WanderingJustin.com » caves

Washington State Wonder – The Ape Cave Lava Tube

WanderingJustin — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 06:07:50 +0000

A skylight in The Ape Cave opens to the surface.

I’m just miles away from one of the biggest volcanic eruptions in modern history.

Mount Saint Helens. 1981. A blast that re-shaped the landscape in Washington.

Thirty years later … I’m crawling through a two-mile-long lava tube on its lower slopes. The Ape Cave, named for the Boy Scouts who explored it. Since then, hiking the Ape Cave has become one of the best reasons to visit Cougar, Washington. Some parts are epic in scope, with smooth, uniform walls – so perfectly formed and regular that it’s hard to believe that hardening lava and gravity were the only forces at work.

A lava formation in The Ape Cave. No, it doesn't look phallic. Why do you ask?

Other times, Sarah and I are on our bellies slithering through tight passages – or gingerly stepping over tall piles of volcanic rubble.

Go the Right Way

We are traveling the wrong direction, by the way. Most people start at the main cave entrance near the parking lot. They head upslope, emerging through a huge skylight. We did the opposite, taking the trail through the forest, crossing a snowfield (yes, even in late May), descending into the skylight.

It's not the dark I'm afraid of - it's the stuff in it that I can't see!

Heading down, we discovered, is actually harder. There are a few steep chutes that would actually be easier to climb then descend. My size is an asset here, allowing me to stretch to footholds that are harder for Sarah to reach.

But with our Petzl headlamps illuminating the cave, we move along – swiftly, even. We meet a few groups headed the opposite direction. One group raised our hackles a bit … someone in the party was smoking – an annoying faux pas. A French family lamented how long they’d been underground, but trudged on.

Things to Wear and Bring

And further we went. The cave, by the way, was cool. I wore a heavy pair of hiking pants, a base layer, a First Ascent Serrano jacket and a Marmot rain jacket. Condensation was falling from the cave ceiling during the entire two-hour trip from top to bottom, so the rain jacket was perfect.

This is where you should exit the cave - not enter like us!

The headlamps I mentioned – indispensable. But bring other light sources and batteries, too. You won’t need gloves, despite what some people might tell you. A bottle or two of water is a good idea. If you have a small tripod, bring it for some long-exposure photos.

Finishing Up

By the time we finished, the rain was falling heavier topside. We tried to drive around for a better (that is to say any) view of Mt. Saint Helens. But it was thoroughly socked in by fog. We wound up having an excellent pizza at the Kelso Theater Pub. If you’re looking something to munch on in Kelso, you can also catch a movie while satisfying your hunger. The Theater Pub also has a nice selection of local microbrews.

This is the ladder that starts your journey.

The Ape Cave isn’t a hard journey – it’s not technical or as tight a fit as other caves I’ve visited. But it’s fun, and a really cool example of volcanism at work. It’s length can make it a touch monotonous, especially if you’re hungry. But I enjoyed it, and I would recommend to anyone who’s OK being separated from the sky for a few hours.

Me near a field of volcanic rubble.

A slug I nearly squished accidentally. Isn't it cool?!

The forest near the Ape Cave are beautiful.

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Feds Closing Dacite Cliffs Mine in Superstitions

WanderingJustin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:45:24 +0000

The Superstition Mountains - even more awesome on rainy days.

The Superstition Mountains over on the east side of Phoenix is one of the most scenic and historic places near the city. And it’s still riddled with mine shafts and tunnels (not the same thing – shafts, or adits, are horizontal and shafts are vertical). One of the most-visited is Carney’s Mine in the Dacite Cliffs. It’s also sometimes called the Dacite Cliffs Mine.

Call it what you want – by any name, it’s a solid tunnel offering little danger aside from the overwhelming smell of bat guano. It’s bored into solid volcanic rock, and it’s a cool link to Arizona’s wild mining past. But the federal government has decided to bar it to further visitors. The reasons given?

