears off the top layer, removing the "art."  Others sifted through the already-blasted sand to get the larger particles out so that we could reuse the sand again because those of us who carried in 25-lb bags of sand appreciate the reuse of sand.  Others picked up trash or swept up human-overused areas of the cave.   The rest of the trip challenged our bodies as we literally belly-crawled, crab walked, rolled, and occasionally walked through a mere mile of cave.  You tried any method you could imagine to avoid crawling on your knees too long.

            All in all, we spent about five hours underground.  All participants reported enjoyment and soreness!