Help DC Grotto celebrate our 85th birthday and 85 years of organized caving in the United States!
Registration
Download the Registration Form and send it in now! Pre-registration deadline is Tuesday, April 23. You can pay through PayPal or with a check. Details are on the registration form.
If you do not pre-register, you will probably NOT get dinner on Saturday night. Prices if you pre-register are:
- $45 for anyone 17 years and older
- $35 for anyone 7 to 16 years old
- Free for 6 and under
Prices go up $5 after pre-registration closes.
Camping
This year's Spring VAR will be held at the East Fork Campground in Durbin, WV. This campground is nestled between Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad Station and the East Fork of the Greenbrier Riber - bing your fishing poles!
Flush Toilets | Small Grocery Store - 2 miles away |
Hot Showers | Gas Station - 2 miles away |
Dump Station | Adult Beverage Store - 2 miles away |
Municipal Water Sources | Restaurant - across the Street |
Full RV Hookup Sites ($45/night) | Overnight Horse Stables (not included) |
Food & Motel
In our effort to support the community of Durbin, Station 2 Restaurant and Motel, right across the street, will be catering our dinner. Their restaurant will also be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner throughout the entire weekend (on your dime).
If you pre-register, dinner at the campground is included in your registration fee. You will have three options for dinner:
- Pork tenderloin, sald, green beans, mashed potatoes, and roll
- Chicken breast, salad, green beans, mashed potatoes, and roll
- Spaghetti, with or without meat sauce
Dogs
Well-behaved and leashed dogs are welcome! You MUST clean up after your pets. Pets must be kept on a leash and restrained at all times.
Cell Service
Be forewarned! There is NO cell reception at the campground, but on-site Wi-Fi is included. Most phones allow calling over Wi-Fi.
Alcohol
Repectful alcohol use is allowed. BYOB
Caving
Led Cave trips are currently being organized. Sign up for led cave trips Friday evening at the campground. The current list of led trips includes:
- Sharps Cave
- Cave Rat Cave
- Trout Cave (Special opportunity - two trips planned, only open 6 weeks a year!)
- My Cave (vertical)
- Billy Clay Pit (vertical)
- Harpers Pit (intermediate vertical)
- Shoveleater (advanced vertical)
Self-guided trips
- Kee Cave
- New Trout
- Hamilton
- Sinks of Gandy
- Stillhouse Cave
Other Activities
Don’t want to get down and dirty? Don’t blame you; there is so much to do above-ground!
- Greenbank National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 18 minutes away, museum (FREE), Full RV Hookup Sites ($45/night), and Starlight Caft snack shop, 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
- Spruce Knob Observation Tower
- Seneca Rocks Discovery Center, 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
- Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad, the Durbin station is within walking distance of the campground, but there are no rides this weekend. Here is their Facebook Page.
Evening Festivities
TBA
Sunday, May 5
9:00 AM, VAR Business Meeting
Directions
From the north:
I-66 west to I-81 south, take Exit 296 for US-48/VA-55 toward Wardensville, WV, Take the exit toward E Moorefield, turn left onto Old West Virginia 55, turn left onto US-220 S/S Main St, Follow WV-28 S to US-250 N/Staunton Parkersburg Turnpike in Bartow, turn right onto US-250 N/Staunton Parkersburg Turnpike, left onto Nottingham RD and finally a right turn onto Meadow Lane.
From the south:
I-81 North, Take Exit 150 B to merge onto US-220 N toward Fincastle, Merge onto I-64 E, Take Exit 29 for VA-42 N toward VA-269 E, Continue on VA-42 N to Bath County, Turn left onto VA-39 W, Turn right onto US-220 N, Take VA-640 to US-250 W, Follow US-250 W to 2nd Ave in Durbin, left turn onto Nottingham RD and finally a right onto Meadow Lane.
GPS Coordinates
38.544191942385275, -79.82638124199995
Saturday, April 22, 2023
Beginning 9 a.m. (may carry over into Sunday). camping is available Friday and Saturday nights.
Location:
Apple Horse Farm
5921 Hot Springs Road
Hot Springs, VA 24445
Details:
- Lunch and water will be provided Saturday, but please bring your own snacks and extra water
- We'll be cleaning out 3-4 sinkholes
- If you have a truck (or trailer) with a winch and are available for transporting trash from sinkhole to dumpster, please let us know.
Supplies to bring:
- Chainsaws
- Wire cutters
- Weed whackers
- 5-Gal buckets
- Rakes
- Shovels
- Old tarps
- Rope
- Chain with 3/8" sling hook on end of chain
- Tool to separate tires from rims
- Loppers
- Work gloves
- Boots
- Hat
- Sunscreen
- Insect repellent
RSVP - Helps with planning!
merecaver at yahoo dot com
janete at shentel dot net
Saturday, April 26-28, 2024
Download this article as a PDF Flyer.