1. Achieve visitor management in such a manner that preserves the wilderness character of the area, whatever the hell that means. I’m assuming the feds think putting metal bars on a mine shaft matches wilderness character, unlike rock climbers putting much-less obvious climbing bolts in the rock. Go figure.

2. Reduce risk of exposure to rabies, undetonated explosives (I call BS on this – clearing that mine of any undetonated explosives would be faster and cheaper than using metals bars to block the way), carbon monoxide poisoning (again, easier to check for the gas) and keeping people from bugging the bats, as if they’re endangered or something.

Closing tunnels is such a knee-jerk reaction. Shafts can truly be dangerous, and sometimes tunnels contain shafts. But still, why not evaluate them on a case-by-case basis and determine whether the danger warrants spending money on closing them? Can government agencies not comprehend that tunnels, whether natural (like caves) or artificial (like mines) are just fun? What’s the liability difference between letting a natural cave with all its unpredictability versus a human-made tunnel? If it’s one public land, does one provide a greater danger, both in terms of physical safety and legal liability, than the other?

If you see this, you're getting close to the Dacite Cliffs Mine.

I’d hate to see every open tunnel in Arizona close. They’re each a piece of history, and sometimes it’s just fun to walk in those footsteps and go deep into the earth. In this case, I see no reason why the Dacite Cliffs Mine needs to be closed. And there’s even a possibility of compromise – if the government absolutely must protect the bats, why not put the bars a few hundred feet into the tunnel?

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Comments

September 1, 2011, Chris Ravenello writes: I have absolutely loved hiking in the Superstitions every time I've been able to do it. This is some magical landscape and your fog soaked image brought back some fond memories. Thanks! Not a fan of going very deep into caves or tunnels so I can see why the nanny state (Gov't) would ere on the side of blocking rather than another choice - what that other choice might be is hard for me to imagine. Many of our hiking brethren are not very prepared and the odds of something bad increase with the difficulty. However will blocking really stop people? Nah, but that's what "they" do - try to control us. I honestly don't know what the answer is; stupid is as stupid does and people will always be free to do foolish things in places where they should be careful, considerate and appreciative - and that applies equally often to Gov't and the public, right?

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Creatures and Caves – Hiking Canyon Vista and Walnut Canyon

WanderingJustin — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 04:51:15 +0000

An old jeep track leads into a dark, wooded area near Canyon Vista Campground.

In July, I was off to Flagstaff for more a bit of fun. For my wife, it was hard work – she was competing in the Mountain Man Half-Ironman Triathlon around Upper Lake Mary.

I woke up at 4:30 a.m. right along with her after a fairly fitful night of sleep at the Travelodge on Butler Street (thanks, trains, for blaring those horns!). The Travelodge isn’t too bad if you can manage to get a room on the side of the hotel that doesn’t face the tracks.

Anyway, my plan was to get her on her way, cruise out somewhere for a hike, then return by the time she was switching from the bike portion to the running. I grabbed a ranger at Lake Mary, who told me to head to Canyon Vista Campground. I did as he said, including following the path to the back where there was parking for a trailhead. There was also a map, but it actually didn’t seem very up-to-date.

I stepped into my La Sportiva Trango Trek boots (just in case it was a rocky trail), fired up the GPS, double-checked my water and headed off. For those who wonder about such things, I was also carrying my Pentax K100D-Super, an assortment of lenses, some energy bars, a Leatherman and a sturdy knife. My mistake was not packing my headlamp. More on that later.

A biker pedals past the canyon walls.

If you bear left, the path first goes past a cool rubble field (you can also veer right if you want to go rock climbing). I’m not sure what its origins are, but I’d bet on volcanic. From there, I wound through the forest before descending down into the canyon. Up to this point, you’ll get some nice canyon views. The path starts getting rocky on the downhill, which made me happy I’d picked my more rugged set of boots. Yeah, you could get away with light low-top hiking boots or running shows, but why bother?

