Thirteen Tourists and Caves` Secrets

Human created a lot of sports. As for me, I often hear about new ways of active rest. For example, alpinism is spread among travelers. The sense of this one is aspiration to conquest the highest tops of our planet. There is nothing surprising in the popularity of this sport, because people tend to desire a height. Long since romantics conquered the sky.  

And how often alpinists think about the underground world? Yes! There are wonderful things under our legs. And the world actually isn`t limited by that we see, it is wider. If you think about speleology, you are right. I would like to speak about this sport.

This year I was lucky enough to visit Karaby (massif in Crimea). This amazing place counts hundreds caves of different depth. Yearly a lot of spelunkers arrive there to take a break from the city fuss that took root in modern society. Our team of thirteen participants also went to explore the depths. That was really relaxing place. To understand what I mean try to come in a wood and live in a tent. But remember to leave your mobile phone at the house or to switch it once in several days – it`ll help you to forgot about everyday problems. All anxieties must leave you for a time. Karaby can guarantee it, because cellular there is bad. So your talks will be very short or you even could just to write messages.

Finally, what is the speleology? It means the caves` study. There are a lot of characteristics of evaluating the caves, for example, depth. Tortuosity is also important: will be it straight trajectory or on the path the sportsman will face a lot of refastening to avoid rope fraying. Although I`m impressed by another characteristic. On probation call it “narrow places”. Different caves amounts unexpected number of entrances, because underground world doesn`t look like an empty room. No! It rather can be compared with a huge megalopolis with bystreets to the most beautiful rooms, underground fresh lakes and bats as inhabitants. It should be admitted that these animals are the caves` owners while people can be just tourists.

Returning to the “narrow places”, I want to note that sportsmen need to get through such little windows, which at first sight seems too little even for children. But speleologists can evaluate own possibilities and to grouped rightly. There are several rules of body position, in which it needs the least space. For instance, chest needs the minimal volume if the person stretches its arm along the body and hold out the second one above the head. As for hips, need to note it like second problem zone, that always want to stick somewhere, you should move it. In horizontal cleft it possible to climb on your side – in that way it wouldn`t hinder you. But if such clef is vertical you can fix yourself, turned over on your stomach. It`ll give you extra time.

There exist a lot of other nuances. It`s only a small part of them.

One more interesting question: what is the most fearful in the speleology? I asked it many participants of the expedition and, of cause, answers were variety. Somebody is afraid of rope braking, somebody of bats attack. The third is afraid of getting through the narrow places or walk far from the rope. You bet! Nobody want to lose oneself underground or repeat the Winnie-the-Pooh`s story, sticking in the cleft!

There was one more point in that list and simultaneously several people were afraid of that.  They can`t entrust their lives to rope and sport equipment. I`ll explain. If we compare speleology with rock climbing, in the last case rope has a safety equipment role. So if the sportsman falls off, the rope will not allow him to fall to the ground, saving his life. It means that rock climber more relies upon oneself: he climbs on the surface, but doesn`t down in the empty space. So if the sportsman doesn`t fall off the rope even can be unnecessary. In that case rock is a kinda support, lifeline on the way to the top.

Speaking about descent into the caves, climbing technique is can`t be use enough. Number one, caves` walls are very wet and it`s often covered by fresh lime. That`s why sportsmen may easy slip. Number two they need to come down with one rope when the nearest wall is situated in several meters from speleologist. In such situation it`s necessary to control emotions, because personе begin to realize that his life is hanging not by a thread, but by a rope. Sometimes speleologist overcomes half a path, but all the same he is locating at the huge height. Just image these feelings: the man is hanging under the earth in darkness. Only lantern is illuminating one side and it helps to look around. And in fact below is darkness and the top is filled by emptiness. To understand the speleology, maybe, you should feel it. This situation will scare someone and another will breathless with delight. But you will not stay indifferent to the caves.

I think you`ve understood that speleology is a risk sport. But it has a lot of other interesting moments. Not everything in speleology is connected with danger. I described only hard moments of the descent. They need to be passed, but it isn`t a goal. The goal is an opening an underground world for yourself, an opportunity of walking through the caves, to feel an absolutely another atmosphere, another time passing. Frankly, my first descent was so awesome that first half an hour I couldn`t be objective in evaluation the room in which I found myself. The filling a solid ground was the main for me, everything else were secondary. And what there was room? That cave was like my four flats and it was just hall leading to other rooms and that in turn – to new corners. It seemed that I could walk several days. People need time to realize such thing. After half an hour excursion I was heard that four hours had been passed and we need to begin ready for ascent. That information seemed absolutely unthinkable. My mind could believe rather in watch’s breakage than in a crazy time passing.

The most of the time could be spend near the lakes. In the fact that are bathes among rocks, but even that sizes are big for caves. That`s why they are called lakes.

   Of course, I can`t ignore newcomers` impressions of stalactites, stalagmite and stalagnateses. Those look like stone icicles growing in different sides. And when you realize that all is created by water during hundreds ages, you begin better understand the nature straight and see the world wider.

Finally I would ask you one thing: it you ever deep in a cover, pay attention to the walls (especially beautiful are white walls). Please, don`t touch them. It`s an elementary speleologists` etiquette. Often tourists can`t keep from white stalagmite and not to touch it. They leave marks and in future walls lose their first view.

Our team opened for ourselves a completely different side of our world. I wish you the same. And if you ever come to Karaby, use this opportunity of dive into а new world. Enjoy the best views of that place. Try not just to go to the excursion, but feel the nature and renew your connection with it. That will be the best way to get rid of stresses following us in modern megalopolises. Good luck in in subdue new depths!