The past two days I have

been falling into a never ending spelunking research hole (no pun intended). I have always been afraid of tight spaces and have experienced claustrophobia. Most of my nightmares are about being trapped underground. So in all honesty, I'm surprised I found myself so attracted to this subject. It all started by watching a video of an entrance passage to a cave in Wales, U.K.

"The Vice" is a 517m(0.3miles) long passage way that is extremely narrow. It is meant only for strong and experienced cavers. It is the entrance passage to the Ogof y Daren Cilau cave system. As most viewers of the video I was pretty freaked out! It seems incredibly strenuous and difficult. Not to mention you're in an incredibly small, enclosed space. Most people would become claustrophhobic at this point. It has been described as doing one thousand push-ups with one arm while the other half of your body is in freezing cold water.

Image Credit: Bob the Juggler

I was left wondering why someone would put themselves through something like that! Well, the reward seems beyond worth it. Inside the cave there are many beautiful sights. Calcite and mineral deposits are formed and crystalized creating wonderfully complex structures.

Image Credit: Caves of South Wales

After seeing these photos, I immedietly went to find more videos from the depths of the cave. I happened upon this video. It shows a groups journey deep into the heart of the cave and to many wonderous locations. They even camp inside, making dinner and sleeping to regain energy to delve deeper the next day. This cave includes a passage called "The Time Machine," which is the largest cave passage in Britain. Crazy to think after an entrance as tight as "The Vice," there is the largest passageway in the whole country. It just goes to show that perserverence and determination are rewarded!

Image Credit: Caves of South Wales

This video, shows some cavers in Daren Cilau journeying through the "Bonsai Streamway." In this place, the calcite has formed in a way that it looks like there are bonsai trees along the floor. Honestly, it is one of the most wild things I have ever seen in my life. I don't think I could ever get past "The Vice" but I am glad someone did! This is unlike anything I have ever seen.

I think one of the biggest appeals of caving is that you can chart new territory others have yet to discover. People have mapped most of the surface of the Earth, and that is a big reason for other types of exploration. Some people go out to space, but cavers prefer to go down below. This video shows the journey of a group of 10 cavers in an attempt to chart to new territory. It is fascinating and I definitely recommend checking it out.

After all this research, I think I might one day actually want to go down into a cave. With a team and safety pre-cautions of course! I would definitely want to start easy and practice a lot before ever attempting something legitimately nerve-wracking.

Would you ever go down into a cave like this? Have you done it before?? Are these people completely insane??? Let me know what you think about the caver lifestyle!

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