The last similarity I’ll venture here is SOCIAL. After getting both scared and elated, wet and muddy, exhausted, and at last safe, being with your mates is great. Drinking may be indulged in, banter will certainly be involved, smug satisfaction or readily-dismissed disappointment may be felt, adrenalin-fuelled reliving of epic moments will be shared, bold plans for the morrow made, and travel to different parts of the country and the world. Pretty obvious stuff then.
Now for some DIFFERENCES between caving and climbing.
FIRST DESCENTS. When a climber puts up a new route or problem, they name it and record it. A top feeling. When a caver discovers a new passage, not only is he or she the first, it is also the first time that it has been seen by any human being, ever. That is a humbling thought, and it took me by surprise just how momentous a feeling it was when I first experienced it. There are many undiscovered caves and unexplored passages waiting in the world, even in the UK, just as there are crags awaiting development. The difference is that the caves are not yet visible. One of the most recent major UK discoveries was Titan Shaft near Castleton in the Peak District, proving that even at home there are big underground spaces to be found. However, please take extra care when Googling this cave’s name.
DARK v LIGHT. It is dark in caves. Darker than any dark you have ever experienced. Think being trapped in a coffin like in Kill Bill. On a week-long underground exploration and survey camp in the far reaches of Dan-yr-Ogof in South Wales we found our sense of time slipping away each day due to the lack of any change of light. We had watches, but they didn’t override our body clocks which needed some signs of daylight. By the end of a week we were waking up to start our ‘work’ just after midnight and making evening meals by early afternoon. If you switch your lamp off in a cave, the blackness is absolute.
TEMPERATURE. When you go climbing it can be hot or cold. In caves it is roughly the same temperature in winter or summer – in the UK that is about 48-50º Fahrenheit (I did warn you about Imperial measures – but say 8-10º C). This makes it easier to track the rising air from unexplored cave sinkholes in snow-covered fells, or help you choose to go somewhere nice and cool in hot weather. Cave water is usually between 40 and 44ºF (4-7ºC). What few non-cavers can understand is that claustrophobic tendencies can be overcome thanks to the fresh cool air found in most caves. In some the draught is strong enough to feel like wind. (Suffering from wind in a cave is considered antisocial). If cave air gets stuffy, you may be stuffed. Bring a canary next time.
WATER. Some caves have lots of water, either running or still. Water falling from a height hurts your head. Water in the passage you are in gets you wet and scared. Rising water in the cave or passage you are in makes you sh*t yourself. Hydrophobia is more common than claustrophobia among cavers. Climbing up through a waterfall that has trebled in force since you entered the cave brings out the animal in you. Being able to swim is a handy caving skill. The ability to hold your breath as you navigate a ‘sump’ or ‘duck’ without panicking about being in a tight space is also helpful. Example caves where you might need this are Disappointment Pot in the Gaping Gill system on Ingleborough and Swildon’s Hole in the Mendips. If there is a big downpour while you are underground you might need this aptitude in lots of caves. Six cavers, one of whom I knew, were tragically drowned in Mossdale Caverns near Grassington in 1967 after a major thunderstorm filled the cave despite frantic efforts by rescuers to divert the stream from the entrance.