Dope on a Rope?

Saturday was the birthday of Robby, one of the group that I have been caving with lately. Plans were made to go caving in the day and have a birthday party that night.

The downside was that my Vols were playing and it was senior day. The tickets were almost affordable, even. It was a night game!

And were that not enough, it was a must-win if they wanted to go to a bowl. Since I was actually out and already IN Knoxville anyway, maybe I could take in the game. It's been *years* since I last was able to go to one!

Going to the game would mean missing the party. I haven't seen these folks in a while and do enjoy their company. Still the chance of catching a game had real appeal. I figured I would decide what to do once I got out of the cave.

I always enjoy caving and tend to look forward to it, but this time there was even more anticipation. They were doing vertical training (rappelling). I have wanted to do this for a long time now, but never had the opportunity. Robby has all the gear and between him and a few others, there were enough rigs for about 8 people I think. We had about 15 total, but not everyone was there to rappel .

We got to the site and began hiking to the cave. Luckily, we have been to this before so finding it was not an issue. During the hike many of us got to know one another. By now, I had about decided that I had solved the dilemma of if I was going to the game or not.

The cave was found without issue. Robby and Randy began setting up their rigging in two different drop zones. This is a big cave and pics cannot capture it. There are a few ways in. One on foot and a few different places to drop a rope from.

The opening just above the mouth of the cave, drops about 50' to the floor. Robby set up here.

photo taken by Misti Cardin

There is another opening a little to the left of the center (when looking from the outside). This is where Randy set up.

Robby's was a straight drop without the security of your feet on something to "ease" into it. However, where Randy set up rope was almost three times longer a drop but there was a rock wall to be able to have your feet on something.

I chose to take the descent with the wall. It's my first time doing this, and I think I'd feel more comfortable if I am not just suspended in the air trusting that I will not do something stupid. You can imagine my confidence level here!  ; )

I watched Randy go first.

photo taken by Misti Cardin

photo taken by Misti Cardin

                                                                       Then Gavin.


I remember asking Shane, standing next to me (also watching intently), "Is your heart beating?" This was also to be his first time doing this. He didn't seem to be intimidated.

Then Shane went. Again, I am intently observing. Heh! shortly after he went over the edge, Vince asked if he was okay. Shane's reply was "My heart is beating!"  LOL

photo taken by Misti Cardin

 
After Shane was off the rope, it came to be my turn. OH BOY! All kinds of scenarios run through your head. As you're watching you think "yeah this looks cool!" then it's your turn to step over that edge and a sense of mortality hits.

Going over the edge was the biggest roadblock. I had watched Randy, Gavin, and Shane do it. I watched how they approached it. I observed their posture. I thought I was processing this information.

When it came game time I had lost all that "processed data". It took me a few minutes but I finally did tip a toe over that edge, and then progressively more and more of my anatomy -- and right about now the preservation instinct(s) kick in.

My heart rate is jacked! It felt like it was about to pound it's way through my rib cage.

I wasn't sure which part of the "flight-or-fight" receptors were working harder. I was hyper-focused and the adrenaline was flowing to keep my body as sharp as it needed to be.  ; )

I am mostly concerned with how and where to hold the rope. It wasn't a heights thing, I'm okay with that-- other than the fact that a slip-up from this height could end badly. I was worried if I let the rope slip through my hands too quickly how fast and sudden that fall could become.

So I am over the edge and looking at this 15' bluff and trying to figure out how to get feet planted as I made my descent (after 15' or so it wasn't a straight vertical bluff, there was a less-than-perpendicular angle there but that frst 15'?).

During that first part, my feet kept slipping. What I needed to do was have my legs perpendicular to the surface but that wasn't happening as easily as it should have. So, it was another thing I had to wrap my head around.

I got better at it as I descended, but I was scared I would do something stupid the whole time. At one point I slipped and lost footing. Of course, Misti was there with the camera ...

photo taken by Misti Cardin

It took me a bit to get back to the proper posture, but I did.

In a way that was really good. Oddly, it gave me confidence, since momentarily I was in mid-air and had to figure out what to do. When I got my feet back on that rock, I felt "more comfortable?". Once I hit solid ground, I was quaking all over. Some of it was likely adrenaline, but some of it was fear too!

I parked my bum on a rock to try and let my nerves and heart rate return to a more normal pattern and waited for the next to come down. I pulled out my camera and get a message saying "Card Locked". I haven't done anything to it since the last time I was caving and it was functional then! No matter what menu I accessed I could not get it straightened out. GRR!

Meh! Everyone that was coming down the rope had already done so -- at least once. For me, today, once was enough. I will again, but I know I (ab)used many muscles I typically do not, so sitting out was probably the best thing.

photo taken by Misti Cardin

Now that everyone is down, it's time to go crawl around some! There was a group of folks that passed on the rappel and had already explored a short section of it.



By the time we were done with our rappelling, they had returned. Damn near perfect timing, that!







There was another rope descent but that was "easy" in comparison to what I had just done. The descent was about 20' I would guess. So far most of the cave had been relatively dry. However, there were many decent flowstone formations suggesting that this was far from dry. Again, my SD card crapped out on me so use your imagination.

Those of us that made the descent (at least 10? of us) proceeded along for a bit longer. We came to a channel with water and there was a ledge up to the left. A couple of us took the ledge, and others the water.

That is, until we rounded a bend and the ledge ... disappeared. The only way now was go back to the water or try and straddle a gap about 20' above the water (with no idea how deep the water was if you lose footing) -- the gap got wider than the trust I had in the muscles of my legs after the rappel.

I watched someone (forget whom now) do the straddle thing and decided I was going to wuss out and go back and walk through the water. Heh! that water gets deep at spots -- and it's COLD! part of the reason I tried avoiding it to begin with.

After that we came to a crawl. It was funny those that avoided the water -- and there were few --  are now rueful of the fact they still have to get muddy and wet after all that work to avoid it to begin with. HAHA! not often I'm right so allow me to gloat here.

The reason? This was a crawl. A true inchworm type crawl. You could fit in, but you weren't on your elbows and knees unless you were really vertically challenged. It also had a 90* bend about 2/3 of the way through it. It couldn't have been longer than 15' but "inching" through it made it seem like more.

We soon came to a turn around point and worked our way back to the mouth. By the time we got there, those that didn't feel up to the rope descent were there and had already built a fire. It *was* about 40* outside!

We hung out for a bit took some pics and then headed back to Robby's to let the party start. Gavin an Jenny cooked up some awesome food and we all shared good food, goodwill, and good times to pass the night away. It was over way too quickly and I got back to the house without incident.

It was great to hang out with friends again and to meet new ones and I don't regret missing the game. My Facebook friends list grew on Sunday morning.  ; )

What a great day! I scared myself and lived to tell you about it.   ; )