Go Caving

I went caving at Limrock yesterday for almost seven hours. Some parts of it were really cool, other parts (like climbing on jagged breakdown cliffs that hung over near-bottomless pits and crawling into holes so small you had to have one arm in front and one behind) made me want to piss myself.

This morning I woke up covered in bruises and feeling like someone beat the living daylights out of me.

Caving definitely isn’t for the faint at heart. It’s cold, dirty, wet, exhausting, and most definitely dangerous. But if extreme sports are your thing, you can’t get more extreme than rock-climbing in the dark on jagged boulders that are slick as wet glass, poised precariously on the edge of grave injury and death.

I just had my first meeting with the grotto last night and had a wicked time. Can’t wait to go caving with these guys on Saturday. It’s nice to make new friends. :)

My turquoise Edelrid Ultralight helmet just came in from Karst Sports yesterday. It’s so cute and girly. And the LED headlight I got on sale is SO bright! I have flashlights, a pack, a helmet, a headlight, and gloves. I still need some coveralls and knee/elbow pads.

My parents are very nervous about this whole caving business, but I couldn’t be more excited. I’m meeting with the grotto tonight. :)

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…