In honor of the recent conversation going on in
this thread, I'm depositing some pics of some of my caving trips, which may or may not interest you. But it does me.
So,
nyah.
That's me (on the right) and one of my caving buds, Spen, after one of our initial trips to
Wells Cave Preserve, (in central Kentucky)- a wild cave owned by the
National Speleological Society as a scientific and recreational nature preserve. We've been spending much of the last 4 years of our caving down there, which is an 11.5+ mile, three-level system and the 58th-longest in the USA. It has 4 entrances and we have been spending the last year in search of the River Entrance (which requires wetsuits).
Going OUT of a precarious, 8-foot-long crawlway in Wells Cave at the top of a 20-foot, 12-inch-wide climb (you come in head-first). My feet are at the top of the narrow crack, which is just around the bend (and the ceiling even lowers). You have to wiggle your way to your belly to orient yourself feet-first so you can wedge yourself down the drop. This area is a major junction to the third (highest and dustiest) level of the cave, which was part of the ancient stream passage (note the "scalloped" ceiling at my nose, which indicates water having moved through in the history of the passage).
My 115-pound buddy, Dave, checking out areas in Wells that ONLY he can check. In caving, it is acceptable to remove one's helmet for only a short distance to check out a crawlway too tight to negotiate with one on. Sometimes you have to disrobe to get through some spots. I am holding his helmet while he checked the lead. And, luckily, for all the cave's inhabitants, Dave IS fully clothed.
Spen negotiating a low waterfall passage in Wells in the low level. Yeah...you have to go through it.
In a tributary passage leading to the main river passage in the lowest level of Wells Cave. Note the smoothed-out ceiling: the cave drains a whole valley of runoff rainwater. During what's called valley tides, this whole portion of the cave is submerged.
Damian, another caving buddy, on a trip to a small central Kentucky cave that was only 300 yards long and wet, wet, wet. That is as big as the cave got.
A small colony of the federally-endangered Indiana bats in Wells Cave. Bats are splendid.
If any MoFo's are ever in the area and wanna go, give me a yell!