During this early portion, you can hear traffic from nearby I40. But that soon fades away, especially early in the morning. I went about two miles before seeing another person – a mountain biker right near a rock outcrop with a small cave (see photo). From there, I went into the Walnut Canyon Wilderness Area. Bikes and any sort of motorized contraptions are not allowed in here. It’s incredibly verdant – unfortunately, that also meant a lot of bugs, which I didn’t count on! No repellant for me. Oddly enough, I only wound up with one bug bite.

This is where I found a really cool cave, and where I also regretted not having my trust Petzl Tikka headlamp. That meant I could only go about 100 feet into the cave before losing too much visibility. I’m not sure how this cave formed, but I’m not betting it’s limestone. It seemed like a crack in the surrounding rock. It was very solid and damp, with lots of bugs standing sentinel at the mouth.

Another cool thing about Walnut Canyon is how many creatures you’ll see – huge wasps, hummingbirds, even eagles (I think that’s what they were). Find a nice place, preferably near some bright-colored flowers. Be quiet. Just listen. You won’t believe the awesome racket of all these animals. The hummingbirds are my favorite, especially when they chase each other around.

An industrious hummingbird takes a break.

I knew it was getting time to head back. So I snapped a few more photos and retraced my steps, but with a little extra speed to get me back in time. A few miles later, I started encountering more people on their way out. Obviously, an early start is the way to go. That way, you’ll enjoy the solitude and then be enjoying some espresso from one of Flag’s fly baristas when everyone else is just showing up.

Total trip: 6.5 miles
Check the Maps & More Page for a map!

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Belize – The Right Destination for You?

WanderingJustin — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 00:46:59 +0000

Exiting the plane old school-style in Belize.

The cool thing about Central America is that just because you’ve seen one of its countries, you haven’t seen them all. It might be natural to assume that Belize would be like Costa Rica, but with more Mayan ruins. It would also be completely wrong.

So is Belize worth visiting? That depends on you, traveling friends, and what you want out of your journey. No matter what, Phillip SW Goldson Airport will be Belize’s first chance to make an impression. This is a Mos Eisley Cantina of an airport – hot, stuffy and far more chaotic than an airport of its Lilliputian proportions should be. Plus points – no jetways! You get to kick it Old School by descending a moving staircase (unfortunately, it’s not attached to a truck like Michael Bluth’s ride in Arrested Development). You’ll also see large commercial aircraft lined up with three-person Cessnas from local airlines. That ups the Indiana Jones factor.

Enough about airports – let’s talk about what sort of people will enjoy Belize … and which will count the days until they can leave.

A Diver’s Delight

Rio Frio Cave in the Cayo District.

If you are a diver, Belize is a must. It offers the world’s second-largest barrier reef behind Australia. You can fly from virtually anywhere in the continental U.S., wake up the day after arriving and spot your first stingray after breakfast. If you’re just a snorkler, you can see much of the same cool stuff. Of course, SCUBA divers can go further, longer and deeper. If you just can’t wait to hit the blue and see awesome sea creatures, Belize will delight you. Even just snorkling, I saw barracuda, octopi, small sharks, enormous stingrays (6-foot wingspans!) and sundry other colorful ocean fish.

Your best strategy is to fly from Goldson straight to Caye Ambergris, to the small town of San Pedro. The community thrives on SCUBA and snorkeling. You’ll have no problem getting a ride to Shark Ray Alley, Blue Hole and Hol-Chan. The ride in the small prop-driver plane will also be thrilling, giving you a nice view of all the beautiful water and beaches you probably can’t get to without your own boat and lots of time.

Five Sisters Lodge is tranquil and beautiful. And the staff will cough up info on nearby caves!

Flaccid Fare for Foodies

Let’s say you’re really into fine dining, though. You won’t go hungry in Belize. The food is solid and fresh. But there’s not much in the way of upscale dining there. Even at the really slick Five Sisters Jungle Lodge in the Cayo District, the emphasis was more on hearty and filling. I promise that a foodie won’t wake up post-vacation dreaming of Belizean vittles. Beverages aren’t much better – the coffee is pretty blah, especially compared to Costa Rica and Guatemala. Beer? Fuggit about out. There is a decent coffee liqueur perfectly suited to making a Central American twist on a White Russian, though. I’m not sure The Dude would approve, but it’s still good.

