Well here it is, the middle of winter, here in Colorado. Snow all over the place and I'm thinking about summer and fall outdoor sports I'll be doing next year! One of the sports I love to do is Caving! Horizontal of vertical caving can be a great way to experience something you may have never experienced before. You may see things very few people have ever seen. Think of it as a vast, unexplored frontier.
When caving, one assumes a feeling of awe. It makes your imagination run amok. You think of how long these formations have been around, what formed them, the fact that they exist in total darkness all day, every day (except when visited by people such as you). It truly does spark the wonder in a person! You get the feeling of being small and unimportant at the same time some of the tight passageways make you feel huge!
In Colorado, as well as other places, many of the caves have running water, underground lakes and streams and even large waterfalls. The whole existence of this underground world, with it's labyrinths, tunnels, cliffs, large open cathedrals, and tight crawls makes you ponder just how little we know about the environment around us!
If you have the time this next summer or fall, get hold of a local Grotto or caving group. Tell them you are interested in going caving and would like to get to know more about this sport. Go to some Grotto meetings, learn as much as you can about the formation of caves. You will also learn how to protect and preserve these beautiful caverns for future generations to enjoy. They are a very fragile ecosystem and without the care of the dedicated people of the NSS and the local Grottos they could be damaged and ruined forever.
I hope I have sparked an interest in caving or rekindled a previous enthusiasm for this sport. Till next time - "Every Day Underground is a Good Day"
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Climbing Ropes - Types, Care, and Use.
Climbing ropes are available in two basic configurations. There are static ropes and dynamic ropes. Do not confuse the two different types of rope! Once a rope is purchased, one should mark the rope accordingly. It is difficult to distinguish between the static and dynamic ropes just upon visual inspection.
I generally mark my ropes in the following manner. I use to two colors of shrink tubing. Shrink tubing is a plastic tube that shrinks when heated. I slide a white piece if tubing onto the ends of the rope. I use a heat gun or similar tool to shrink the tube down tightly on the rope. Then I mark on the tubing the date the rope was purchased, the type of rope, and the length. Then I take a clear piece of tubing and slide it over the white piece and shrink it down tight over the first piece. This keeps the markings from rubbing off and makes it easily identifiable.
Static rope is designed to be used for rappelling into a pit or off the edge of a drop. It is generally used with a rope descender system and is NOT used to catch a fall. If one falls using a static rope one can rick injury or even death. Static ropes do not stretch. They are more abrasion resistant but will not protect against shock loads. Static ropes are mainly used in the caving environment, technical climbing and for rescue purposes.
Dynamic ropes ARE stretchable. They are used for general climbing and will absorb a shock load. They are designed for belaying and will absorb the shock of a falling climber. They reduce the chance of injury on the climber, belayer and any equipment used. Think of dynamic ropes as life safety ropes.
Take care of your ropes. They need to be washed if they have gotten extremely diry of muddy. The grit in dirt and mud acts as sand paper an can quickly destroy the rope's construction. Put them away dry and clean and they will last much longer.
I will talk about rope washing techniques in an future article.
I generally mark my ropes in the following manner. I use to two colors of shrink tubing. Shrink tubing is a plastic tube that shrinks when heated. I slide a white piece if tubing onto the ends of the rope. I use a heat gun or similar tool to shrink the tube down tightly on the rope. Then I mark on the tubing the date the rope was purchased, the type of rope, and the length. Then I take a clear piece of tubing and slide it over the white piece and shrink it down tight over the first piece. This keeps the markings from rubbing off and makes it easily identifiable.
Static rope is designed to be used for rappelling into a pit or off the edge of a drop. It is generally used with a rope descender system and is NOT used to catch a fall. If one falls using a static rope one can rick injury or even death. Static ropes do not stretch. They are more abrasion resistant but will not protect against shock loads. Static ropes are mainly used in the caving environment, technical climbing and for rescue purposes.
Dynamic ropes ARE stretchable. They are used for general climbing and will absorb a shock load. They are designed for belaying and will absorb the shock of a falling climber. They reduce the chance of injury on the climber, belayer and any equipment used. Think of dynamic ropes as life safety ropes.
