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Amazing Cave Exploration. Need to Know Spelunking Trip and Tips
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On my first official date with Robert, he whisked me away on a daring adventure – a caving expedition! I was a total newbie, but the thrill of exploring the underground was too exciting to pass up. As we delved deeper into the caves, I picked up some spelunking insider tips.
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Table of Contents
Spelunking Trip and Tips (1st attempt)
My inaugural journey to the cave was a winter wonderland, but the flurries made it tough to track down the elusive path. Even after finally pinpointing the right parking spot, the entrance was a challenge to locate. After a challenging uphill hike in the snow, we finally arrived at the cave’s entrance, which was nothing more than a tiny crack in the hillside.
Entering the cave felt like entering an entirely different world. My companion had advised me to layer up, and I was grateful for their advice! The transition from the frosty exterior to the warm, humid cave made me shed my jacket in a heartbeat.
Hidden Cave Waterfall
With our headlamps on, we crawled our way down into the cave. Not far into the journey, I began to hear one of my favorite sounds. A waterfall!
The tunnel soon turned into a large open area with the sounds of water echoing all around. Using my headlamp, I was able to illuminate only sections of the 30ft waterfall at a time.
There is something majestic about a waterfall in total darkness, only being seen in the moment of a camera’s flash!
Spelunking on…
After getting my fill of the waterfall, we continued further into the cave, walking until forced to crawl on hands and knees.
The weather gods had other plans for our adventure, forcing us to a standstill at a water hole that would require crawling (not exactly the romantic date we had in mind). But hey, the cave and its charming scenery were still a delight to the eyes, making the trip worth it.
Spelunking Trip and Tips (2nd attempt)
Trip #2 occurred in November of the same year. I used some of the spelunking trip and tips I had learned on my previous visit.
Following a dry fall, the conditions appeared to be much more favorable. The path leading to the caves looked vastly different from last time: barren and parched. Although the temperatures were still quite low, hovering just above freezing.
Adding a dash of extra excitement to this trip: my 11-year-old son, Hayden, joined in for the ride!
The first part of our exploration remained the same, but this time, we didn’t have to crawl through water as there was only a small amount left. This allowed us to venture even further into the darkness.
While the crawling section presented its challenges, the path beyond was even more uncertain. Though some areas of the cave featured an obvious path, other parts of the cave required careful searching to find the right hole to crawl through.
During our exploration of the cave, Robert took the lead and recalled a particular room from his previous visit many years ago.
The Scariest Part of our Spelunking TRIP
During our adventure, the most anxiety-provoking moment for the three of us was crawling through a tight tunnel. Uncertain of our path, we sent Robert ahead to inspect the area. He had to crawl through the tunnel with his arms stretched out in front since there was not enough room for his arms to be at his side.
Once Robert made it through, he gave us the okay to crawl through. It wasn’t much of a challenge for Hayden. Physically, it wasn’t terrible for me. But mentally, it was a challenge crawling through a tunnel only wide enough to wiggle my laid-out body through.
The scene on the other side of the tunnel made the crawl worth it. A few areas of crawling on hands and knees led to a large room filled with stalagmites and stalactites.
We have seen many of these formations in our commercial cave tours. But there is something even more special about them when they have been unseen and untouched by most of the population.
We explored this room for a bit while searching for another path Robert remembered, that led to an even larger room. But, 25 years later, the scene seemed to have changed and we were unable to find a path that led any further into the cave.
Thinking of the tunnel we had just crawled through, it was a little unnerving to be standing in an area that had potentially shifted, blocking off a path and an entire room.
After fully exploring the room, we headed back out. We studied each animal we came across- cave crickets, spiders (my least favorite), and a couple of bats.
Crawling back through the tunnel the second time seemed only slightly less daunting.
Return Spelunking Route
Retracing our steps back was not incredibly difficult. We had taken time to survey the scene each time we made a turn or chose a tunnel or hole to crawl through. Some areas were marked by other visitors, taking a rock and making a scraped arrow pointing the way.
Since this is my first year of spelunking, I was lucky to have someone more experienced leading the way.
While cave tours are always a blast, venturing into an uncharted, untamed cavern is a whole new level of excitement! However, all 3 of us had fun and gave the adventure 2 thumbs up!
Spelunking Trip and Tips
Finding this cave isn’t easy if you don’t already know it (and is challenging even if you DO). If you would like to see this exact cave, feel free to reach out to us and we can try to help. As for our Spelunking Trip and Tips…
Tip 1- Take a Friend
Rule number one for staying safe: never venture into cave territory alone. With potential mishaps lurking around every bend, it’s always better to have a buddy by your side.
Tip 2- Notify Someone of your Spelunking Trip
In case something goes awry, it’s crucial for someone to keep tabs on your location and expected return time.
Tip 3- Bring Adequate Lighting
This one is obvious. But the type of light is important. Headlamps work great to light your field of vision and keep your hands free. Good quality headlamps can have more lumens, giving more light.
Tip 4- Take Extra Batteries
Because those headlamps won’t help you if the batteries die.
Tip 5- Track Your Path
To avoid getting lost or taking wrong turns, Robert suggests tying off a piece of string at your start point and making a string line. At the end of your trek, simply follow the string back to the start. Since we didn’t have string, we followed the lead of other prior visitors and used rocks to mark directions traveled at questionable areas.
Tip 6- Layer up
Inside a cave is usually different weather than outside. When it’s 32 degrees outside, you may be sweating in a tank top, deep in a cave. Or when it’s 90 degrees outside, you may need a hoodie inside the cave.
Tip 7- Pack Food and Water
Take along snacks and water in case the spelunking goes a little longer than expected.
recommended items
Head Lamps
Light the way while keeping your hands free during your cave explorations.
recommended items
Knee Pads
Crawling on rocks on bare knees can be tough. Pad your knees!
I hope our Spelunking Trip and Tips will help inspire and lead you on your next exploration!
For more information on caves (how they are formed, formations), click HERE.
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This looks so much fun! I’d love to do something like that at some point 🙂