You’ll Love the Limestone

While Belizean food won’t whet the appetite, cavers (aka spelunkers, but that’s a dirty word among the faithful) will gorge themselves. Belize is mostly limestone. Just add millions of years of flowing water, and you have a recipe for awesome caves. The Cayo District is riddled with caverns, from fairly well-traveled Achtun Tunichil Muknal (aka ATM) to many others known only to locals. You may have to ingratiate and/or interrogate get the goods. One of our tour guides even mentioned that, back at the height of the Mayan days, an army from Caracol traveled underground for four days to pop out of the earth and put the sword to rival city-state Tikal. Crazy!

From the top of Caracol's biggest pyramid.

Caving is also a very illuminating experience about Mayan culture – you’ll learn that the Mayans considered caves their underworld, and would make sacrifices to appease the gods. Caves contain everything from corn offerings to gifts of human flesh – average Joes, infants and even royalty raised specifically to be sacrifices. The floors of many caves are littered with their bones.

Shopping & Nightlife are the Lowlights

Now, let’s say you’re all about the bling. Hollywood looks to you to set fashion trends. You’re Vera Wang, Ralph Lauren and Mugatu rolled into one person. Belize will have you booking a flight to Paris before your matching diamond-encrusted Versace luggage rolls down the conveyor belt. It’s also pretty hot and sticky – so unless you loaded up with Cloudveil and Patagonia gear, you’re in the wrong country. Get out unless you plan to amuse the locals with your diva antics. You will find no high-fashion items for home or wardrobe here, and that’s just all there is to it. And check this out – I couldn’t even find a jersey from the nation’s soccer league. I could find Manchester United knock-offs a-plenty, but I wasn’t able to find any Belizean soccer shirts. What’s up with that?

Belize City, the nation’s largest but not even its capitol, will not impress you. It’s squat and sprawling, often pretty hard on the eye. There’s no cafe culture and its nightlife will not impress.

A Beach in Hopkins - not impressive.

Beaches Won’t Impress

What about you beach lovers and sun worshipers out there? You want sparkling white sand and an endless stream of beach-themed cocktails. Okay: Belize may have all that somewhere. But I’m not certain where. I can tell you that San Pedro, Dangriga and Hopkins will bitterly disappoint beach-o-philes. Belize hasn’t been clued in like Costa Rica that dumping trash all over isn’t cool. That stuff washes up everywhere. A few resorts in Hopkins actually employ people to pick the sand on their territory clean. On either side of such properties, you will see astounding amounts of former flotsam. If you’re reading this and think I’m wrong, fine – just be sure to tell us all where you can find a sweet, accessible beach in Belize. I’ll be happy to share your info in a future post.

Your armed escort in Bandit Country.

I must also say that Hopkins is one sweltering inferno of a village. And this comes from a long-time desert rat, a 29-year Phoenix resident. I’m practically a Fremen, but Hopkins baked me out of my gourd when the sun emerged – in January!

Peace Through Superior Firepower

Picture this scene: Your tour guide is driving through the forest on the way to a ruin, and he stops at a wooden building. M-16-toting dudes in battle dress uniforms come out of the building, talk to your driver and follow you to and from the ruin. Your driver tells you they are along to protect you from Guatamalan bandits – you are, after all, close to contested territory. If this freaks you out, stay out of the western end of the Cayo District. Do not go to Tikal or Caracol. If you think that’s awesome, you’re my sort of traveler.

A nice view flying from Dangriga to Belize City.

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Comments

June 8, 2009, Deft Digits writes: Good info in case I ever get down that way. The diving sounds great, and from the look of the photo, that Five Sisters Lodge definitely looks like my kinda place. Couple that with Central American Caucasians (The Dude abides) and the Mos Eisley Cantina, and my interest has been piqued.
June 8, 2009, admin writes: Here's something awesome I didn't mention about Five Sisters - it's entirely hydroelectric power. There are no TVs there, and the lights often flicker. You can't use hairdryers, either. I'm gonna have to give Five Sisters its own post sometime soon. It's a magnificent place!

