General caving techniques

General Movement
"Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way round or through it..." - Bruce Lee.

The cave environment invariably places many obstacles in the path of the explorer, and moving efficiently through this environment is a crucial skill for the caver to develop. Clumsy movement through a cave will soon result in tiredness and a sore body from all the knocks that will doubtless be incurred.

Navigation
Navigating a cave or mine system can be simple or challenging, depending on the complexity of the system and the experience of the party. For many caves a survey will be published, carrying a survey on laminated A4 paper is a popular navigation aid. Guide books also contain descriptions of popular routes, these should always be consulted as the way on may not always be obvious from the survey or when in the actual cave.

Most navigation underground is by dead reckoning, it is quite easy to apply a basic knowledge of the survey or description to what you can actually see. In popular caves the way on is often obvious because the passage of many cavers will create a recognisable footpath through the system. Compasses can be used underground and are mainly used when in labyrinth type areas such as a complex of old mining levels.

On an in-and-out trip memory pays an important role in finding your way out again, you can remember that slope, that passage, that small climb, that formation, the draft. It is not good caving practise to leave route markers, do not chalk or scratch marks on cave walls or in the mud, do not leave litter as a way of remembering which way you came. Artificial navigation markers are not required as a survey and/or basic dead reckoning is sufficient for the majority of navigation needed in the UK.

Carrying equipment
Two categories of equipment may be needed, group equipment such as ropes and ladders for vertical systems and personal equipment for the individual caver. Group equipment will be carried in large tackle bags and will be distributed amongst the group, each caver will then carry their own personal equipment such as SRT gear in smaller personal tackle bags. Some personal equipment such as cameras, food and drink and spare lighting is normally carried in a waterproof container, sailing dry bags with fold over tops or ammunition cans are popular choices.

Diet
Caving is a strenuous activity. Do not go into a cave hungry as your body needs to maintain your temperature and supply enough energy for the trip, it is easier to eat first than carry it with you. Food taken into caves will typically be high calorie, high energy food that can easily be converted to body fuel, Kendal Mint Cake and Mars Bars are popular options.

Dehydration
Caving can be quite strenuous and you may sweat, some systems are quite dry with little moisture in the air. Make sure that you are properly hydrated before entering a cave system as it is likely that you will dehydrate during the trip. Carry a small bottle of water or high energy drink with you, it must be assumed that any water found within a cave is contaminated and not safe to drink.

Mind games
Underground is not our normal environment, the brain can interpret things underground in rather strange ways! Sound is often amplified, a small stream can sound like a raging torrent, a boulder on the floor slipping sound like a major rock fall. Light and shadows play strange tricks as well, you see things out of the corner of your eye, see movement that isn't there, combined with sound and a vivid imagination all kinds of mental images can be conjured up. The miners of old were used to this, they made up stories and legends to explain the sounds and the things they saw.

Anxiety can often be felt. Being on a rope or ladder on a large pitch can leave you feeling vulnerable and exposed. Rock or boulders pressing against you in a tight passage or squeeze, combined with the amplified sound of your breathing, can feel quite claustrophobic.

Having people around you can help if you do feel frightened or over anxious, try not to get separated from your group as being alone magnifies the effects of mind games. For novice cavers who have never experienced the underground environment the intensity of mind games can be a surprise, leaders and experienced members of groups containing novices must be aware of the very real (to them) emotions and fears that mind games can bring on.