Beginning Friday afternoon, April 26 for retirees and others, but 9 a.m. Saturday for everyone else (may carry over into Sunday).
Camping is available Friday & Saturday on an adjacent property (caver-owned!)
Location:
47 Low Gap Lane
Bland, VA
Details:
- Lunch and water will be provided Saturday, but please bring your own snacks and extra water
- We'll be cleaning out 3-4 sinkholes
- If you have a truck (or trailer) with a winch and are available for transporting trash from sinkhole to dumpster, please let us know.
Supplies to bring:
- Chainsaws
- Wire cutters
- Weed whackers
- 1-2 step ladders
- 5-Gal buckets
- Rakes
- Shovels
- Old tarps
- Rope
- Chain with 3/8" sling hook on end of chain
- Tool to separate tires from rims
- Loppers
- Work gloves
- Boots
- Hat
- Sunscreen
- Insect repellent
RSVP - Helps with planning!
merecaver at yahoo dot com
janete at shentel dot net
October 21-23, 2022
RASS Field Station
Millboro, VA
Overview
The Fall VAR 2022 is scheduled for October 21-23 at the RASS Field Station, Millboro, VA, hosted by the VPI Cave Club. Details are just starting to become available. Directions and a map were just published on the VARList.
COVID
The Field Station is wide open and should be reasonably safe. Doing the squeezebox two at a time, not so much!
Registration
Pre-registration is now OPEN until October 15. Download the Registration Form now and mail it in before October 8th to make sure it arrives in time. Pre-registration is only $20, with dinner optional for an additional $15. Dinner is only guaranteed to pre-registrants. On-line Registration is also now open, but the prices are slightly higher ($21.00/$36.50) because of processing fees. Onsite registration will be $40.
Camping
The RASS Field Station has 26 acres of open grass for camping, and an outhouse building. Please bring a chair, and everything you will need for the weekend, the site is remote with only a few convenience shops nearby. There will be no on-site recycling. Please plan to carry all your trash and recycling home with you.
Cell Service
Cell service at the site is non-existent to low depending on your carrier. Don't count on it.
Dogs
Yes, well behaved pets and well behaved owners please.
Fires
Allowed ONLY in designated fire rings.
Hotels
Out here? Are you kidding? Maybe in Staunton
Alcohol
BYOB
Caving
Yes!
Wild Caves
Yes! There will be led tours and self led to open caves. See Saturday below for caves. Signup for guided trips starts Friday evening at 9 PM.
Other Activities
Of course! There will be a vertical tower, trails and footpaths around the RASS fieldstation and hikes near by!
Vendors
TBD
Friday, October 21
Arrive and mingle!
9:00 PM - Sign up for Saturday's guided cave trips.
Saturday, October 22
Led Cave Trips
There will be builded trips to Butler, Porters, 5 Springs Cave, and Grapevine.
DIY Cave Trips
Anyone is free to do a self-guilded tour at Island Ford, Crossroads, or Lowmoor Caves throughout the weekend.
Conservation Project
TBD
Dinner
Evening Program
TBD but we are hoping to have one.
DJ
SUNDAY, October 23
Meeting
The VAR business meeting will begin at 9:00 AM. Bring a chair.
Spring Restoration at Endless Caverns
Earth Day Celebration
Who: Cavers of VAR
What: Spring Restoration at Endless Caverns
When: April 23, 2022 at 9 a.m. promptly!
Where: New Market, Virginia (just south of the town at Exit 264 from the North, or 257
from the South off I-81. Take Route 11 to Endless Caverns Road and follow that to the
end)
Why: Maintain caving community ties to local commercial caverns/cave conservancies
and exchange knowledge about good cave conservation techniques
Details About What We’ll Do
Endless Caverns managers are compiling a list of possible chores that may include
algae abatement, trail maintenance/improvement, formation repair, surface sprucing, or
light carpentry. Come prepared to work; bring shovels, rakes, clippers, and work gloves.
Vaccinated and boosted volunteers are preferred.
Camping Info
Free tent camping (bring your own tables and chairs) on April 22-23 (Friday/Saturday)
If you have a camper or RV-type dwelling, there will be a charge.
Based on weather forecasts, consider bringing canopies for meals.
Please let us know if you plan to camp Friday, Saturday, or both nights.
Lunch
VAR will provide a hearty lunch for the participants. Please let Carol
know you are coming so she knows how much food to order. Indicate if you are a
vegetarian. Please us know if you plan to stay for dinner too.
Questions?
Contact Meredith at