Caving - Exploring The Dark Side Of Life.

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"