Caving, The Challenge of Underground Exploration
Exploring Caves is Dangerous but Rewarding
Oct 15, 2008
What would motivate people to rappel into a deep pit and spend all day in total darkness, wading across ice-cold underground rivers, crawling through tight passages filled with mud and bat guano?
Cavers (as they like to be called in the USA and Canada) frequently do exactly that and consider cave exploration unusually rewarding. Beyond the mud, they say, often lie huge chambers richly decorated with shimmering stalactites and stalagmites, typically found in limestone caves, or bizarre lava balls and lava falls, sometimes found in volcanic caves. Other sorts of caves may have ceilings, walls and floor of eerie blue ice or pure white gypsum crystals.
Virgin Passages Lure Cavers
In addition to being attracted by subterranean beauty, most cavers are lured underground by the possibility that one day they may find virgin chambers where no human being has ever gone before.
They point out that almost every square meter of the earth’s surface has been stepped on by someone in the past, whereas cavers rather frequently enjoy the thrill of being the first person in history to walk into some underground passage, with no idea what may lie around the next bend.
Safety Underground: Hypothermia, Rock Fall
Caves are inherently dangerous simply because of the absence of light. A small mistake can leave a caver blind, with no way to locate an exit. On top of that, many caves are cold, subjecting a lost or injured caver to possible death by hypothermia. Other dangers include flooding, rock fall and in some places “lakes” of invisible carbon dioxide.
Cavers, nevertheless, contend that their sport is safer than many others due to the strict rules they follow when underground. Helmets are de rigueur. Each caver carries at least three sources of light plus spare batteries and bulbs. They usually enter the cave in teams of at least three, so - in case of an accident - one can stay with the injured party while the third member goes for help.
Vertical Caving: Rappelling and Ascending
Vertical caving requires specialized equipment. To get into a deep pit, first a non-stretch nylon rope is lowered. Then each caver puts on a sturdy harness to which a friction device is attached. This is placed on the rope and allows the caver to slide downward at a comfortable speed or to stop to take photos. Getting back up the rope is accomplished with the help of mechanical ascenders, making it easy for anyone, even a child, to “walk up the rope” at his or her own pace.
Apart from exploration and photography, most cavers consider it their duty to produce an accurate map of each cave. Map-survey equipment includes a precision compass, fiberglass tape and a clinometer to measure up and down angles.
Clubs for Cavers and Speleologists
Obviously, caving requires specialized equipment, training and regular practice: good reasons for joining a caving club (see below). Membership in a local organization distinguishes “cavers” from “spelunkers,” considered by cavers to be amateurs who enter caves without the gear and experience required. On the other hand, cavers who carry out underground surveys or other scientific projects are known as speleologists.
Cave Conservation Rules
Cave are far more fragile than most people would believe. A stalactite that took hundreds of thousands of years to form can be snapped off in less than a second. To protect and conserve the unique universe beneath the surface, cavers worldwide follow three simple rules:
- Take nothing but pictures.
- Leave nothing but footprints.
- Kill nothing but time.
To find a caving group near you, visit the website of the International Union of Speleology.
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