Take care of your ropes. They need to be washed if they have gotten extremely diry of muddy. The grit in dirt and mud acts as sand paper an can quickly destroy the rope's construction. Put them away dry and clean and they will last much longer.
I will talk about rope washing techniques in an future article.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
What To Carry In A Caving Pack
Everyone has their own idea of what might be included in their very own cave pack. Obviously, the contents depend somewhat on the length of the trip. We will focus on short day trips from 1 to 4 or 5 hours. These are the most common caving trips and should cover the majority of concerns. Overnight trips and other lengthy expeditions require much more thought and planning.
The pack should be as small as possible but still be able to include all the essential items. The other qualities I like in a pack are multiple straps, hooks and configurations for attaching it to yourself. My pack can be attached around the waist, over the shoulder, to one leg or over my back.
The following list is what I carry and can be adjusted accordingly. Colorado is a colder caving environment and has some wet, muddy caves.
I actually carry a pack inside a pack. The smaller inside one is a padded, semi waterproof case designed for either a camera, binoculars or something like that. In this case I carry small items that can be easily misplaced in the bottom of a larger pack. This includes...
putty knife (used for cleaning mud off boots or as an assist in a muddy horizontal / vertical belly crawl)
mag light with Velcro attachment loop (to attach to helmet if needed, I generally have 2 headlamps on helmet)
spare batteries and bulbs for all lights
wire hook and length of nylon cord ( to retrieve items dropped)
large trash bag and candle (to stay warm if stranded)
lighter and flints
duct tape
toilet paper
paper and sharpie
small plastic magnifying card (to read maps)
maps
camera
small first aid kit
lip balm
zip ties
zip lock bags ( I keep above items that can't get wet in zip locks as well)
All above goes into the small bag which goes into the larger bag which contains the following...
water bottle
human waste bags (Restop)
webbing
couple of locking, aluminum carabiners
power bars or snacks
beanie cap
short cord to attach pack to chicken loop on ankle if I need to drag the pack behind me
This should be fairly complete - Happy Caving!
The pack should be as small as possible but still be able to include all the essential items. The other qualities I like in a pack are multiple straps, hooks and configurations for attaching it to yourself. My pack can be attached around the waist, over the shoulder, to one leg or over my back.
The following list is what I carry and can be adjusted accordingly. Colorado is a colder caving environment and has some wet, muddy caves.
I actually carry a pack inside a pack. The smaller inside one is a padded, semi waterproof case designed for either a camera, binoculars or something like that. In this case I carry small items that can be easily misplaced in the bottom of a larger pack. This includes...
putty knife (used for cleaning mud off boots or as an assist in a muddy horizontal / vertical belly crawl)
mag light with Velcro attachment loop (to attach to helmet if needed, I generally have 2 headlamps on helmet)
spare batteries and bulbs for all lights
wire hook and length of nylon cord ( to retrieve items dropped)
large trash bag and candle (to stay warm if stranded)
lighter and flints
duct tape
toilet paper
paper and sharpie
small plastic magnifying card (to read maps)
maps
camera
small first aid kit
lip balm
zip ties
zip lock bags ( I keep above items that can't get wet in zip locks as well)
All above goes into the small bag which goes into the larger bag which contains the following...
water bottle
human waste bags (Restop)
webbing
couple of locking, aluminum carabiners
power bars or snacks
beanie cap
short cord to attach pack to chicken loop on ankle if I need to drag the pack behind me
This should be fairly complete - Happy Caving!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Basic Rock Climbing Technique
For the sake of discussion, we are talking about free climbing. Free solo climbing will not be discussed at this time.
Climbing is usually done with at least two people and sometimes more. When climbing, one person is climbing and the other belays the climber. By belay, I mean protects them from a fall. This is done with a rope. The rope is either anchored at the top of the face or drawn up the climb with a lead climber.