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5 best places to beat Arizona’s summer heat

WanderingJustin — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 04:47:17 +0000

I am so in denial right now. The nights here in Phoenix are still nice and cool, and I almost need to wear a jacket in the morning. In a few weeks, I’ll be leaving a trail of sweat everywhere I walk. What’s now a pleasant 7-mile run will turn into an epic festival of dehydration.

Oddly enough, though, people still come to Arizona in the summer. Even more oddly, it is completely possible to visit Arizona -even in August- without being confined to the malls. Here are my inaugural Best of Arizona Summer Awards:

Best Place to Feel Like You’re in the Midwest, but with Hills: Prescott – It’s just 96

Hung Dynasty rocks out at Sundance's Place in Prescott.

miles away, but it’s like a different universe. Pine trees, hills, small lakes and a Midwest-style town square flanked by restaurants, bars and kitschy shops. There’s a lot of outdoor activity – hiking, biking, birding and fishing. Be sure to visit the Prescott Brewing Company. You can also rock out at Sundance’s Place, which is near the famed Whiskey Row. Prescott also boasts The World’s Oldest Rodeo and genuine and general Independence Day Mayhem. The outskirts are a bit charmless, but the rest of town is pretty cool.

Best Place to Blow Off Shaving Body Hair: Flagstaff – This is slightly further than Phoenix at 135 miles away, and ever-so-slightly more fun. It’s home to Northern Arizona University and

The scorched lava field of Sunset Crater.

some of the state’s finest mountain bike trails. My favorite nearby spots include Government Cave (aka Lava River Cave) and Sunset Crater National Park. And I can’t resist a stop at The Black Bean for burritos. The San Francisco Peaks tower over the town, adding a very dramatic, post-volcanic apocalypse flavor. There’s a very hippie-granola feeling here. There are several great microbreweries and just a lot to do. If bars aren’t your nightlife choice, check out the Lowell Observatory.

Best Place to Get Abducted by Little Green Men: Sedona – You can actually hit Flagstaff and Sedona on the same trip, since Sedona just requires you to turn off the I-17. Sedona is a bit more toasty to the ol’ thermometer, but you will be very hard pressed to beat the scenery: Layers of limestone in alternating colors, hoodoos, spires … incredible natural majesty, along

Awesome Red Rock Wonder

with really cool afternoon micro-storms that sweep in. I like the Soldier Pass area for hiking and biking. If you like paranormal stuff or just enjoy laughing at people who do, Sedona will keep you riveted. Check out the Vortex areas (more than one … that’s Vortices, yeah?) for all sorts of New Age happenings. A great place to eat is Picazzo’s. Sedona is also a great place to be a mountain biker. Or a photographer. If you can’t get a good photo here, I will personally come to your home to confiscate your camera.

Best Place to be Someone’s Huckleberry: Tombstone – Tombstone will shock you. It’s the home of the infamous gunfight at the OK Corral. I always envisioned a flat, wind-whipped stretch of desert. I mean, it’s actually in the southern part of the state, closer to Mexico than

The green hills near Tombstone.

Phoenix! But this place is all about rolling, green hills and mild temperatures. It’s not quite Scotland, but it’s not what you’d expect. Seeing the corral is actually kind of anti-climactic. This is right near Arizona’s wine-growing region. It’s also cool and quiet. One section of town is closed to motor vehicles, and the only emissions you’ll encounter there are the kind that will make your shoes smell bad and people laugh at you. That’s right – horses only!

