Spelunking (Caving)

Cave Safety

Nick Loy

www.loytran.net

 A favorite place ... enjoy the view 

Caving 

Wilderness_First_Aid/first Aid Personal Gear.doc

Wilderness_First_Aid/River Rescue.ppt

Wilderness_First_Aid/SOAP NOTES.doc

Wilderness_First_Aid/wilderness first aid.ppt

 

Wild Caves

• Wild Caves are NOT for everyone!– Plan a trip to a

commercial cave in addition to the wild cave

– Plan some non-caving activities

                                     

      

TerminologySpelunker--a spelunker, technically, is a person who goes in caves. Originally derived from the Latin spelunca, (and the related Greek

speleios), it comes from the Middle English word, spelunk, meaning cave or grotto. The word, spelunk, apparently went out of common use about 1600, though the adjective, speluncar (pertaining to caves) continued into the mid-19th Century. The name of the French bulletin of Le Societe de Speleologie*--founded by Edouard-Alfred Martel in 1895--was Spelunca. The first modern usage of spelunker in America was probably that reported by Clay Perry in Underground New England in 1939, describing a group of men and boys engaged in "a more or less systematic study of the caves and old mines of the area" who called themselves Spelunkers. Life magazine in the early 1940's may have been the first widespread use of the term in print in an article named, "Life Goes Spelunking." Through the 1950's, spelunker was apparently used as the generic term--with no good or bad connotations. A movie shown at the 1955 NSS Convention by William Hulstrunk, was entitled, "The Spelunkers." The MSM (Missouri School of Mines) Spelunker's Club was founded during this era, and the name continues to be used by that MSS grotto. Other popular publications of the '50s refer to spelunkers and spelunking without the slightest blush.

Sometime in the 1960s (according to Joe Walsh, and probably during an earlier upsurge of interest in venturing underground), spelunker began to take on the connotation of rank amateur, while those "in the know" but not degreed scientists began to refer to themselves as cavers. Steve Knutson (editor of American Caving Accidents) makes the same distinction in a 1995 article given at a Risk Management conference:

..."Note that I use the term "spelunker" to denote someone untrained and unknowledgeable in current exploration techniques, and "caver" for those who are."

TerminologySpelunker, at this time, carries with it the image of a tennis-shod explorer, caving in cotton clothing by the light of a hand held flashlight, with

butane lighters for backups. They are notorious for descending freehand, on cotton or manila rope, with little thought for the ascent. Pushing Coleman lanterns in crawlways is another favorite spelunker trick. Spelunkers differ from novice cavers in that (usually) the novice is attempting to learn correct technique. According to Clive Keen of British Columbia, "calling someone a spelunker up here is a serious insult." In the States, one wishing to be taken seriously avoids the word in self-reference, corrects others who accuse him or her of being a spelunker, and proudly displays the bumper sticker, "Cavers Rescue Spelunkers."

Speleologist--also has its roots in the beginnings of modern, systematic caving. Martel attributes its origin to Emile Riviere in 1890--as a derivation of the

French form "speleologie." Martel was by education a lawyer, not a scientist, and early speleology was seen more as branch of geography, than one of the more traditionally experimental sciences. The coining of the words, speleology and speleologist seems to have been an attempt to legitimize what was a questionable exercise in the minds of most surface dwellers.

Speleology has always been an interdisciplinary science, requiring one to have at least a smattering of geology, hydrology, biology, chemistry, climatology and survey techniques in addition to whatever specialty one has.

Most early speleologists were amateurs, not trained scientists, and even today, it is rare to find a degree in speleology or karst processes. The 1950's saw the rise of legitimate speleology, as scientific methods began to be applied to caves and cave life. Many experts in the field are trained as geologists, hydrologists, biologists, surveyors, are teachers, or employees of land management concerns such as parks or commercial caves. Some speleologists even today are largely self- educated in the field, with jobs having nothing to do with natural resources.

What distinguishes a speleologist from a spelunker or a caver is data. Whether it be maps, reports, drawings, photos, or full-blown scientific research, a speleologist aims for state of the art professional standards in his or her data production. A cave trip from which a speleologist learns nothing is a wasted effort, and the scientific bent frowns on purely recreational caving. Even so, many speleologists begin as cavers, "graduating" to speleologists as some aspect of the cave environment becomes their own personal niche for investigation.

TerminologyCaver--

So what is a caver? Unlike spelunkers, whose skills are questionable, and speleologists, who seem distinctly serious and un-fun, a caver may be considered the middle of the road cave explorer.Cavers enjoy caves for their own sake, and most people whose interest in caving is primarily recreational consider themselves cavers. Cavers often possess the best technical skills in moving safely underground, and many of the innovations in new equipment have been invented by cavers.

Cavers are known as the discoverers and explorers of new caves, the people who ridgewalk and dig, rig rope and cave dive, driven by the hope of virgin passage just ahead.

Cavers will survey and map, just for the privilege of naming the passages with some awful pun. Some cavers are ardent photographers, not so much for documentation, as for slideshows and videos to entertain fellow cavers.

On a more serious note, one subset of cavers have become expert at cave search and rescue in order to provide a safety net for fellow cavers. These cavers are often called out by local fire and police forces to effect rescues for which the paid emergency services are ill-equipped, and rarely trained. So they get out of bed in the middle of the night, and travel long distances to rescue perfect strangers for no other reason than they have the know-how.

