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Welcome to the Grotto

The Underground Texas Grotto (UTG) is an Austin-based non-profit that explores caves in Central Texas and beyond, keeping alive traditions from 1951. We are the oldest caving organization in Texas and have served as the nexus for cave exploration all over Texas and Mexico for more than fifty years. Members range from total beginners to international expedition cavers. Any central Texan interested in caves is welcome. Learn about our meetings below.

  • UTG Meeting Minutes — June 18, 2026

    Trip Report Meeting

    Location: UT Brackenridge Field Laboratory, Room 104.

    Officers in Attendance:   Enzo Monfre (President), London Darce (Vice President), Aaron de la Garza (Secretary), Joel Haus (Webmaster)

    Presiding officer Enzo Monfre called the meeting to order at 7:40 pm

    Official Announcements

    No official announcements.

    Unofficial Announcements

    Drew Thompson reminded members of the upcoming NSS convention in Corydon Indiana, July 6-10, 2026. Many members indicated that they are attending. Terry Raines spoke of flooding at past conventions and the importance of camping on high ground.

    Ethan announced that a memorial for Logan McNatt will be held on August 8, 2026 at noon; details to follow. Terry Raines shared his memories of his caving and adventures with Logan.

    Patty Calabrese offered NSS bat stickers for sale, and noted that she was giving away a backpack, shoes, and shorts.

    Terry Raines gave away postcards of the famous photo, taken by his father, of a house washing away in the 1935 flooding following the failure of the Lake Austin dam.

    Upcoming Trips

    Aaron de la Garza is planning a Goat Cave trip on June 27, 2026 for newer vertical cavers. The trip is now full; interested members can join the wait list.

    Eléonore Le Corvaisier will be checking out a lead this weekend, likely on Sunday; members should contact her if they would like to join.

    Ethan Perrine announced the details of an upcoming Tuesday Night Dig, which should be scheduled in the next 3 weeks.

    New Attendees

    Two new attendees introduced themselves and described their prior caving experience.

    Trip Reports

    London Darce reported on her recent trip to West Texas to dig on a promising feature, and on her subsequent trip to the Caverns of Sonora.

    Siegen Bretzke presented on his visit to the TCMA’s Ezell’s Cave. A discussion was thereafter had about the gating of Ezell’s and the potential future removal of defunct monitoring equipment from the cave.

    Bryce Smith gave a presentation on his trip to Nuevo Leon, the discovery of new caves, butterflies, and the tragic loss of his drone.

    The meeting concluded at approximately 9:00pm. Members met up afterwards at the Hold Out Brewery.

    The UTG’s next meeting will take place at 7:30 pm on Wednesday July 1, 2026 in room 104 of the UT Brackenridge Field Laboratory.

Calendar

Meetings

Photo of a UTG Meeting

We meet twice monthly on 1st and 3rd Wednesdays. The first meeting of the month is a formal meeting. Details are available on our email list, calendar, and Facebook page. Formal meetings feature presentations by guest speakers, trip reports of recent caving, announcements about upcoming trips and practices, and a chance to mingle afterward. Third-Wednesday meetings are more informal and include a series of short presentations on recent caving trips. Both meetings are held in-person at a rotation of venues.