Best Place to see French Women Try to Hike in High Heels: The Grand Canyon – Judging from the steady stream of Germans at the wheel of rented Cruise America RVs pointed north on I-17, the Grand Canyon needs no introduction. My oldest brother had his first helicopter job there, flying tours over one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Cynics say it’s a big hole in the ground. I say, “NFS, Poindexter, but a Caterpillar couldn’t dig that in millions of years. That’s nature, baby!” The international contingent adds to the scenery. I’ve seen people trying to hike the Bright Angel -I kid you not- in high heels! Havasupai Falls is one of the canyon’s highlights. Make sure you have fresh batteries and an empty memory card for that camera … it’s gonna need ‘em.

Honorable Mention: Greer – Greer is a tiny but tony town near Sunrise Ski Resort in the east-central part of the state in the Mogollon Rim Country. There’s not much to do. The food’s not great. It’s expensive. But it’s also quiet, cool and fairly wet, being the closest thing

On horseback near Greer.

Arizona has to a rain forest. This is also where my 20+ year feud with Horsekind ended, and we forged a new era of peristroika and glasnost. It scares me that some among you might not know what I’m talking about!

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Comments

April 2, 2009, chantel graham writes: If I ever make it to the Grand Canyon, I am SO bringing a pair of high heels! It sounds like the kind of challenge and photo opp that I don't want to miss!!
April 2, 2009, admin writes: Let me know when ... I'll fire up the wagon and be up there with my Pentax!
April 2, 2009, Sarah writes: My favorite was hiking back up from Havasupai Canyon, in August, getting near the top and here are these obviously French people - guy with black socks and sandles and woman in a cute outfit and makeup - asking "Is it very far?" Yes, its the grand f'ing canyon. It is very far!
April 3, 2009, admin writes: And there's no elevator, either!

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Rappelling into the Dark – The Glow Worm Caves of Waitomo

WanderingJustin — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 23:25:22 +0000

Feb. 26, 2009

I’ve never looked like such a complete doofus before. I’m wearing bright-white rubber boots, a pair of curry-brown pants, a wetsuit and a bulbous helmet with a light on top. My hair is flapping out the sides of the helmet to perfect rodeo clown-effect.

Check out the fashion!

Not only that, but my nads are fighting a two-front war against a pair of encroaching canvas straps connected to my rappelling harness. Yes, I am ready for the cover of GQ magazine.

Bizarre as it sounds, this is one of the days of my New Zealand adventure that I’ve look forward to the most: the tour of one of the caves near Waitomo, up in the sparsely populated, ridiculously green and unbelievably quiet Waikato region. Sarah and I signed up with the Rap, Raft ‘n’ Rock crew. Don’t let the word “rap” fool you … nobody is going to bust out some rhymes while in the underground. It’s actually short for “rappel,” which nobody else really uses in New Zealand. Kiwis call rappelling “abseiling.” But no matter which word you use, it still means that males are going to spend several hours feeling like they’re wearing Satan’s jockstrap.

We started the day at the Triple R headquarters (my own nickname for the outfit) on Waitomo Caves Road, just a few minutes from town, Te Kuiti and Otorohanga. There, we met a trio of sisters who’d share the adventure with us, along with our Welsh tour guide, Nic. At this point, we had all the gear we’d need for the trip – swimsuits, towels and spare socks. Triple R took care of the rest.

We all piled into a van and started on our way, winding into the countryside. We were headed for a cave owned by a local farmer, who essentially rents it to the company.

We eventually parked next to a small series of huts that stored equipment and housed changing rooms and bathrooms. There were rows of gumboots, the local term for the aforementioned boots that looked like refugees from the stormtrooper scenes in Star Wars. We also got out wetsuits, wide-legged pants to protect the wetsuits from the sharp rocks, helmets with headlamps and abseiling harnesses.

Nic gave us a great introduction to using a mini-rack. I’m not going into details about that here: It’s better, if you go, to give your guide your full attention. We trudged in out gumboots into what seemed like a small valley, but was really the fractured roof of a huge cave.

“Who wants to go first?” Nic asked, after we’d practiced our abseiling rope control on dry land. Not wanting to be like the sheep wandering around us, I volunteered.

Sarah can't wait to descend the rope!

