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Sunday 6/22/2025 Geology Field Trips

Schoharie and Albany Counties, NY Geology Field Trip

Join local geologists for a fun and informative geologic tour in Schoharie and Albany counties, NY emphasizing the interaction between karst and glaciation.  View the magnificent Middleburgh Valley floor 500 feet below the surface of Proglacial Lake Schoharie that left varved clays in preglacial caves.  Visit McFails woods with its dynamic insurgences to NSS-owned McFails Cave.  Peer down into the footprint of Glacial Lake Albany from historic Thacher Park and imagine the high cliffs being overridden by glaciers over 2000 feet thick.  Imagine the vast interglacial forest fire that thrived well over 50,000 years ago and subsequent subglacial meltwater flows that carried charcoal-laced sediments into Clarksville Cave through multiple relict inputs.  Step into the heavily scalloped meltwater outflow conduit of Joralemons Cave and envision the force of 200 cfs roaring past - outflow from a melting ice lobe impounded behind a debris-laden recessional moraine, mindful of its former cave bear occupant.  Ramble amidst enormous boulders shed off melting ice that once flanked a shallow proglacial lake that coursed through Joralemons Cave. Pre-Registration is required and available on our "Register" link.  All attendees should bring a water bottle, a single flashlight, insect spray, a rain coat (depending on forecast) and should wear sturdy hiking shoes.  Please contact Emily Davis (Emily@speleobooks.com) if you have any dietary restrictions.

Geology and karst of the Adirondacks (Currently Sold Out)

Also on Sunday, a geology field trip will head north and acquaint participants with the geology of the Adirondacks and of some of the marble caves and karst scattered about the east side of the Adirondack Park.  Due to the nature of the terrain, this field trip will use vans and will be limited in size. Pre-Registration is required.

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Convention Week Workshops

Sketching Workshop

Have you been on a survey team, and always wanted to learn to do the sketching part? Join us 8AM Monday morning and get an introduction to sketching. The class will be split between digital sketching using Topodroid, and analog sketching using paper and protractor. You can choose to do one or the other. Topodroid students must bring their own device with a stylus running Topodroid 6.2.44-34 or later. Analog students may bring a Rite in the Rain All Weather 6 ring binder (No200) and a Roberson Cave Compass V2 (available at cavecompass.com) and 3 pencils. Paper will be provided. Classroom portion will be limited to 50 students total. The In-Cave portion will be limited to the first 10 people to sign up at 8AM for digital and analog formats. Pre-Registration is required and available on our "Register" link.

Speleology for Cavers: $45

Come learn the difference between the strike and the dip, vadose and phreatic, and the birds and the bats. Bring home with you the geologic differences between caves in the Black Hills and those in the Appalachians, the meaning to cavers of Bogli’s mixing corrosion, and the difference between the lifestyles of Riparia riparia and Peri-myotis subflavus. Experts in speleology will lecture on geology, geochemistry, karst hydrology, biology, and paleontology. The course will go the full day and extensive course notes on a USB drive will be provided to participants. Pre-Registration is required and available on our "Register" link.

Discover Vertical Caving: $30

The Vertical Section’s annual workshop that introduces new and prospective vertical cavers to the fundamentals of vertical gear and the rope climbing systems used underground. This is a beginner-level workshop, and no previous rope experience or vertical gear is needed to attend. Attendees will be introduced to single rope technique (SRT) in a safe and controlled environment.

What this workshop is…
• A beginner-level introduction to the functions of vertical gear (ascenders, descenders, etc.) and how it works on rope.
• On rope demonstrations of the various vertical caving systems (frog, Texas, ropewalker, etc)
• An opportunity for students to try different vertical systems and climb rope using each type.
• A welcoming space to ask questions about all-things-vertical-caving: gear, safety, Concepts and rationale, e.g., “What does ___ mean anyway?”, etc.
• First steps toward becoming a vertical caver!
What this workshop does NOT do…
• Train or certify students for vertical caving.
• Teach ropework maneuvers necessary for safe vertical caving (i.e., changeovers, passing obstacles on rope, etc.).
• Cover rescue-related topics.

This workshop will divide the attendees into small learning groups and rotate through stations, at which they will be introduced to a different vertical system. The leaders guiding this workshop are active and reputable vertical cavers from diverse backgrounds. They are knowledgeable about the pros/cons of each system, the current options for gear available on the market, and –most importantly — major safety considerations for specific types of gear. Multiple female leaders will be involved with the workshop and leading stations. All learners will be gearing-up in various vertical caving systems and climbing ropes, so please wear suitable clothes and closed-toe footwear. Participants must provide their own helmet — caving, rock climbing, or bicycle helmets are all acceptable.

The workshop is approximately 8 hours long, including a break for lunch. Pre-Registration is required and available on our "Register" link.

