Tara Gallacher practices her sport by hanging from the ceiling of the White Building by a system of ropes and a harness each Sunday.

Rappeling, climbing and crawling are just a few of the maneuvers Gallacher (sophomore-anthropology) and other members of Penn State's Nittany Grotto Club use to master unfamiliar caves.

"[Caving is] a very unique sport," she said. "First of all you're underground, so it's not like anything else. It's also very intensive -- it's almost like another world-like experience when you're under there."

The club, which has existed on campus since 1942, has been a club sport for more than 20 years. As a chapter
of the National Speleological Society, the group oversees and has access to a variety of both public and private caves in the area, which they visit through group expeditions every other Wednesday.

Although caving can be dangerous, club members agree it is what keeps their adrenaline pumping.

"When you're caving through the whole thing, you have no idea what it's going to be like," Gallacher said. "You might have a tight passage to crawl through or a wide passage with a lot of bats. It really tests your fear and your mental strength."

Alyssa Correll (senior-international politics), who recently joined the club on a trip to a local cave, said at first she did not know what to expect.

"I was scared the first time because I was never in a cave before. It was definitely not what I thought it was going to be," she said. "It was really tight and at first intimidating, but with practice it got more comfortable."

In addition to visiting local caves, the club makes weekend trips to more extensive sites in surrounding states.

Club President Marc Eble (senior-astrophysics) said he and 15 other members drove to Seneca Rocks in West Virginia this past weekend.

"West Virginia caves are a lot bigger. They're a lot more fun," he said. "You'll see a passage several miles [long], whereas here, you're lucky to get a mile."

A key factor in tackling challenging caves is having experienced people to oversee the excursion, Eble said.

"One thing that's unique about us is that we don't require you to be a student," he said. "We have a lot of people in their 30s, 40s and 50s that are regular members. With those members comes consistent experience."

Larry Moore, 71, has been a member since 1972. As a veteran of this potentially dangerous sport, he leads the group in practicing cave safety.

"We teach how to climb safely," he said. "If you learn to do this safely, you'll never be in trouble."

The potential risk factor seems to appeal to a certain type of person, Trevor Kupstas (senior-mechanical engineering) said.

"The club consists of all different types of people, but the typical member is adventurous, active and enjoys the outdoors," he said.

Eble said he hopes to encourage that sense of adventure through a trip this August to Athens, Greece, for an international caving conference.

"No one in our club's even tried doing anything like this," he said, adding that he is waiting on further details of the trip before funding can be requested.

Eble said the club also hopes to attend a few other national caving conferences and plans to host a mid-Atlantic region caving event later this semester.

By providing members the opportunity to visit a large number of caves, group leaders hope the club will develop a sense of fulfillment from the sport.

"It's like an adventure every way you turn," Gallacher said. "Completing [the cave] and getting out of the cave -- you have this sense of accomplishment. You feel good about yourself."