Go Caving

I’m ready for another adventure into the underworld.

overnight

It was my first time.
10 hours ago.
Good start for future adventures

I go caving quite a bit. about 5 years ago I got into doing vertical work, and it’s really extending my opportunities for going caving. Caving, of all types, is a life long passion for me, and I’m grateful to be living in the one of the best karst areas in the country.

Check out the National Speleological Society’s website and get hooked up with a grotto (local caving club). They’d be more than happy to take you caving and teach you techniques. There’s a very large, active, non-commercial (non-tourist based) caving community out there, but nearly all of it is affiliated with the NSS. There are even weekend to week long caving festivals all across the country from spring to fall.

I just saw The Descent, and I don’t want to do this anymore. I mean, I don’t believe there are scary people-like things living underground; it’s just that I couldn’t crawl through such tiny spaces.

I live right by some old Gypsum mines where I went caving in High School – many years back. I recently moved to the area, so possibly when the snow melts I’ll go again.

It was a pretty moving experience when I went the first time, even if I did experience a few moments of sheer terror and clausterphobia. The bat cavern was absolutely breathtaking, it was as though the walls were alive!

Finally I went to lime cave… Wohooo… Not as challenging as the first cave I went which was very cramped and dark and wet… This one is quite mild and a bit touristy… I enjoyed it very much…

Lava Beds National Monument in northern California is my favorite place for caving.

Merimac Caverns, Missouri
Mammoth Caves, Kentucky
unnamed cave, Jalisco, Mexico
unnamed cave, Little River, W. Kentucky
unnamed cave, central Missouri

It’s actually gigantic rocks on top of each other and they have small (very small) space connecting from one space to another. Getting from one space to another was very hard since the rocks are very mossy, slippery and watery.

Also the river capillaries were very wonderful. I wish I could go to caves with stalagtite and stalagmite next time. And also lava tubes!!

It’s euphoric!