Cave Formation Repair and Restoration Workshop $30

Instructed by Mike Mansur, NSS #26393CL FE CO
2022 Recipient of the NSS Victor A. Schmidt Conservation Award

There are untold numbers of broken cave formations in the world’s caves. The majority of these were caused by human impact, with a small amount resulting from natural causes. We, as cavers and scientists, want to do as much as possible to repair, restore and conserve these damaged resources. The Cave Formation Repair and Restoration Workshop will help train and educate people on techniques and tools that we use to make formation repairs. Day one will be a three-hour classroom training session, with workstations set up to prepare the participants on the use of the tools and techniques that we use to make repairs to broken cave formations. Day two will be a Field Trip to a local cave where the Speleothem Repair Workshop participants will get hands on training repairing broken formations.

Mike Mansur’s book, The Cave Formation Repair Project: Restoring the Beauty of America’s Great Caves, will be used as the textbook for the class. The $30 registration fee includes a signed copy of his book. Registration is required and available on our "Register" link.

Cave Photography Workshop: $25

Instructed by Ryan Maurer. Pre-Registration is required and available on our "Register" link.

Join The Junior Speleological Society (JSS). For youth 7 to 17 years old. We’ll explore hydropower to generate electricity as well as form caves.  See valleys from hiking and park vistas.  Search for clues pointing to possible hidden caves.  Scour up close in multiple places to spot fossils.  We’ll investigate wild caves and a commercial cave. Challenge your body at Wild Play ariel adventure course. Mine for Herkimer Diamonds in an open quarry and keep the crystals you find.  Cave Sim, JSS Olympics, scavenger hunts and more are planned.  Learn from a variety of adult experts about vertical climbing, cave photography, geology, biology and cave rescue.  Have a passion for a topic? Connect with us to prepare a 10-minute talk by a JSS member for JSS members.  Join in the planning with your ideas. Celebrate along the way with the NSS Howdy Party, a special JSS themed-party, NSS Campground Party, NSS Salons, NSS Banquet and JSS-slideshow as wrap-up to this JSS scientific meeting. Adult volunteers are needed and appreciated! Please contact Bonnie (518) 309-0621, bonniemschultz@gmail.com if you have a few hours or a day to chaperone and/or assist. Adult family members of JSS participants are encouraged to participate in all JSS events.

Luminary Speakers Are Bruce Smith, Allen Cressler and Cobleskill’s Own Lifetime Caver Bob Addis. Bob is a former long serving board member and recipient of the Victor A. Schmidt Conservation Award. Those who know Bob also know he has many tales to share! From co-founding Bob & Bob Enterprises and the Northeastern Cave Conservancy to starting and acting as the MC of the OTR Do Dah parade, he has alway been at the heart of matters in the caving community. As Bob likes to say, you can never have too much fun. Other luminaries include Bruce Smith and Jim Pisarowicz. We can’t wait to hear from this year’s luminaries!

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Pre-Camps and Post-Camps

You may now sign up for these camps in the shopping cart:

Adirondack Pre-Camp

The Niagara Frontier Grotto is pleased to host a caving event June 17-22 at the Cabins at Chimney Mountain near Indian Lake, NY, about 2.5 hours north of the convention site in Cobleskill. Led trips will be provided to Eagle Cave, the Burroughs Cave System, Crane Mountain Cave, and possibly others. There will be directions available for many self-led cave trips in the area as well. Plan for lots of hiking, as the shortest distance from the road to a cave is a mile. In addition to caving, there are many excellent hikes available in the 6-million-acre Adirondack Park. A group campsite will be provided (bring your own tent) along with shared access to one of the small cabins at the site for cooking and showers. Additional cabins are also available at 10% off the published price for those that want a solid roof over their head and a real bed for the event. The camp location is on Kings Flow, a 194-acre lake, at the trailhead to Chimney Mountain and Eagle Cave (a large fracture cave). There is rock climbing at the Chimney and many other smaller caves are adjacent to the peak. Cost is $75 per person and includes Saturday dinner. The maximum number of participants is limited to 20, so reserve your spot now. Contact Ben Brown, (585) 490-1256, ben@ontariosurplus.com for more information.

Schoharie County Post-Camp

The Helderberg Hudson Grotto invites you to a post convention camp in Schoharie County.  This camp will offer both vertical and horizontal caves emphasizing the caves owned by the NSS and the Northeastern Cave Conservancy.  Attendees will either stay at the new James Gage Karst Preserve cabin or tent at Speleobooks only 18 miles from the convention site.  We will offer led and self led trips starting about noon on Saturday June 28 from the Gage Cabin.  Trips will also go out on Sunday and Monday.  Breakfasts and dinners will be served on the lawn at Speleobooks starting dinner Saturday and will run until breakfast on Monday.
The price of this camp is $50.00 and includes two dinners and two breakfasts.  The camp is limited to 20 people.