Since I found out we had won the grant a month and a half ago I have been excited to do anything outside. Anything, go climbing, skiing, and we have even taken one caving trip. Everything seems to be new and exciting after finding out that this summer I will be spending a month in one of the premier spelunking areas in the world. That combined with the coming of summer and I am more excited to go exploring than ever before. However there is more to the planning phase of an expedition than excitement, I've discovered.

We, in order to talk with the NOLS leader (Del Smith) as a group have had to find time to get the three of us together in one spot. That is not too difficult but there are always obstacles such as: school, work, and trips out of town. Also I have always seemed to give the communication involving the grant priority over my homework, that has made for some late nights. Also I have never gone on a self-sustained trip for more than two weeks, so planning food for a month, and working out exact days months in advance is an entirely new game to me.

Looking back at writing the actual proposal, I realize that was what took the most time of any of this. First we had to do hours worth of research on the Internet. After finding a few cavers' E-mail addresses we asked them for a telephone number so we could call them for information. Upon calling them we were informed of just how regulated this area is. Also, one gave us Ransom Turner's (Cave Specialist for Lincoln National Forest) phone number. From there we just kept trying the different people we hoped to contact. Finally after numerous revisions and additions we were done. It was fun to learn that much and write the proposal, but it was also very tiring. I am greatly awaiting July seventh, the day we fly off and begin unquestionably the most ambitious and amazing expedition I have ever undertaken.

Nate Fuller
Equipment Manager

I am eager to begin my experiments with the new flash equipment. There are some fun technical toys that I am fairly unexperienced with using. I have begun discussing various techniques with photographers of a higher caliber. I am also greatly looking forward to see which films will yield the best results as I am now working with films and color theory.

Nate, Scott, and myself have planned a trip to the local caves to try out all our new toys. I have received the hiking boots and am anxious to break them in. I have received the shirts and hats.

By now most people in my relatively small town have heard of us, and if not we have the hats.

Signing Off,

David Kaplan
Food Manager and Photographer

Winning the Adventure Grant was one of the greatest surprises I had ever experienced. After winning I have been filled with enthusiasm towards anything involving exploring the outdoors, especially caving. Shortly after winning the grant Nate and I took a trip to two eastern Wyoming wilderness caves. This experience gave us a little taste of what was ahead and made the level of anticipation grow.

Over the last month and a half I have realized just how much goes into planning and preparing for an expedition of this magnitude. Many challenges have arisen, ranging from overly restricted caves, to figuring out just how much food we are going to need to survive. These small, unforeseen problems have kept the planning stage of the expedition very exciting and moving at a very fast pace. Though things are progressing rapidly am anxiously counting down the days to July seventh, the day we leave for New Mexico.

Scott McCoy
Logistics Manager