When anchored at the top (top roping), the rope is dropped down on both sides of the anchor, one end tied to the climber's harness and the other end controlled by the belayer. As the climber ascends, the belayer pulls up the slack in the rope through a belay device. If the climber were to fall the belayer can stop the release of rope by pulling on the rope through the belay device, thus stopping the climber's fall.
In the case of lead climbing, the rope is attached to the climber and controlled by the belayer. As the climber ascends a pitch, they attach a quickdraw (2 carbiners connected together with a short length of webbing) to an anchor on the wall and then run the rope through the other end of the quickdraw. As the climber ascends, the belayer lets out more slack in the rope. The climber continues to ascend, attach quickdraws and loop the rope through them. If the climber were to fall, the belayer would, once again, control the fall with the belay device. The climber would only fall twice the distance they are above the last anchor.
In either case, the belayer could belay them all the way down if needed. Some climbs are too long and this operation has to be done in several pitches up the face.
Equipment needed.
Harness
Helmet
Carabiners
Quickdraws
Chalk and bag
Climbing shoes
Rope
Belay devices
Anchors (either removable or permanent)
Comfortable clothing
This is just a basic list and can be improved upon over time.
Climbing is usually done with at least two people and sometimes more. When climbing, one person is climbing and the other belays the climber. By belay, I mean protects them from a fall. This is done with a rope. The rope is either anchored at the top of the face or drawn up the climb with a lead climber.
When anchored at the top (top roping), the rope is dropped down on both sides of the anchor, one end tied to the climber's harness and the other end controlled by the belayer. As the climber ascends, the belayer pulls up the slack in the rope through a belay device. If the climber were to fall the belayer can stop the release of rope by pulling on the rope through the belay device, thus stopping the climber's fall.
In the case of lead climbing, the rope is attached to the climber and controlled by the belayer. As the climber ascends a pitch, they attach a quickdraw (2 carbiners connected together with a short length of webbing) to an anchor on the wall and then run the rope through the other end of the quickdraw. As the climber ascends, the belayer lets out more slack in the rope. The climber continues to ascend, attach quickdraws and loop the rope through them. If the climber were to fall, the belayer would, once again, control the fall with the belay device. The climber would only fall twice the distance they are above the last anchor.
In either case, the belayer could belay them all the way down if needed. Some climbs are too long and this operation has to be done in several pitches up the face.
Equipment needed.
Harness
Helmet
Carabiners
Quickdraws
Chalk and bag
Climbing shoes
Rope
Belay devices
Anchors (either removable or permanent)
Comfortable clothing
This is just a basic list and can be improved upon over time.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Basic Equipment Required For Caving
This list is by no means complete but should get the average person started. Exploring caves is a great activity and should be a memorable experience. Safety is of great concern. When going caving, be sure to let someone know where you are going and when they would expect you back. Give them numbers of agencies in the vicinity of where you will be so that they can get hold of people to locate you if you don't return on time. Always cave with at least three people. This will insure that someone can get help while another can stay with an injured person. Always carry 3 sources of light (the worst thing that can happen is to be without light).
So.. here is the list...
Helmet (with headlamp strapped or mounted to it)
Grubby clothes (old overalls or jeans)
Solid pair of boots
Gloves
Elbow and knee pads
Small pack containing the following:
Extra light sources
Water
Food (granola or power bars)
Knife
Map of cave (if applicable)
Spare batteries
Small first aid kit
Zip locks and foil (carry out waste)
Disposable camera
This equipment will not get you into vertical caving but will get you safely into and out of a horizontal cave.
Stay tuned - there will be more.....
So.. here is the list...
Helmet (with headlamp strapped or mounted to it)
Grubby clothes (old overalls or jeans)
Solid pair of boots
Gloves
Elbow and knee pads
Small pack containing the following:
Extra light sources
Water
Food (granola or power bars)
Knife
Map of cave (if applicable)
Spare batteries
Small first aid kit
Zip locks and foil (carry out waste)
Disposable camera
This equipment will not get you into vertical caving but will get you safely into and out of a horizontal cave.
Stay tuned - there will be more.....
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