~ That one time I spelunked...... ~

What is spelunking? To spleunk means to explore caves, especially as a hobby. 

I wouldn't say it's a hobby because I've only done it once.

 

The one we took part of was at Mammoth Cave National Park in Cave City, KY.  I brought a group of 5 others with me. We took part in the Introduction to Caving.  I was unsure if I was going to like it in the first place, so I figured I'd better do the easy one first. 

 

 

 

www.nps.gov described the Introduction to Caving as this:

 

Want to really go caving? Not sure if spelunking is for you? Try this short, small group caving challenge to discover things about the cave and yourself. Experience off trail adventures wearing traditional caving gear. Learn how cavers work together as a team as they travel over uneven terrain, crawl through tight holes and climb up rocky slopes. Bring your friends or family for an action packed activity! In order to minimize the spread of White Nose Syndrome, a fungus that has resulted in the death of over 5.5 million bats in the eastern United States, Mammoth Cave National Park has instituted stringent cleaning procedures for all off-trail spelunking tours this summer. All equipment and outerwear including gloves will be provided by the park. Visitors must provide their own boots. No personal caving equipment allowed. No Exceptions. Shorts and t-shirt recommended for wear under required coveralls.
An adult must accompany visitors under age 18. Organized youth groups must have at least two adult representatives accompanying minor children. Chest or hip measurement must not exceed 42 inches; if you are larger you may not physically pass through the crawl spaces. Sturdy, high-top, over-the-ankle lace-up boots, with lug or deeply treaded soles are required. No low-cut hiking or athletic shoes allowed. You will not be allowed to participate in the tour if you are not wearing proper footwear - no exceptions. Please bring an extra pair of tennis shoes or sandals for use during boot cleaning at the end of the tour. Requires at least 2 participants.
Age Limit: 10 and over
Duration: 3 1/2 hours
Distance: 1 mile
Total Stairs: 280+
Difficulty: Strenuous

This was the entrance, crazy... I know!

  
The cave was beautiful!  We stopped a few times to talk, went through some tight spaces, we bouldered, we chimneyed (CHIMNEYING. v. The act of climbing two relatively vertical and parallel rock faces, by a person applying pressure with parts of their body to the opposing rock surfaces.), and we were "guardian angels" to the person behind us. :)

Was it hard? No.  Was it scary? No, but that is my personal opinion. Did you see bats? No, but I did see these crazy little spiders, I think that's what they were.

It was obviously hard to get pictures of the actual cave.  When we took photos of people, we had to shut off our light and just guess at where they were because we couldn't see them through the camera. We were pretty good at guessing. 

Here are a few I managed to snap!

You see the rock she is sitting under? It's literally hanging on by a thread! She was sitting there so we didn't grab hold of it.

This is just shows you basically what we walked on... we did crawl on some of this that had rocks in it. Gloves next time?!?

The group! Myself, Matt, Jordan, Joe, Kara, and Kenny!

This photo was just too funny not to post.  You might not think it's that funny... but we laughed so hard!!!! This is Matt, Jordan, and Joe just simply pointing at nothing....

Some things I learned from "Ranger John":

Always have 4 people with you.

Always have 3 light sources with you.

Always tell someone where your going and at what time you should see daylight.

A hole is something you can't crawl in/through, a cave is something you can crawl in/through.

Mammoth Cave is 400 miles and it still being explored.

Mammoth Cave is the worlds longest known cave system.

Explorers have 10 dates a year they can explore (usually with a group and they do it as a hobby and don't get paid).

If a "hole" has been seen, but not traveled through, they will put a 0 above it.  When someone explores that part of the cave, they mark through that 0.

If a smaller cave is explored and it links into a bigger cave, it then becomes part of the bigger cave. 

 

So... the plan is to do the Wild Cave Tour next since this one didn't bother me.  Kinda scared... I read there are 9" spots. It's 6 hours and we eat in the cave!!! The plan for that is July, stay tuned for that review! Not sure if they camera will go with or not.  I need a night time camera! :)