My Epiphany: I Love (Vertical) Caving
Remember several posts ago when I mentioned how much I hated caving the first time? Well, that all changed completely after this vertical caving trip. I have since become addicted to caving, vertical in particular. I can't quite explain it and that's how I know that it's true love. I just have this instinctual feeling, like love at first rappel. My stomach fills with butterflies, I get a giddy look on my face, and I hear my heart racing. It's either love or adrenaline from fear, but I would like to think that it's love. I had already become a fan of vertical caving after doing it the first time and after the caving practices but once I discovered gear that actually fit my height perfectly, I became infatuated.
The first cave we went to wasn't exactly a cave. This beginner's vertical trip, composed of me, Terry, Nina, and Brian led by Mike (of course), started with Neversink, a large pit near Tumbling Rock. I had actually been there before, when I went on my first caving trip, but it had never even occurred to me that I could (and would) rappel into it. I'm not sure why exactly but it it took us a long time to set everything up. We realized that both our 150 and 180 foot ropes were too short so we had to go back to the car for the 300. I don't know how deep Neversink is and I've heard different things from various online sources, but I tell people that it's 220 feet, a completely made up figure that seems logical enough since it's between 180 and 300. I'm a horrible judge of distance however, so don't take my word for it. Neversink is really wide and open, a column with no horizontal caving below. Mike rappelled in first and took amazing pictures of all of us. There's a waterfall that runs into the cave but the water flow was light, more like drips than your typical falls. We took a few group shots at the bottom, walked around, and then ascended back up.
This ascent, for me in particular, was abysmal. I actually really hated it and by the time I had made it to the top, I was exhausted and my muscles were shaking. I was honestly close to tears and I could even hear it in my voice. I didn't know why it had been so painful. Then, the next day, I realized my issue: my foot loop was several inches too short and I couldn't get full extension. Thus, it took me twice as long to move and my legs wore out much more quickly.
After Neversink, we headed to Stephen's Gap. This cave was really cool, especially since it had both vertical and horizontal entrances. In other words, we could rappel in and then walk out rather than ascending out. After my Neversink experience, I was thrilled to avoid ascending. After Stephen's Gap, we stumbled upon a small cave along the trail, called Pipeside. I chose not to go, mostly because I feared the ascent, and so I stayed at the top and took a short nap. Terry used the gear that I had been using and he had a very difficult time with the short foot loop too. I was relieved that it hadn't been just me. That night, we went to a Pizza Hut and gorged ourselves on hot food, an excellent reward for a cold day of caving.
The next day, after a night of camping on Scottsboro Mountain, we headed toward Chattanooga and Signal Light, my favorite cave. Signal Light was it's usual glorious self. We diverged from the usual path at the beginning, heading right instead of left and finding ourselves at the base of Sketch Mountain, coming at it from the right instead of straight forward. We then realized our mistake and headed toward the formation room and the signature room. I was pleased to discover that my memory of the cave was in tact for the most part and I recognized a lot of different formations and landmarks, which have since become permanently engrained in my mind. For the ascent out, I used a longer, adjustable foot loop and ascended out with ease. It was reassuring to note that the foot loop had been the issue instead of me. I raced Brian and successfully beat him out the cave. On the way home, we stopped at Sugar's Ribs, a famous barbecue restaurant in Chattanooga. A disgusting amount of pulled pork was the perfect end to a tiring weekend of caving.
Events occurred: October 26-28, 2012
Remember several posts ago when I mentioned how much I hated caving the first time? Well, that all changed completely after this vertical caving trip. I have since become addicted to caving, vertical in particular. I can't quite explain it and that's how I know that it's true love. I just have this instinctual feeling, like love at first rappel. My stomach fills with butterflies, I get a giddy look on my face, and I hear my heart racing. It's either love or adrenaline from fear, but I would like to think that it's love. I had already become a fan of vertical caving after doing it the first time and after the caving practices but once I discovered gear that actually fit my height perfectly, I became infatuated.
After Neversink, we headed to Stephen's Gap. This cave was really cool, especially since it had both vertical and horizontal entrances. In other words, we could rappel in and then walk out rather than ascending out. After my Neversink experience, I was thrilled to avoid ascending. After Stephen's Gap, we stumbled upon a small cave along the trail, called Pipeside. I chose not to go, mostly because I feared the ascent, and so I stayed at the top and took a short nap. Terry used the gear that I had been using and he had a very difficult time with the short foot loop too. I was relieved that it hadn't been just me. That night, we went to a Pizza Hut and gorged ourselves on hot food, an excellent reward for a cold day of caving.
No comments:
Post a Comment