explore a cave

the passages in cormac mccarthy’s “child of god” about lester ballard’s cave hideout in the mountains reminded me how much i liked caves when i was a kid. i went to a few of the tourist caves around my area when i was younger. i’d like to visit as many caves as possible this summer just to hang out and take pictures and have what is hopefully an enthralling experience.

Not a hole, not a root cellar, not a rock crevice. A cave. Deep.

I’ve always loved urban exploration, but suprisingly, I’ve never explored a cave. Exploring a cave would be one the best things ever, and the photographs I would take I would keep forever.

i have been in more caves thn i can remember, i have been going caving since i was 6 im now 21 so thats a hell of a lot of caves. my dad is an extreme pot holer (goes vertical caving) so i have been in caves that are soe of the most amazing and dangerous in the world i love caving and one day i hope to be able to have the guts do do a vertical sumit in a cave now that would be awsome.

I LOVE going to caves. I must have been a bat in a previous lifetime (although I’m sure there are a few people like my ex-husband who would swear I am a bat in this lifetime too).

I’ve been to caves in California, Nevada, Kentucky, South Dakota, New Mexico, and here in Colorado. But my absolute favorite is Lewis and Clark Caverns near Whitehall Montana. This cave was much more primitive than the super big tourist attractions like Mammoth Cave and Carlsbad Caverns.

What made it awesome to me is the fact that it was a limestone cave and was wet in many places.

My favorite memory from this cave is that my son was recently potty trained when we took the tour and had to go “peepee” from about 5 minutes after the cave tour began. Bless his heart, he managed to wait until we were just outside the cave and then answered nature’s call right outside the cave entrance. Thank goodness, everyone else on the tour laughed.

Lewis and Clark Caverns is really off the beaten path, about an hour west of Bozeman on Interstate 90. Just thought I would mention it for the cave enthusiasts here on 43 Things.

Done this a few years ago in KY. I was a little braver then. Although I still love caving, I dont think I can do some of those things today due to new onset of fear…

Very interesting experience. This cave was a tourist attraction in Gatlinburg, TN. I was with my husband, my bestfriend and her husband. Bats were also in the cave, it was one of the most craziest thing I have done. It was also fun and I learned alot of about caves.

My first cave was the best in the U.S., if not THE best in the world (although not exactly unexplored)- Carlsbad Caverns. After getting married, my husband introduced me to “real” caving, which he had been doing for awhile before. Whether you go for the big and beautiful ones, or inch your way along the tiny passages of a little known hole in the ground, you’re bound to have some fun and feel at least a little tinge of spirituality.

In both China, Mexico (where I swam in the cave), and the South Irish Connemara. They were already lit, but I still consider it “exploring” because I wandered into a new area!

I’ve done both the tourist sites and a small cave that we used flashlights in and squeezed through. The touristy things are less exciting, but that moment of total darkness they usually do gives you a bit of the thrill. The smaller cave was something that scared me but I’m glad I went. There were certain tight squeezes that I can still (MANY MANY years later) remember vividly. I was sure I’d be stuck there forever. I loved the feeling of exploring places that few had seen before.

Do not do this if you are claustrophobic! Please.