About the Author

I have been a caver for over thirty years, becoming involved through the Terrapin Trail Club at the University of Maryland, where I also met my wife Mary Anne. We quickly found our way to the Potomac Speleological Club (PSC) and remained active until distracted by the demands of our four children. As the kids got older I was able to start getting back into caving with the boys and now that they are all in college or out on their own we are able to spend more time caving again. Most of my caving these days seems to be cave digging and surveying - its amazing how much cave we missed in the old days. I also keep busy as membership chairman and now board chairman of PSC. My primary caving affiliations these days are listed below:

Bob & Mary Anne Relaxing outside Cave Mountain Cave (Photo by Joel Sneed, 2001)

Baltimore Grotto - the Baltimore, Maryland area chapter of the National Speleological Society (NSS), dedicated to the exploration, study and conservation of caves. Meets the first Wednesday of each month at the University of Maryland Baltimore County in Catonsville, Maryland.

DC Grotto - the District of Columbia Grotto (DCG), a local chapter of the National Speleological Society (NSS), is an organization dedicated to the exploration, study and conservation of caves. Meets the third Tuesday of each month in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Gangsta Mappers - an informal group of folks from throughout the mid-Atlantic states who like to map caves. The Gangstas are currently resurveying Breathing Cave in Bath County, Virginia and Cassell Cave in Pocahontas County West Virginia on the third weekend of each month.

Germany Valley Karst Survey - an informal group surveying caves, karst and karst features of Germany Valley, West Virginia on the second weekend of each month.

National Speleological Society (NSS #14252) - the NSS was founded for the purpose of advancing the study, conservation, exploration, and knowledge of caves. An annual convention is held each summer in different parts of the United States.

Potomac Speleological Club  (PSC #255) - the second largest independent organization of cavers in the United States, the PSC is dedicated to caving, conservation and the science of Speleology. The PSC meets on the second and fourth Mondays of each month in Arlington, Virginia.