Day 4 Today we embarked on a two day caving and camping trip. Our first stop - Moaning Caverns in Calaveras County in the Sierran foothills California' s largest underground room. Sonya received detailed instructions before she rappelled into the cavern. Here is our fearless leader, Dorris, rappel into the pit, a 180 foot, rope descent into the cavern. Moaning Cave was scary. We entered a small hole in the rock at the ground level. After twenty feet down we descended into a gaping cavern. Dangling from a rope at the ceiling of a 160 foot high cavern is an awesome experience. When the hole we were descending opened up, it was very pretty. There were a lot of cave formations. We climbed back out of the cave on a rickety spiral metal staircase. Here is Patrick, looking cool, stirring the beans at Calaveras Big Trees State Park. Camping was different. There were big trees, giant sequoias that grow to great heights and widths. Here we hiked through an ancient grove of giant sequoias. These trees can live to be 3000 years old and up to 30 feet in diameter. This monstrous tree is so big that it could fit all of us in its hollow base. The day ended with a stargazing excursion out to the meadow to watch a meteor shower. Day 1   Day 2   Day 3   Day 4   Day 5 < align=right> © 1999 Oakland Museum of California |  Credits