50 Years of Caving with Girl Scouts
The Colonial Coast Girl Scout Cavers will celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2027, marking five decades of adventure, leadership, and exploration.
Founded by Melanie Ustick in 1977, the Colonial Coast Cavers group was created to give Girl Scouts the unique opportunity to experience high adventure while building lasting friendships with other girls from across the Council. Through caving trips to West Virginia, participants develop their confidence, leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving skills in a supportive environment.
The program also provides hands-on learning in science, history, and geology. Cavers discover how water and minerals shape caves by forming stalactites and stalagmites, explore Civil War-era saltpeter caves, and observe preserved fossils. Each trip combines adventure with education.
Since its beginning, one of the group’s guiding principles has been a strong commitment to conservation through the Leave No Trace ethic. Girl Scout Cavers are taught to respect and protect the fragile cave environment by taking only pictures, leaving only footprints, and ensuring these remarkable places remain preserved for future generations.
High-adventure programs like these would not exist without the commitment and dedication of volunteers such as Stephanie Eckes, who has been with the group for more than thirty years.
“I grew up in Newport News and began caving with the Colonial Coast Girl Scout Cavers in the 1990s,” Stephanie said. “I earned my Gold Award in 1996 and became a lifetime member upon graduation from high school. Many years later, I returned as an adult volunteer with the caving program, before my daughter was old enough to join Girl Scouts. I remained active with the group as a volunteer and currently I help organize the Colonial Coast Girl Scout Cavers’ adventures alongside Kamala Lannetti. Together, we work to provide girls with safe, educational, and exciting caving experiences.”
Stephanie’s daughter, Gold Award Girl Scout Paige, loves caving as much as Stephanie — maybe even a bit more. In choosing her college, having access to caving was one of her requirements!
“My daughter Paige loves caving as much as I do and I've seen the importance it has played in her life,” Stephanie said. “Having experienced the program from both a participant’s and a leader’s perspective, I have seen firsthand the lasting impact it has on girls. Caving challenges them to step outside their comfort zones, build confidence, develop leadership and teamwork skills, and experience an adventure unlike any other.”
Each year, the group hosts a local indoor caving event at Camp Skimino, called Cracks, Crevices and Crawlways, that introduces Girl Scouts to caving. The next event is scheduled for Sunday, March 14, 2027 at the Virginia Enmeier Program Center. But before that, the cavers’ next trip to West Virginia is coming up on October 15-18, 2026. Learn more about this and other special interest and high adventure groups, and how Girl Scouts in 7th grade and up can get involved at gsccc.org/clubs.
