Endless Mud and Underground Fun: High School Students Explore Silers Cave

Students and staff pose in front of a large "flowstone", created gradually by mineral-rich water trickling down the walls in Silers Cave near Martinsburg, West Virginia.

On Saturday, April 11th, a small group of high schoolers ventured out to West Virginia for a unique opportunity to explore a “wild cave”! These caves are different from many more popular, commercially visited caves in the area, because they have been preserved and undeveloped, with the intent to maintain their natural beauty, along with the habitat for the organisms and geologic formations that they critically support. Visitors won’t find any railings, walkways, lights, or widened entrances here, but they will find plenty of challenges and adventure!

West Virginia is an ideal place to explore wild caves and all the wonder they bring with them, as the mountain state has countless rivers that flow through rock, while carrying lots of annual rainfall. Most importantly, the Earth’s crust in this part of Appalachia contains many layers of limestone, a soft sedimentary rock that is easily eroded and dissolved by interacting with water. Over hundreds of thousands to millions of years, this process has formed a vast network of caves, which are still being discovered and mapped!

From left to right: Douha and Douaa pose for a photo in their matching headlamps, while Maia and Brooklynn admire an array of stalactites, stalagmites, and columns in "The Pool Room".

Before entering the cave, students got the chance to learn about these processes that shape their world in so many ways. The group was guided by Cheryl and Earl Suitor, who worked alongside WKA staff and other experienced cavers, to create a special and safe experience for the group. Cheryl and Earl are highly active and knowledgeable members of the National Speleological Society (NSS), along with several affiliated local caving organizations including the Central Appalachian Cave Rescue Team (CACRT). They taught the group about safe caving practices, communication and teamwork while traveling underground, and how to observe and care for the precious and delicate structures found in caves.

Wearing protective gear from head to toe and a small backpack with just the essentials, Douha descends carefully into the cave entrance.

After descending into the cave one by one, students turned on their headlamps and committed to getting dirty! With a small but short squeeze to get into the main passageway, the group was able to walk upright through most of the cave as Cheryl and Earl led the way. Students learned how to crawl through longer tunnels, as well as how to use walls and their bodies to travel efficiently through “chimneying”. The group even got to experience complete and total darkness! At the end of lunch break, everyone turned off their headlamps at once, and remained silent for an undefinable amount of time. This was an extremely powerful exercise in both group trust and mindfulness. Students and leaders alike shared the darkness and silence, learning to embrace it and to feel safe as part of the group. Some reported an elevated sense of sound and touch, even hearing their own heartbeat or their blood pumping between their ears!

With guidance and safe spotting from expert cavers, Brooklynn pushes her feet into the wall to chimney her way across a tricky section.

The group became more and more accustomed to getting mud on every surface of their clothes: gloves, kneepads and chest covered from crawling, and shoes drenched in mud from sinking into puddles of clay. But as the trip progressed, everyone began to have more fun with the mud, a few times even using it to make little sculptures! Students gained more and more confidence moving through the cave, which served as a great reminder that everyone can feel at home in nature, and that it can empower us to overcome scary things and learn about ourselves.

From left to right: WKA staff member Matt, students Douaa, Douha, Maia, Brooklynn, and WKA staff member Kaya, celebrate the accumulation of mud on their caving clothes, after emerging out of the cave and into the fresh air.

Wilderness Kids would like to again thank Cheryl and Earl for guiding us so safely and thoughtfully through Silers cave, as well as Jim McConkey of the Mid-Atlantic Karst Conservancy (MAKC), which carefully manages Silers cave, and allowed Wilderness Kids to explore it! We appreciate you for helping provide these awe-inspiring moments to our students.