Some cavers become well-known as speleologists. Others become that strange creature known as a speleopolitician who tries to conserve caves by dealing with the various landowner and cave controlling agencies. And others disdain notoriety, and simply cave because they enjoy it. A great love of caves and their critters drives them--and they work to preserve their private paradise, with no thought or interest in others except for their caving buddies.

So now that you know the difference--what are you? A Spelunker? A Speleologist? or A Caver?

Cave Types

• Fault– Any kind of stone– Wet or dry– Usually small

• Solution – Limestone– Wet– Can be huge

• Lava Tubes

Environment in Wild Caves

• Cool … ~50 deg F year round– Watch out for hypothermia! You may be in the cave 6 to 8 hours

• Wet– Wet clay mud … it gets everywhere and it is abrasive and is slippery

• Claustrophobic– Prescreen everyone ~10% of population has claustrophobia – In the cave, watch for scout in a cold sweat

• Sensory Deprivation– Quiet … profoundly quiet– Dark … profoundly dark– Normally … no air movement– Don’t leave anyone alone in the dark … not even for a few minutes

Caves Breath

• Why?– Temperature difference between inside and

out– When you are in a cave and and feel a breeze

you are probably near an exit

Cave Formations

• Caused by minerals precipitating out of solution– Look, but don’t

Touch

– Literally … don’t Even Touch it!

– Don’t even think about touching it!

Caving Gear

Clothing• Coveralls (or jeans and a long sleeve shirt that you don’t care about) I sew a leather butt on the

pants.• Gloves (leather or rubber; I buy gloves with a rubber palm and stitched top from Walmart) • Long underwear bottom made out of synthetic material (polyester, polypropylene, or wool) • Long Underwear mid-weight, short sleeve top made of synthetic material (polypro)• Heavier weight long sleeve synthetic shirt (mine is a wool and polyester blend).  You’d only

wear one shirt in a dry cave.  (actually cotton may be just fine)• Wool & Neoprene Socks (I found this is the only combination that keeps my feet from going

numb for extended submergence in 50 degree water).  Just wool socks would do.  … Any good non-cotton hiking socks will do!

• Footwear preferably lug sole boots (tennis shoes will work but boots are better).  I go to Walmart and buy their cheapest pair of boots that fits me well)  I generally buy steel toe boots since the toes are usually destroyed first.  … I differ … you want ankle support but not too much Also … Your boot will get WET!

– High top boots: Don’t lace too tight. Jungle or leather is best.

• Knee pads!!  Garden knee pads will do• Elbow pads (optional, I always wear them but some people don’t)

Caving Gear

• Gear• Helmet … an inexpensive industrial “bump hat” works well• A helmet mounted light. Walmart has a cheap $7 headlamp that would work called

the night blaster (buy extra batteries and an extra bulb.  You may want to go to Lowes and replace the O-ring too).  I think the batteries last for about 4 hrs.  (the IUSC will provide a helmet and helmet mounted light for the first 6 trip participants).  Don’t use a very expensive headlamp as it will get scratched, also many LED lamps are not bright enough.

• Two other sources of light.  One can be a simple “pen light” and one should throw a strong beam. This is a total of 3 lamps! Also think extra batteries

• Additional Item for trips over 2 hours– Cave Pack (don’t use your school backpack; an army surplus pack would work well).

Heavy canvas works well as it can take the dirty and abrasion. Many synthetics have poor abrasion resistance.

– Water bottle (Nalgene) … hydration is important!– Food (I buy Snickers and Nature Valley Trail mix bars) – Dry bag or dry box to put food in (or 2 heavy duty zip lock bags; just one will leak)

Safety

• Plan Injury Escape Route … think about a badly sprained ankle.– Usually think about clawing out at the stream level … lowest level of the

cave

• Water Trapping at the Entrance (or elsewhere)– When in a cave you can have heavy rain outside and you will not know

it! … Rising water can cause traps. Wait for the water level to go down!

• Don’t worry about getting caught in a stuff hole. Be careful but I actually never hear of anyone getting stuck for more than a few minutes.

• Rope Work … I am not an expert ..IU Caving Group does not support it.

Rope Work

• Usually used to get to cave entrance at the bottom of a sink hole … so it is outside and just like normal rock climbing

• Don’t even think about doing rope work inside a cave … for one thing you just don’t want that much gear

Screen Everyone

• Claustrophobia … it can kill you in a cave– Most people have no idea they have

claustrophobia– Do a pre-test is a small dark room before you

leave

Cave Critters

Bats

• Little brown bats are the gentlest of creatures!

• They fly much of the cave by memory … you are not in the memory of their flight path … they can fly into you!– Stand still … don’t hurt the bat! Just wait and

the bat will turn on sonar and find its way around you!

Leave No Trace !

• Leave nothing in the cave … no food no carbide, nothing!– batteries– Paper– Not even what was once inside you.

• Do not even touch formations!• Do not write on walls• It may have taken millions of years to create the

cave … don’t destroy it in hours!

How to Find a Great Wild Cave

• Frankly, so many caves have been trashed the nice caves are kept secret

• Work with the local caving group– You must prove to them you will be

responsible in caves!– Don’t expect BSA to open doors … some

scout troops have a very bad reputation– Responsibility extends to all scouts from the

oldest to the youngest

Your Trip

• The Good Caves are in Maryland, WV, Ohio, KY, IN, W Penn … more than a days drive away

• Multifunction … caving is not for everyone– Visit a commercial cave– Hiking– Canoeing … swift water … rivers are less “white” and

flow is more consistent in the mid west … think Ohio River

– Rock Climbing … think Red River Gorge KY– Biking ... think Bloomington IN

Kartchner Cave Az