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!

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

FALL VAR 2024 HAS UNFORTUNATELY BEEN CANCELED DUE TO HURRICANE THREAT - PLEASE DO NOT GO THERE! The VAR Business Meeting will still take place Sunday at 10:00 AM on Zoom. See the Listserv for more info.

Fall VAR 2024
Sept. 27-29, Hungry Mother Lutheran Camp

Hosted by the Out of Bounds Grotto

Registration

Pre-registration is $50 and includes dinner. Register now!

Camping

Plenty of room for camping. There are a couple bunkhouses that will be available first come, first served for larger groups, if requested. RVs are allowed, but there are no hookups available.

Dogs

Well behaved and managed furry friends are allowed.  No pets allowed in buildings, owners must clean up after their pets and be in control of the owner at all times.

Cell Service

The site has no cell connectivity or wifi, please come prepared to interact with each other.

Alcohol

BYOB, but please embibe discretely and responsibly.

Caving (a work in progress)

Both horizontal and vertical trips will be available.

• Perkins Cave - Washington County, limited trips available, but well worth it!
• Newberry-Banes (vertical) - Where "Veritical Bill" Cuddington pioneered many of the techniques we use to explore today.
• Cyclops Cave - Russell County (vertical) Permits required) ***
• Salamander Cave - Giles County (vertical) Permits required ***
• Buchanan Saltpeter - Smyth County
• Hancock - Smyth County
• Horseshoe Pit - Smyth County (vertical)
• Newberry-Bane - Bland County (vertical)

*** These caves are owned by SCCI. You must request a permit prior to coming to the VAR!

Vendors

• Sophi Reaptress - caving gear

Other Activities

Don’t want to get down and dirty? Don’t blame you; there is so much to do above-ground!

• Marion Farmer's Market, Saturday morning, for locally grown produced you may desire for your meals.
• Float trips on the Holston or Clinch Rivers are with an easy drive.
• Biking on the historic Virginia Creeper Trail is just minutes away.

Dinner

Schedule

Friday - September 27, 2024

• Registration opens @ 14:00
• Self-guided cave trips
• Trip sign-ups @ 20:00
• Campfire – After Dark

Saturday - September 28, 2024

• Guided and self-guided cave trips
• Dinner @ 18:00
• Evening Program @ 19:30
  Mike Ficco will be giving a presentation on the Omega System, Virginias longest/deepest cave.
  Katarina Ficco will be talking about the discovery of Petra, the prehistoric American cheetah discovered in Lee County
• Cave Movie @ 21:00

Sunday - September 29, 2024

• VAR Business Meeting @ 09:00
• Site Closes @ 12:00
• Self-guided cave trips

Social

Facebook Event (You must join the OBG Facebook Group).

Directions

See OBG's website, and scroll to the bottom.

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