Connect with us

Virginia

Take a Moonlit Trip Into a Wild Shenandoah Valley Cave

Published

on

Take a Moonlit Trip Into a Wild Shenandoah Valley Cave


Moonlight falls bright and dappled through the cedars as we shimmy into a narrow passage beneath the overhang of a hillside boulder that, in the shaky glow of my 13-year-old daughter Zoë’s headlamp, looks like the probable home of a rogue mountain lion.

“Don’t worry, I’ve been in here a thousand times and can assure you there are no lions, tigers, nor bears,” echoes the voice of Outdoor Adventure Experiences guide, Derek Young, 60, from the opening.  

“Famous last words,” I tell Zoë as we maneuver into a long craggy tunnel that opens to five, six, then ten feet high as we go. Inside the air is a chilly 54 degrees and wet. The walls and floors glisten with moisture and otherworldly limestone formations that seem to have oozed or bubbled into place then hardened. For the next hour, we climb, crawl, creep, or repel up, down, and forward through a subterranean maze of natural staircases, knee-deep springs, jagged ledges, pits, tunnels, and thin passages that open here and there onto cavernous rooms filled with stalactite or stalagmite pillars that gleam eerie and spectacular in the beam of our headlamps.  

We reemerge muddy, elated, and panting onto the starry, moon-bright Bridgewater hillside about two-and-a-half hours later. “Quite a different experience from a visit to Luray, huh?” chuckles Young. 

Advertisement

The veteran spelunker has been leading small-group guided tours—night or day—through wild caves in the Shenandoah Valley and eastern West Virginia for more than 35 years. Most entrances sit on private lands or those managed by the National Forest Service and require special permissions or permits to access. While the karst systems* boast features and formations similar to those in show caves like Luray Caverns or Grand Caverns, these are totally undeveloped. There’s been no digging or blasting to open up corridors; there are no paved walkways, handrails, electric lights, or formal staircases. Excursions are physically demanding, last two to five hours, and range in ability level from beginner to expert. 

“I don’t do this to get rich,” says Young. “I do it because I love it,” adding that the caves are precious natural resources, and “I want to introduce people to them and help them appreciate something beautiful they probably didn’t even know was here.”

Derek Young inside Glade Cave, a beginner-friendly cave in Augusta County, often referred to as Virginia’s muddiest cave. Photography by Kyle LaFerriere

Young was raised in Manassas. He was introduced to caving as a first-year student at James Madison University by a local pastor. 

“He took me to this very spot,” says Young. An adventure similar to ours left him “blown away.” He remembers thinking, “This is the coolest thing ever,” and begged the pastor: “‘Please, please, please take me to every cave you know about!’” 

The experience ignited a lifelong passion. Young explored five wild caves with the pastor then looked for more. He studied geology and took drives through mountain areas searching for limestone cliffs, outcroppings, and caps. When he spotted promising features, he’d stop at a post office, country store, or at nearby homes to ask about caves.

“Believe it or not, that’s how I found probably 80 percent of the caves I’ve been in,” says Young, who’s explored about 30 noteworthy systems in Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky to date. He founded Outdoor Adventure Experiences in 1988 and now does about 50 private tours a year in 14 different caves, in addition to offering guided canoeing, kayaking, and rafting trips—mostly throughout the Shenandoah Valley and Alleghany Highlands. While he enjoys leading adventures for adults, kids and teens are his favorite. 

Advertisement

Back in the Bridgewater field, Zoë beams. And almost on cue, she begs me to take her on another trip.

“You know, geologists say there are likely as many unexplored caves in Virginia as there are ones we know about,” Young tells her. He says it fills his heart with joy to know she could be the first to crawl or step foot in one of them. OutdoorAdventureExperiences.com 


This article originally appeared in the October 2024 issue.



Source link

Advertisement

Virginia

Virginia vs. Arizona State – First Four NCAA tournament extended highlights 

Published

on

Virginia vs. Arizona State – First Four NCAA tournament extended highlights 


Women’s Basketball

March 19, 2026

Virginia vs. Arizona State – First Four NCAA tournament extended highlights 

March 19, 2026

Advertisement

Watch the highlights from No. 10 Virginia and No. 10 Arizona State’s matchup in the First Four of the 2026 women’s NCAA tournament. 



Source link

Continue Reading

Virginia

States demand refunds on ‘illegal’ Trump tariffs as Maryland and Virginia join $166B push – WTOP News

Published

on

States demand refunds on ‘illegal’ Trump tariffs as Maryland and Virginia join 6B push – WTOP News


Maryland and Virginia are part of a growing, multistate push to force Congress to refund more than $166 billion in tariffs, after the Supreme Court ruled the Trump policy illegal.

Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones on push for tariff refunds

Advertisement

Maryland and Virginia are part of a growing, multistate push to force Congress to refund more than $166 billion in tariffs, after the Supreme Court ruled the Trump policy illegal.

Attorneys general in more than a dozen states, including Maryland and Virginia, are arguing the money to pay for President Donald Trump’s tariffs came straight out of consumers’ pockets.

In a letter to lawmakers, Democratic attorneys general say more than $166 billion was collected from over 330,000 businesses and individuals, and they want that money returned automatically, with interest, without requiring claims or court action.

Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones said the tariffs ultimately hit consumers hardest.

“We want the money that was borne by consumers … back in their pockets,” Jones told WTOP. He pointed to estimates showing the average Virginian paid about $1,700 more last year because of tariffs.

Advertisement

“That’s groceries, rent, diapers — real money for real people,” he said.

Jones said key sectors in Virginia, including agriculture, forestry and the Port of Virginia, were also hit, with container traffic declining as tariffs took hold.

The coalition is calling on Congress to create a uniform refund process and ensure businesses pass reimbursements along to consumers.

Jones said affordability concerns cut across party lines.

“People are having a hard time making ends meet,” he said. “That money belongs to them, and we’re using every tool we have to try to get it back.”

Advertisement

Back in February, the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s far-reaching global tariffs, handing him a stinging loss that sparked a furious attack on the court he helped shape.

Trump said he was “absolutely ashamed” of some justices who ruled 6-3 against him, calling them “disloyal to our Constitution” and “lapdogs.” At one point he even raised the specter of foreign influence without citing any evidence.

WTOP’s Nick Iannelli and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Virginia

Virginia enters NCAA Tournament with eyes on return to March Madness success

Published

on

Virginia enters NCAA Tournament with eyes on return to March Madness success


PHILADELPHIA, PA (WTKR)- Virginia fans were on top of the world in April of 2019. Their Cavaliers were on top of college basketball, hoisting their first national championship at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

The Wahoos’ NCAA Tournament showing since then has been anything but stellar. Since that 2019 triumph, UVA is 0-3 in the Big Dance with first round losses to Ohio (2021), Furman (2023) and a First Four drubbing at the hands of Colorado State (2024).

Ryan Odom has Cavalier Nation thinking Virginia is on the brink of reversing course. Winners of 13 of their last 15 games, the Cavs enter the 2026 tournament as the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region, 29-5 after a tight ACC championship game loss to Duke and take on Wright State Friday afternoon in hopes of tipping off a deep run into the bracket.

UVA is averaging 80.6 points per game, the highest point output the program has seen in more than two decades and different that the methodical defense-first style played by the Cavaliers under Tony Bennett. The Cavaliers average more than 28 three-point attempts per game and make around 10.

Advertisement

The orange and blue can crash the glass, entering the NCAA Tournament No. 18 nationally with 40.21 rebounds per game.

Odom’s squad is still performing at the defensive end, holding opponents to 68.4 points per outing. The Cavaliers lead the country in blocks with 6.5 per game, paced by Ugonna Onyenso, who tallies nearly three swats per contest by himself. He had nine blocks this past Saturday alone, setting an ACC title game record, part of 21 total blocks during the tournament, which also signified a new high-water mark. The Cavs also hold teams to 39.53 percent from the floor, good enough for 13th in the country.

Thijs De Ridder paces Virginia with 15.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, pacing three Cavaliers averaging in double figures. Malik Thomas chips in 12.4 points per game, while Sam Lewis adds 10.8 points per contest. Chance Mallory, Jacari White and Onyenso give Odom plenty of depth off the bench.

The head coach himself has taken four teams to the Big Dance and is 1-3 in the event. Odom put his stamp on March Madness, when his UMBC Retrievers became the first No. 16 seed to top a No. 1 seed in 2018, topping the Virginia program he currently leads. The lead Wahoo has also guided Utah State and VCU to the field of 68.

UVA will take on a Wright State squad that enters 23-11 on the year and has won five in a row and 18 of its last 22. The Raiders claimed the Horizon League crown to punch their ticket to the tournament.

Advertisement

With a win Friday afternoon, Virginia would advance to Sunday’s second round against either Tennessee or Miami (OH).

WTKR News 3 sports director Marc Davis is in Philadelphia following the Cavaliers and will have coverage both on-air and online throughout the tournament.

Click here to see how we use AI at WTKR News 3.





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending