This post is intended for cavers who don't know what is so exciting
about attending
an NSS Convention.
Below is only a summary of the main events at an NSS Convention:
Some cavers arrive on Saturday and start camping and meeting people. Sunday
there is a organized Geology trip, which is almost always booked up.
The other
folks either go caving or do touristy things in the vicinity.
Monday is mostly NSS business stuff. Monday night there is usually a big
party with lots of food. The so-called "Howdy Party." Some
say, Texas put
on the best Howdy Party in 1994. But Monday, is your first chance
to see all
the caving vendors, and the latest gear on the market. "On Rope"
or "IMO" usually
has the latest caving gadget. Monday is also the day to
familiarize yourself
with the weekly itinerary and read all the NSS Guidebook. Cavers
usually go
all out on making the Guidebook a memorable keepsake. By Monday evening,
you should have found all your friends campsites and made some new friends.
Cavers will sit around their individual campfires, some till 2 or 3 in
the morning,
every night for the rest of the week.
Tuesday the convention swings into full gear. Lots of exciting
presentations on
the latest caving discoveries that may not yet have been published.
Wednesday during the day, is a good time to watch all the new caving videos.
This could take several hours. You can also look at all the caver
art, the maps, and the photos, that are competing for awards,
Wednesday night is a big campground party. In years past, the world's most
awesome caver rock band - THE TERMINAL SIPHONS, took the stage and
rocked the campground so loud that a few cavers complained.
Thursday night is the big event, The Photo Salon. One of the best slide
shows you will lay your eyes on is shown on a big screen, accompanied by
caver music. It should be all digital from hereon.
Friday, a lot of people pack up there camps. It is your last chance to buy
caver goodies from the vendors.
Friday night is a formal banquet. The NSS puts on it's
professional hat, and gives out prestigious awards to hard-working
dedicated cavers who have contributed to speleology. The food may
be a local cuisine.
A lot of people go home after that. Saturday morning, the campground
is almost vacant. A lot of people go caving Saturday and Sunday if they
can on the way home. Others do touristy things in the area. A handful
of cavers may spend the next week caving in the area.
For a lot of the cavers, the convention is a lot of hardwork and not much
play time. Cavers judge salon entries. Convention organizers run around
resolving last minute glitches. Presenters iron-out the last bugs in their
presentation.
Here is the web-site, one more time:
http://nss2008.com
Now that you know all that,
it is very important to remind you that in 300 something
days, the convention will be in our own back-yard - Kerrville, Texas.
http://www.ics2009.us/
David Locklear
independent armchair caver in Fort Bend County, Texas
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