Caving in Yorkshire
On Thursday I was asked to accompany the residents at Mercy on an Outdoor Pursuits Day. We went Caving in Lofthouse, North Yorkshire.
The weather man said it was supposed to start snowing at about 2pm. By 10am it was snowing pretty hard. But, since we were going to be in a cave, we figured we should go for it anyway. We got there safely and suited up in hard hats with lamps, full suits that made us look like Telly-Tubbies and thick rubber glove things.
The floor of the cave was water, so we spent 2 hours walking through water, but we also had to climb what the instructors called ‘The Mud Slide’. This was basically a huge hill of mud that we climbed (or rather slipped up) and then walked across the top of. So many people have walked the same path there is a little path you can follow. Then we slid down the other side, into water that we ended up crawling through, because the ceiling of the cave was only about 2 foot high.
I was freezing. I was given a pair of wellies, that were not water tight, so the second I put my foot in the water, the boots filled with water. Within about 10 minutes, I simply could not feel my toes. By the time we reached the cars again, I took my socks off and my feet were bright red, and swollen so much I almost couldn’t get the wellies off. Then, before I could get my dry socks on, my feet were actually steaming. I wish I would have had my camera with me and I would have taken a picture of my toes steaming!
Although I had fun during the day, and have been caving before, I really don’t think I want to go back in the middle of winter again, and certainly not a cave that I have to walk through water the whole time.
wow! that was very brave of you!! and brave for going in the snow!! crazy =) did you get much snow?
Comment by janelle — 12 February 2007 @ 9:49 pm