Spelunking Sister: Empowering Women Through Cave Exploration and Conservation

In the summer of 2023, a good friend of mine told me about P.E.O. and asked me if I would like to join an organization dedicated to encouraging women to pursue their goals. I was excited to learn about P.E.O. and was initiated into Chapter BB, Carlsbad, New Mexico, that December. Encouraging fellow women has always been a passion of mine. In my career as a cave specialist, I have frequently been the only woman in the room—or the cave!

As a cave specialist, I work for federal land management agencies to manage and protect cave resources on public land. New Mexico has many world-class caves. I was introduced to caving when I was working as a seasonal park ranger at Carlsbad Caverns National Park in 2009. I enjoyed being underground so much, I ended up making a career out of it—managing access for recreational cavers, facilitating research and coordinating volunteer projects in caves. These projects can include restoration activities, exploration and mapping newly-discovered caves.

As a cave specialist, one of Ellen’s duties is cave restoration

As my career took off, I started noticing that most cavers seemed to be men. Frequently, I was the only woman on a caving trip. I decided to look for opportunities to get more women involved in caving. On any trip I led, I made sure to personally invite women I knew who had expressed interest. I started training more women in rope ascending techniques and in the use of survey instruments. Ultimately, my efforts paid off in two very different, but very memorable projects.

In 2018, I was on a survey trip with volunteer cavers in the second lowest room in Carlsbad Cavern. We encountered a hold so small, none of the men I was with could fit through. Since I did not have as broad of shoulders as the men, I was able to wiggle my way through. I discovered the hole led to a large room with even more cave passages beyond it. The trip leader asked me if I could assemble a team of slender cavers to help me survey and map it.

Ellen, far left, leads an all-female team of cavers who call themselves the “Twisted Sisters”

Since adult women are on average smaller than men, I knew that my team of “slender cavers” had a unique opportunity. I found some willing female rangers at the park who were up for an adventure. Just getting to the hole took a lot of strenuous caving. Once we made it there, we named it the “Twisted Sister” because of how it twists and turns; we then named our survey team the “Twisted Sisters” after it.

In two separate trips, we were able to survey and map the newly-discovered section. The park’s social media account made a big deal about the all-women survey team. We overcame mental and physical obstacles to achieve our goal. It felt great to be an inspiration to other aspiring cavers and show them what a team of women can accomplish working together.

A few years later, I got an opportunity to introduce an even younger group of women to caving. I was working for the Bureau of Land Management as a cave specialist. A local caver and volunteer reached out to me. He had recently given a presentation to a Girl Scout Troop about doing restoration projects in caves. One young cadette was interested in learning more about it for her Silver Award, the second highest award a Girl Scout can attain. She wanted to lead her own cave restoration project for her troop.

Ellen is dedicated to introducing girls and women of all ages to the male-dominated world of caving

In November 2023, we went on her first wild caving trip. It was a “scouting” trip, looking for areas in the cave potentially in need of restoration. Over the years, some of the most popular caves have been vandalized. Some cave formations have been broken, but if you can find the matching pieces,  they can be repaired. She and I found several formations suitable for repair. Later that month, the cadette brought her whole troop to Carlsbad. She taught the girls what she had learned about proper cave equipment, moving safely through a cave and how to protect cave resources.

The Scouts repaired seven cave formations that day. For many of them, it was their first time in a wild cave. They had to crawl through small passages, climb up and down over obstacles and even use a hand line to get down a 10-foot wall. They were enthusiastic and energetic. Many of them expressed interest in future caving, including going on more volunteer restoration trips. The Scouts
found the experience satisfying and rewarding and for me, that was the best part. I was able to introduce a group of young women to caving and got the satisfaction of doing a service project with others.