The funny thing about abseiling: You know in your logical mind that everything will work. But if you rarely do it, there’s a visceral reaction to letting yourself ease off of a safe, stable platform into empty space. Just get over it – it’s way too fun once you let yourself go.

And let myself go I did, descending into the gloom toward an underground river, a shaft of sunlight peeking through the foliage to light my way somewhat. I touched down, unclipped from the mini-rack and hopped into the water.

As expected it was chilly as it filled my boots … but I wandered straight in to get used to it, getting clear of the landing spot. One by one, the other five joined me. Nic had us grab an inner tube from a selection stashed along the river.

We carried them along with our lights off, using the natural light as we slogged upstream. We headed up several hundred feet, and we started seeing tiny pinpoints of fluorescent green light on the cave ceilings. We continued splashing along, and soon the sunlight faded, leaving us only with the pinpricks of light above.

These, my friends, are glowworms. Each point of light was a small larvae.

The cave is aglow with light-bummed maggots.

“They’re maggots, with glowing bums,” Nic said, delicately.

It dangles a strand of web down from the ceiling, hoping to trick insects into thinking they are starlight. The insects, then, fly toward the light as bugs are wont to do. There, they get caught in the web, eaten and digested. The glow worm is the ultimate clean-burning machine – rather than pooping out the waste, they burn it in their butts, turning waste into a lure.

The glow worm webs ... revealed!

We eventually turned on our lights and got a close look at the slithery little creature, which are much cooler with the lights off. After spending some time milling about, Nic told us to plop our tubes down and hop in … right away, the currents rushed us back toward the entrance. I got a nice spin going for a 360-degree view of the glowworms, plus the Cylon Centurion-like glow of the red lights on top of our helmet lights. We had the main lights turned off for this portion.

We passed the entrance, continuing downstream. There, the channel narrowed, turning the river into a great theme park ride! I was buzzing along like The Black Pearl before my wide tube got stuck in a channel … and then everyone plowed into the back of me! I had to wedge myself out to get everyone moving again.

We came to a dry spot, and it was time for fun and games. I gamely trotted up to Nic as Sarah and the sisters got out of their tubes. He waited for them to gather round before saying:

“Now, Justin has volunteered to take responsibility for you, so just follow him.”

He knew I’d pick up what he was putting down. He pointed up a narrow upward chasm, which I

Slithering Justin leads the way.

slithered through, using my hands, butt, head, feet and practically my ears. We spent the next hour or so wedging our way through increasingly narrow spaces, a few of which made me genuinely nervous but oddly ecstatic.

Nic taught us the best way to get through a cave obstacle: Upper body first, almost like a diver. It worked like a charm, really.

After all that work in the chilly water, Nic stopped us for a snack of some hot fruit-flavored energy drink and a bit of chocolate. Odd as it sounds, it worked great. We were then on our way back to the entrance, and our final obstacle: the climb up.

See Sarah wiggle.

So if you abseil in, you can bet there’s probably not an elevator, escalator, staircase, dumbwaiter or anything like that.

Now, I don’t really cotton to rock climbing. This time, I went second instead of first (third, if you count Nic). The wall leaned in at an angle, and had lots of good handholds and footholds. But it was a bit wet and slippery. We were roped in by our harnesses, so I knew it couldn’t be too bad. But still!

Eventually, I got my way to the top and unclipped from the rope.

After this adventure, nothing feels as good as getting your wetsuit and harness off. Yes, my boys

Looking up at the cave entrance.

were free of the encroaching canvass. And Satan’s jockstrap or not, this was a seriously great time. In fact, I wouldn’t have minded a longer tour!

Nic ran us back to the headquarters, where they gave us a nice post-adventure cup of homemade soup. Since it’s wet down there, it helps to have a waterproof camera. The tour staff has one, and they’ll sell you a photo CD of your trip plus some stock photos for $25 NZ. It would be cool to take your own photos, but I didn’t want to risk my Pentax and a perfectly good lens.

That night after some lengthy showers, we headed to The Thirsty Weta for dinner, and a walkabout through the nice rural town of Otorohanga. We had enough energy for a walk through the local Rotary Park, which was a pleasant way to cap the evening.

A big ol' wetta!

But enough about that: Let me conclude by saying that, if you don’t do a cave tour in Waitomo, you’re making a big mistake. I cant tell you which company is best, but I enjoyed our time with the Rap, Raft ‘n’ Rock crew. I don’t recall the price, but I want to say about $135 NZ per person, and it was worth every cent. The only better cave tour I’ve done is the ATM cave tour in Belize – a long, crazy underground voyage complete with the calcified skeletons of people sacrificed by Mayan priest. Super-creepy! But in this case, there’s nothing wrong with being #2.

Ratings:
Fun – 4/5 (I’d give it a 5/5 if it were longer)
Fitness Factor – 3/5 (not that exerting, really)
Guides – 5/5 (great instructions, information and character)

Interested in a reservation? Check ‘em out here.

Our caving group, with a backdrop of glow worms.

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Comments

March 28, 2009, Deft Digits writes: That just looks too fun! I bookmarked the hell out of their website. Great photos too, and that final one is just priceless!
March 28, 2009, admin writes: It rocked like a hurricane, a tropical storm and a waterspout, sir. Thanks for coming over from the old site, and congrats on being the first commenter of a new era!
March 30, 2009, megan writes: I was totally with you until the penultimate photo with the spider. I don't even want to ask how big it was. I would have had a major cow no matter what. Too bad...the glow worms looked cool.
March 30, 2009, admin writes: It wasn't really that big ... and I actually didn't see that one. The guide noticed it at some point. But I did get to see the eels!
April 1, 2009, chantel graham writes: Amazing! Simply amazing! I was totally into the glowing-ass-maggots, but that spider at the end did me in. Not a fan. Not. A. Fan. (I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to spiders, I'm not going to lie).
April 1, 2009, admin writes: Hey, I'm glad you made it ... and that you're feeling better, obviously! I'll tell ya what ... I can promise you won't see many of the spiders. Most of the spider action I missed completely. It's okay to be an arachnaphobe!
May 6, 2009, marina k. villatoro writes: This would be my husband's dream come true. I would love to do it, but I have this thing with enclosed spaces and insects:) What a great trip!
May 6, 2009, admin writes: Marina, I went to check out your blog. I liked enough that I had to link to it from my Travel Resources section. Last time I was in Costa Rica, the guidebooks didn't think traveling to the east side was a good idea. I'd love to see a post about what it's like now!
May 7, 2009, marina k. villatoro writes: Hi! Thanks for adding me, I added you too:) By east do you mean the Caribbean side? Because I've got a whole series coming up about it very soon.
April 19, 2010, Issueceires writes: I truly enjoyed reading this. [url=http://www.italienskmatochpasta.com]Mat[/url] http://www.liljorochtulpaner.com [WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us '0 which is not a hashcash value.
October 26, 2010, HeadingThere.co.uk writes: [...] Rappelling into the Dark – The Glow Worm Caves of Waitomo from Wandering Justin [...]
October 26, 2010, UK’s “Heading There” Blog Offers Adventure Travel Round-up – Wandering Justin.com writes: [...] As you might guess, I have something to say about this – I pitched in with a tale about the glowworm caves in Waitomo, NZ. I’m flying the flag for Arizona travelers, even if not Arizona destinations [...]
November 4, 2010, Escape Winter’s Clutches in New Zealand – Wandering Justin.com writes: [...] Glowworm Caves in Waitomo are worth spending half your day underground. Rap, Raf ‘n’ Rock can set you [...]
March 6, 2011, Woodworking Books writes: I did this when I was in New Zealand and it was definitely one of my favorite activities. It's like you are laying on the ground at night looking at the stars. Very cool and one of my favorite memories. Would definitely do it again if I went back!
August 11, 2011, kelli writes: This is really fun but I'm really too scared to do that, lol. I'm really scared of slithering creatures.
August 11, 2011, WanderingJustin writes: Just don't look into the water, and you won't even know they're there!

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