Caving – A Challenging Sport

Report by Simone R.

As we registered for the outdoor sport programs in September, we had no idea what ‘Caving’ really is. However because there were free space left, we enrolled.
So two months later on November 22nd we started around 9 am to go to the caves.
As usual, we met at the gym, and after short instructions, we all got suitable trousers or overalls against the dust and mud, helmets, lights and gloves. To be honest, I was a bit scared after hearing that we need the overalls because we will creep along the soil. However, I had promised myself to at least try it!

The First Caving Trip

After a 1.5 hours’ drive we arrived at the caving forest. We started a little hike to the first trail. As we arrived, the guide said “So here we are! There is the entrance!” We all searched for it and there it was: a little hole in the forest ground. We all did not know how to get in there, it was so small and it looked very steep. However, as the second person, I entered and -surprise, surprise- I did it. I was inside! As I looked around, I saw it is not so dirty and you can see harvestmen around you. But don’t get scared! It was really interesting to see the inside of a forest and the little spiders were not that scary as I expected. After a little walk, we had to use a ladder to get deeper. We really had to be careful, because it was unsteady and narrow. For the exit we had to creep through a hole were you had 15 cm around you to move. If I had not made it, I would have sworn I could not do this! However, I just did it! After four minutes of creeping I finished the first cave.
The first cave was quite different compared to the second and the third one.

The Second and Third Cave

The second one was my favorite. We entered through a little waterfall and inside we did not see any harvestmen. It was slippery and narrow, hence I had a lot of moments were I thought “I can’t do this. It is too small or too steep”. To my surprise, I just did it! I never thought I can surprise myself that often at one day! It was such an amazing feeling! So we were climbing through the waterfall inside the forest. It was simply fantastic! We got wet, but it did not matter, because it was so interesting and unusual for me! At one point we all switched off our helmet lights and we saw a crag glowing back inside a cave which is one off the fifth darkest in Canada! Quite amazing!

The third parkour was similar to the second one with the only difference that we entered through a door and not through a waterfall. The parkour was fun, because there was a slide inside and sometimes it was challenging, but in a good way! It is so difficult to describe these trails! You really have to discover it on your own! After the third parkour we drove back to the university with a little stop at a café.

To sum up, caving is just fun! It was one of my best days in Canada, because of all the “surprising” moments! I really recommend it to all of you! You won’t regret it!!