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continued
The VPI Grotto Orgy got its start at Bob Robins' Ranch in 1964-65 with Bob Thompson, Tom Bell and R.E. Whittemore wielding guitars. Songs sung included old folk ballads recorded by Joan Baez, Woody Guthrie, Johnny Cash, and Doc Watson and of course, the club's favorites like 'Rum by Gum' and "Charlotte' and 'The Falcon "Many of the activities begun by Gregg Marland were kept up by R.E. Whittemore after Gregg left. Whitt became editor of the TECH TROGLODYTE, and instituted the quarterly club project. With the help of Ed Bauer, he organized the 15th annual VAR meeting in Blacksburg. At the same time the grotto's interest in regional and national functions increased tremendously through the efforts of Ed Bauer who was instrumental in establishing contacts between VPI and other groups. "--Frieders /Barlow. It was Ed who initiated the VPI Grotto banquet in 1966, and who improved relations between VAR and MAR by organizing regional gatherings at Aqua Campground.
In 1965 the club's treasurer, J. Craig Peters, drew up a grotto patch with a troglodyte framed inside a carabiner and brake bar. In an effort to save money, Craig sent the drawing to a Japanese outfit. For many years the members had a patch with a slant-eyed ape on it.
The first picnic, 1964, was had in the canyon below the Cascades. This was in the days when adventurers hiked in from the top, and a small wooden cabin on the right side of the steep path to the bottom of the falls was still in existence. Activities at this picnic, to which all edibles were hauled in by brawny muscle, chiefly centered on ropes dropped from the top of the canyon walls and the daredevils who descended on them.
Early in 1965, during a hiking trip on the Appalachian Trail from Sinking Creek Mountain to Paris Mountain, R.E. Whittemore and Paul Helbert decided that Trout Creek Shelter would be an excellent picnic site. The first year all except the food truck crossed the stream by foot; Whitey Eubank was thrown in the creek for having gotten married; and there was a guitar-accompanied song fest which lasted until all hours. For many years after that, VPI Grotto members and friends enjoyed picnics at Trout Creek Shelter.
| VPI Cave Club project, fall 1969. Surrounding Whittover maps at Douglas Wayside are Steve Hall, Tom Roerh, John Powers, Sara Critzer, (in hat) Karl Berge, Russ Peterson, Craig Ellenfield, Gur turenne. Photo by J. W. Dawson |
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Another early VPI caver, William E. Abriel wrote to tell us "I was quite an active member of the club from 1940-43. I suppose there was always some caving going on at Tech as the area has so many holes, but I believe the Cave Club was first formed in 1941. The president was the most active member. He was a civilian student, rare in those days, and had a rather battered pickup truck which we used for trips. The group was small, a trip with eight to ten members would be a big outing. There were several girl students, also rare in those days, who came on some trips.
"We usually wore sneakers for footgear and always had wet feet. Any old clothes, usually jeans and sweaters, jackets or sweatshirts were worn and we always seemed to get very dirty. We each had carbide miner's lamp with a spare can of carbide, and of course water was never a problem. The lamps and carbide were readily available in Blacksburg at the local hardware store.
One VPI caver, Clifford G. Dorn, Class of 1944, wrote the following:
Greg Marland, winter 960--61. Photo by E. W. Bauer. |
"Our equipment was 100 feet of rope and a can of carbide; that's all the club owned. We each bought our own carbide lamps. We always travelled in a stake-bed truck (rented) with straw for cushions. We all had carbide lamps and a candle for emergencies. No hard hats. Each party was less than ten and had a leader as well as an assistant leader. The assistant brought up the rear. Each person had a number (one to ten), and we counted off periodically. The assistant and leader had to have experience; at first it was only from Nellie's Hole. I don't remember the name Clover Hollow, but it might be the cave where we went in on a 70 foot rope ladder and had to carry two girls out, up that ladder. They had claustrophobia and exhaustion. Our favorite cave was New River. We took all our beginners there. One group even spent the night in the big 'ballroom' of the cave. The blind fish, waterfall, and calcite stalactites were fabulous. We held our meetings in the geology teacher's office. He liked to show off his 'Rube Goldberg' attachments, such as a remote window shade pull cord, that he worked from his desk. Oh. yes, one other item: We kept a record book of our time underground. We logged in and out. I had 200 hours (all unlighted caves). Never slept in one either. I was at VPI from 1940-43. and again after the war in 1946 when I graduated."---Letter January 21, 1946. continued
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During the 25th anniversary of the VPI Grotto in 1968, the TECH TROGLODYTE presented a history of the club. Henry H. Wiss, a former member of the club, and currently an architecture professor at the school, recalled some of the early days:
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