#you've got a stalagmite called the wedding cake? call the squeeze behind it the birth canal | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

kaerran · 2 years ago

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Ok, but there’s definitely something to be said for being able to get so far away from everything that there’s literally tons of rock between you and the outside world and no one can bother you anymore.

Anyway my favourite cave is a tourist cave with a half hour walk to it with permanently installed ropes AND footholds carved into the entrance section and I could probably still find my way to the Laundry Chute and back without any input. ...but not to the Grotto and that part is way nicer, no one actually likes squeezes. Flowstone glows if you charge it up (albeit not for long), and one time when I didn’t feel like going fast, dad left me to sit and I turned off my light and sat in the complete and utter dark for 15 minutes.

caving as an extreme sport is sooo unfathomable to me why are u as a creature of the daylight doing that. were u born without the dread in ur bones or something

#gosh i miss caving #also cavers have the absolute worst senses of humour #you've got a stalagmite called the wedding cake? call the squeeze behind it the birth canal #there's a squeeze where you have to put your arms out in front of you? call it the superman and the section after it the lois lane #and there's one where dad mentioned they were exploring and the rock was changing and everyone was getting really excited #and it just ended #it's called the ignominious end #caves i DON'T want to go into?#things with required climbs things with required swims things with required sleeps #my dad has a story about going to castleguard cave for the annual bat count #20 miles in on cross-country skiis #he had never cross-country skiied before #you go into the cave (which is only accessible in winter because it's the only time the water level is low enough from the MELTING GLACIER)#castleguard is the only cave in the world that ends in a glacier #you cave for an hour #and then you take all your clothes off and wade across the shoulder deep pool while holding all your clothing above your head #then you cave until you get warm again and THEN you put your clothing back on #and there's at least one chasm you brace yourself across because who knows where it ends #dad never understood why i thought castleguard sounded like hell on earth #also dad broke two sets of skis on the way out and then gave up and just postholed through waist deep snow the 20 miles out #other candidates for why do people ever go into em: any cave that has constantly falling rocks #any abandoned mines #any cave dives #and any cave that needs sulphuric anything training #which my dad has done at least twice

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