Sat, Sep 13 2014 - Warsaw Caves - Let's go spelunking! (View Original Event Details)
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What a fun day we had! Despite the predicted rain and cool temperatures, 16 excited members met at Kennedy Station to head to Warsaw Caves Conservation Area. There were 2 others who were meeting at the event. Upon arrival at the Conservation Area, we did a quick head count to ensure we had all 18 present, a short briefing was provided, and we departed for the caves. Upon arrival to Cave #1, we very quickly discovered that these caves were not big caverns that we would walk through and explore; these caves required crawling, squeezing, squishing, pushing and pulling. The inside of the caves, although not as cold or damp as expected, were extremely slippery and somewhat treacherous. Caution was required as any slip or fall could be disastrous. The large group entered Cave #1, and although we had a description provided upon entry, we could not locate the tunnel leading to Cave #2. After hanging out in the dark for a while and exploring every potential cavern for the way forward, the group backtracked and at this point, we decided to split up and visit different caves to avoid large bottlenecks. After 2 hours of exploration, I am pleased to report that no injuries were reported although I'm sure there are some bruises to report today! Everyone seemed to have a blast making their way through these obstacle courses under the ground. After spelunking, we headed back to the cars to grab our lunches and made our way to the large, covered picnic area. Car pool was sorted out and then we split into two groups. One group of 3 went canoeing and the other 15 of us headed off for a hike. We all agreed to meet back at the parking lot at 4:00pm. The hiking was lovely; the weather improved during the hike and we covered almost 10km of trail including a quick visit to the 'kettles'. Upon meeting back up with the canoeists who reported a wonderful paddle down the Indian River, we gathered for a group photo. Then everyone said their goodbyes and the 4 cars headed back to the city. All in all, it was a great day, and I will definitely run this event again next year as an overnight. $16 was collected in voluntary donations.
Have some photos from this event that you'd like to share in our photo album? Please forward them to Erik Sonstenes at photos@torontooutdoorclub.com. Please note that we prefer to receive the photos in approximately 640x480 or 750x500 pixels - do NOT send original high-res photos. If you have a LOT of photos, please submit up to twenty of your favorites (only) for a day event, or up to forty of your favourites for a multi-day event. Thank you.