Friendly advice

I go caving every weekend and there are not many dangers at all. caving is a great hobby and the results are very rewarding. I have been in 20 or so different wild caves and there are not many dangers as long as you have at least 4 or so sources of light and and a helmet and all the proper clothing and equipment.
Also i think that this forum is a great idea
 

ME! Too!
I love exploring them ! :icon_profileright:
Heck!
I have even had "Bugs" ( & Rhodes! :'( ) in a couple (cave/mine) with me! ;D
Got a picture or two of him in one! :tongue3:
(Now! Would I endanger him?) :o
If you'd like.... ,
Anyone in the mood, drop me aline and we'll include you in one of our "Explorations"! :laughing7:
Just bring along your hard hat & light(s) !
"Knee Pads" may come in handy too! :wink:
 

Yes they can be dangerous but they can also have rewards,several years ago,several friends and I decided to go camping at a state park that has a cave in the rock that the park is named after,Enchanted Rock,here in the hill country in Tx. Well the cave is more like a crack that is about a 100 yards long and starts out at the high end of the rock and goes down towards the ground at the other end,lots of people go thru the cave and when it rains it's like a waterpark ride in the cave.Well we decided to clean it out that weekend all 100 yards of it,which took us about 4 hours and we found all kinds of good stuff like 20 flashlights and flashlight parts(about 5 were keepers) and still worked,watches,necklaces rings and lots and lots of diapers(why!!),and lots of food rappers and 5 wallets ,1 had $2000 in it and had been lost the day before we got there.Well we came off the rock with about 20 trash bags and we took the wallets to the park ranger station,they were supprised that anybody would do that for them,that they give each of us a free park pass for any state park in Texas for a year. :hello2:
 

Hi all,

Yes, caving can be dangerous, but it can also be very rewarding. I, too, think that this forum is a great idea. I have been in several caves and have always been safe when doing so. Extra lights, water, letting people know where I'm going, when I'll be back, NEVER going alone, etc.

Nice work Produce Guy! I try to do the same when I visit natural/recreational areas. Always pack out more than I pack in.

A note for those in the eastern US. Be on the lookout for the White Nose Fungus that's been killing off bats in epizootic proportions. Make sure to sterilize your caving gear before and after each trip, so as not to spread it (although I'm sure that the bats themselves will be the deciding transmitter of the disease, it'd be better not to spread it any faster).

Kindest Regards & Happy Spelunking,
Kantuck
 

There is always a local grotto of cavers where ever you live. We caved for years. Its great.
 

On our trip "out!" (12+mos) this year
"Doc & I have!
AND!
We Will be into and exploring caves/caverns systems in
each state (NM/Az/Ca/Nv/Co) that we are going to be in :laughing7:
Some are "HUNDREDS" of miles long :tongue3:
Of Course!
We aren't going to be going to explore any that far
BUT!
WOULD,
Anyone care to come along ?
On, one of our trips "down under" ? ::)
 

We spend a good part of our summer caving and exploring old mines. The old mines are dangerous but the caves are (in my opinion) as safe as any man made building. Most caves have been around for millions of years and will stil be here when we are gone.

This is my 8 year old. This is about 150 feet down vertical and 800 feet lateral from the opening. Theres a 60 foot repel to get in (it was an ancient geiser). We play it safe when we take him in, always keep him on a second rope on belay, he's a very good climber and spends 2 days a week in the climbing gym in the winter for fun. We leave a glow stick trail and always keep people at the opening. If you play it safe you can enjoy it and not have problems.

july23hoyts004.jpg
 

Yeah, caves can be dangerous. However, there are a lot of measures that can make it safer. Hey, when it is your time to go it is just your time. Shoot you can have a heart attack at anytime.
 

If you're inexperienced and are gonna go caving then join and support the NSS and find a local caving grotto to learn safety and the ethics of caving properly. Caves are VERY dangerous AND fragile places!!!!! Saying they aren't dangerous is like saying driving a car isn't dangerous.......... ridiculous! Here is a link to find your local grotto so that you can cave safely! Grottos are how you will find the good caves also ;)

http://www.nssio.org/Find_Grotto.cfm
 

If you want to know about caves go to a park like Carter Caves State Park in Kentucky, we took several youth groups there and had a blast...after going thur the park caves we went on our own into others in the area. Crawled into one that had a big hole in it we all crawled around it and thru a rock into it(lights wouldn’t penetrate far enough) well i am not kidding it took 20 seconds before we heard the rock hit water in the bottom! So yes they are dangerous...but a lot of fun...one of them had two levels in it...then if you were bold you could crawl thru a tunnel like area on your belly and ended up going under a creek..it flowed over the top of us while doing this and you come out on the other side about 40 yards in another cave! Just be careful, and like they said plenty of lights and move slow. We would turn all the lights out while sitting down and give the kids an object lesson...the Bible talks about the unsaved being in utter darkness...well this is it...then a person turns a light on and explains that Jesus is the light of the world!

So if you start at a park with a guided tour you can see what its like.
 

Curtis said:
If you want to know about caves go to a park like Carter Caves State Park in Kentucky, we took several youth groups there and had a blast...after going thur the park caves we went on our own into others in the area. Crawled into one that had a big hole in it we all crawled around it and thru a rock into it(lights wouldn’t penetrate far enough) well i am not kidding it took 20 seconds before we heard the rock hit water in the bottom! So yes they are dangerous...but a lot of fun...one of them had two levels in it...then if you were bold you could crawl thru a tunnel like area on your belly and ended up going under a creek..it flowed over the top of us while doing this and you come out on the other side about 40 yards in another cave! Just be careful, and like they said plenty of lights and move slow. We would turn all the lights out while sitting down and give the kids an object lesson...the Bible talks about the unsaved being in utter darkness...well this is it...then a person turns a light on and explains that Jesus is the light of the world!

So if you start at a park with a guided tour you can see what its like.
Click to expand...


This is what Kevenater meant by "Dangerous" and "Fragile" places. Throwing rocks in caves isn't real healthy for the critters that make a home of it, it's really hard on the awesome formations that have developed over the eons nor is it responsible caving ethics to teach to youth groups. Many of the various grotto members out here spend a great deal of time w/youth groups and Boy Scouts and try to emphasize the importance of this motto.

Take nothing but pictures
Leave nothing but footprints (not imprints in the walls and formations)
Kill nothing but time

Let's try not to mess up what little we have left! :icon_scratch:
Hope everyone is having a great week.
 

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Caving is only as dangerous as you make it. I grew up caving, and never had any major troubles.

Always bring a buddy along, in case of a cave-in, or you getting stuck. If you do get stuck, don't panic. Relax, and slowly try to inch out. Bring lots of backup lights, bulbs, batteries etc. Be aware of flash floods or any heavy rains. Those can make a casual spelunking trip into a full nightmare in a matter of minutes. Otherwise, use common sense and enjoy!
 

4-H said:
STAY OUT OF CAVES!!! THEY ARE DANGEROUS Seriously. This forum is not a good idea
Click to expand...

Exploration is in the blood of every detector operator. If you approach entry smart and in a safe manner as well as know what you are doing, that is the spice of life. :thumbsup:
 

Hi, Just a question - I was certified by NSS-CDS as a full cave diver; is there a formal certification for dry caving?
 

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