Caving Makes it All Better

Yesterday was worth it for today. Even though I woke up at 7am, packed up a wet tent full of wet clothes, pulled a deer tick from my inner thigh, and did it all in the rain, still worth it.

My wild cave tour consisted of Tim from Chicago, Diane and Gretchen from Georgia, and our two guides Taylor and Emily. That's it. Three guys and three girls each physically fit and able to challenge this cave to its fullest. Our lead guide Taylor ensured us right from the beginning that because we had a small group, we'd see much more than the average tour. My little boot snafu yesterday seemed to happen for a reason. Because that tour was at a full capacity of 14, and not all of them looked like the most intense climbers. But today, we were.

From straddling canyons to belly crawls through 9 inch openings this tour was more than I could ever have imagined. I couldn't count the amount of times we came out of an opening, turned around, and said, "we just came out of that?!" There were also many moments when we barely had room to move and all I could see was the ass or boots in front of me. A few of those times, I had to slowly breathe and say to myself, "you're ok, countless people have done this before you." Today, I conquered claustrophobia. 

The tightest passage is called Bare Pass, which got it's name from a tourist from the 1950's who lost his pants going through it. It's that tight. Another favorite was Hell's Pass, a detour which Taylor let me lead on. It's a whole other experience leading a crawl from the front, and wondering when or if that belly journey would end. A spot I suggested going to after I saw it's name was the Cheese Grater, a tight winding passage full of jagged limestone that tears your clothing as you crawl. Everyone thanked me for suggesting that after we made it through. 

As fun as the tight passages and crawls were, one can't help but to be amazing at the natural beauty of the cave all around you. It's especially awe-inspiring in rooms like the Cathedral or Ethel's Dome, both known for their remarkably high ceilings. The final stop, Frozen Niagara, is a site any visitor to Mammoth Cave needs to see.  

My favorite moment of the whole tour is when we were walking down a paved trail that all the less strenuous tours take. All of the sudden with any warning, Taylor looks at a tiny opening to his left and dives in. The other guide, Emily, said, "ok, follow him." That's a good representation of our day.  

These most extreme tours can go pretty much anywhere the guide wishes to take the group. Since we were all abled-bodied visitors, we grabbed that cave by the stalagmites and made it our bitch. 

Once the tour was done, I was on a euphoric high. After a much needed shower, I used that high to hit the road and get five hours behind me. Currently, I'm in a Sleep Inn motel parking lot using their wifi. I intend on "sleeping in" my car and journeying the rest of the way to Washington D.C. tomorrow.