(no subject)
Last weekend I went Caving . . . yes, also know as Spelunking! It was awesome!
It was a beginner/intermediate trip to Knox Cave (in New York). It was about a 3 hour drive to get there, so we ended up leaving very early to get as much time underground as possible. The cave was somewhat tight and crawly, but otherwise not terribly difficult. I did, however, get stuck at a couple of points! As it turns out, just because you get in someplace easily it does not mean that you will get out just as easily . . . however, you can always get out someplace you got into!
The first time I got stuck was like this -- we were heading back out of a very tight crack . I had had a bit of trouble at one point going in, but that part was a breeze going out. On the way in I hadn't even noticed the part where I got stuck going out . . . I was leading the way out when I reached a point where I was having a little trouble squeezing through. I tried squeezing up, pushing down, breathing in, breathing out . . . then I realized I needed to yawn, but I couldn't breath in because I was too tightly pinned between the walls. It was at that point that I started to freak out and couldn't catch my breath. I had to move back a bit, catch my breath, and try again. While I was sitting there . . . kinda meditating . . . I came to the realization that I was trying to go though it facing the wrong way! Let's put it this way: I went in facing let's say East (I dont know what it actually was), but when I went out the first time I was facing West . . . it didn't work so well! Once I caught my breath I went through facing "East" and didn't have a single problem!
The other time I got stuck I didn't really get stuck, I was just the only person that couldn't fit through (damn boobs and ass!) We decided that I could get through if we sent me thought horizontally 2.5 feet off the ground. Had it been earlier in the day I would have tried it, but I wasn't sure that I have the strength toget out once I got in . . .
At any rate . . . did I say it was awesome yet?!?
After we got out of the cave we had to clean up. It's amazing when there are 6 people who go in looking vastly different and come out looking the same . . . yeah, we were all coated with the same mud!
And then an hour later we went to Goldstein's parents' house for dinner . . . yes, it took about that long to get from cave mouth to their house. They live about 20 minutes from Knox Cave and invited us over after the trip. Mrs Goldstein made us spinach lasagna and zucchini parmesan . . . so tasty!
Unlike the trip there, most people stayed awake for most of the trip home. The driver and I were the only ones to not sleep either time :) I read the whole way . . . nice, but not as good as the cave.
Here are some more pictures . . .
It was a beginner/intermediate trip to Knox Cave (in New York). It was about a 3 hour drive to get there, so we ended up leaving very early to get as much time underground as possible. The cave was somewhat tight and crawly, but otherwise not terribly difficult. I did, however, get stuck at a couple of points! As it turns out, just because you get in someplace easily it does not mean that you will get out just as easily . . . however, you can always get out someplace you got into!
The first time I got stuck was like this -- we were heading back out of a very tight crack . I had had a bit of trouble at one point going in, but that part was a breeze going out. On the way in I hadn't even noticed the part where I got stuck going out . . . I was leading the way out when I reached a point where I was having a little trouble squeezing through. I tried squeezing up, pushing down, breathing in, breathing out . . . then I realized I needed to yawn, but I couldn't breath in because I was too tightly pinned between the walls. It was at that point that I started to freak out and couldn't catch my breath. I had to move back a bit, catch my breath, and try again. While I was sitting there . . . kinda meditating . . . I came to the realization that I was trying to go though it facing the wrong way! Let's put it this way: I went in facing let's say East (I dont know what it actually was), but when I went out the first time I was facing West . . . it didn't work so well! Once I caught my breath I went through facing "East" and didn't have a single problem!
The other time I got stuck I didn't really get stuck, I was just the only person that couldn't fit through (damn boobs and ass!) We decided that I could get through if we sent me thought horizontally 2.5 feet off the ground. Had it been earlier in the day I would have tried it, but I wasn't sure that I have the strength toget out once I got in . . .
At any rate . . . did I say it was awesome yet?!?
After we got out of the cave we had to clean up. It's amazing when there are 6 people who go in looking vastly different and come out looking the same . . . yeah, we were all coated with the same mud!
And then an hour later we went to Goldstein's parents' house for dinner . . . yes, it took about that long to get from cave mouth to their house. They live about 20 minutes from Knox Cave and invited us over after the trip. Mrs Goldstein made us spinach lasagna and zucchini parmesan . . . so tasty!
Unlike the trip there, most people stayed awake for most of the trip home. The driver and I were the only ones to not sleep either time :) I read the whole way . . . nice, but not as good as the cave.
Here are some more pictures . . .
