Total darkness (caves)!...

Well I just got back from my vacation
to Mammoth Cave (Kentucky). My wife and
I spent a total of 6 1/2 hours underground
on 2 different tours. It was a lot
of fun, if not exhausting. We had the
customary times when all lights where
turned off so total darkness could
be experienced. One of the guides
even allowed for people with flashlights
to test their beams in one of the largest
rooms. I took my Inretech Cyan, Streamlight
clipmate and Arc AAA. The park rangers
carried MM 3D, with MM 2AA for backup.
In the large room the ceiling was about
120 feet high and you could really see
the reach of the 3d MM. At one point
I was able to point my Inretech at
the ceiling (120 ft) in total darkness,
it produced just a total glow in the
room providing more than enough light
for all to see their feet on the path.
Close up (20 ft) the Streamlight clipmate
provided enough light to see details
on the rock walls. It was very evident
that lighter color surroundings really
enhance the amount of light you have.
The Arc AAA would have been more than
enough light to find your way out of
the cave along the paths, ramps &
stairs. One thing I know now is that
in a cave, if you have no light source
you are in big trouble, but if you have
even a small light you can navigate.
The guide showed us how much light a
small wicked oil lamp produced.

Mammoth is not a cave Known for the
beauty of its formations, but it is the
largest known cave in the world with
over 350 miles of explored passages
and 12 miles of improved tour trails.

Caves are the perfect vacation spots
for us Flashaholics. This is probably
my 12th vacation involving some sort
of cave tour. Check them out!

-Rebus

Thanks for the info! My sister just moved down to Cincinatti, (from Chicago) and I hear she is a good deal closer to Mammoth Cave National Park than she used to be. So I might take a vacation down there at some point.

Here is a silly childhood memory for y'all. When I was a little boy, (about 5?) I had a Mammoth Cave National Park T-shirt. (My parents had vacationed there) It was bright yellow with brown rings around the short sleeves. I had no idea what Mammoth Cave was, but it was my favorite shirt. only within the last 5 years did I learn where it is, hehehe.

-Jeremy

Last time I went into a cave I got about 2 1/2 miles in on rough trails...then my only light went out. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif Took about 6 hours to find my way out... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ohgeez.gif

zmoz,
6 hours in total darkness? Scary, very scary!! I guess you are lucky to get out at all. Take care. Doug /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[ QUOTE ]
zmoz said:
Last time I went into a cave I got about 2 1/2 miles in on rough trails...then my only light went out. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif Took about 6 hours to find my way out... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ohgeez.gif

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I can't imagine getting out of a cave in total darkness,
can you give a few more details?!

-Rebus

I knew a couple who had some problems with their lights when they went caving in some caverns in SoCal... The guy lost his light into a large crack, and his wife blew her bulb when she dropped it...

And how did they get out?

By using their watches (They both had Timex Indiglos) to brighten their path and navigate...

Quite handy!
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

No doubt Spelunking is the ultimate trust in your light.

I can't imagine going unto a cave with only 1 or 2 lights. This weekend I took my mom shopping and felt naked cause I only had 2, and I was only going to Barns & Noble and Home Depot. Inormally carry 5 a Scorpion, an E1E, E2E, a MiniMag w/MadMax and an Infinity Ultra. Of course with caving like backpacking weight is a concern but I feel a couple of Infinities w/lithiums could go anywhere for backups and weigh next to nothing.

I did the Ape Caves while I lived in Vancouver WA years back. Pretty cool and NOT a place to be without a light!

I learnd that day what total darkness is.

I did read of a guy lost for a few days in another cave system in WA. His light went out. So ALWAYS have a spare and maybe a 12hour cylume as backup as well...

Chris

I believe it is generally recommended that you have a minimum of 3 lights with you when caving.

Choua,

There's caves in SoCal???? Where? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Some minor cave exploration was my starting point for CPF and LEDs - we had two Minimags fail on us (bulbs) and only my old 2D Mag and 4AA Headlamp kept us going - the 3D mag of the other guys had pretty dead batteries to start with.

No cave trip since then - but next time I´ll be better prepared - just that damm mud gunking up my nice SF and ARC lights .... we´ll see ...

Klaus

There's a cave in one of the parks in my city. Beside it, there's a small cave that doesn't go back very far. I was riding bikes with my gf one day at that park and decided to go into the small cave. All I had was my Microlight II. It was rather dim in the cave, but I could make my way well enough. After I got back out (and looking at the 3 LS bike light one my bike), I decided to ride into the cave with it on. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif Yep! That did the trick! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Wow, using indiglo watches for light in a cave! They're lucky that indiglo is teal, the best 'apperent' brightness for your rod cells. I too discovered the weaknesses of generic incan's while caving in NY state. To continue Sotto's thought, 3 sources per person is the accepted minimum, though i would say that 3 everready's would not be a good choice, and 'backup' sources such as photons shouldn't count toward the 3. Miner lamps which turn calcium carbide and water into acetylene are bright long running, and kinda fun, though they are not for the inexperienced. For the curious, please check out www.caves.org for lotsa info on safety, conservation, and of course *lights*!
My bragging rights include the largest cave in NY State, McFails. http://www.caves.org/preserves/mcp/mcpphot.html
It's a vertical rope, wetsuit cave, a great excuse to tromp around loaded with gear.

Stangster, I think they went to Mitchell Caverns (either natural preserve or national monument)... Somewhere near or south of Death Valley...

Cool...I must...do...research!

Is it a walk in the park or is skill required? Tell me it's cake...

Oh yes, one more thing,

Is it guided or already lit up?

[ QUOTE ]
Klaus said:
...No cave trip since then - but next time I´ll be better prepared - just that damm mud gunking up my nice SF and ARC lights ...

Klaus

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Klaus,

Speaking of mud, if it's not too personal can you please explain the mud in your atavar?

Thanks,
Brightnorm

Stangster, I have no idea. They told me it was pitch black dark when their lights went out, and that's pretty much it...

http://www.desertusa.com/mnp/mnp_mc.html

Looks like it's not streneuous... I have no idea...

[ QUOTE ]
brightnorm said:

Speaking of mud, if it's not too personal can you please explain the mud in your atavar?

Thanks,
Brightnorm

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@brightnorm

shure - no problem - I think I already posted about it in an older thread - actually the avatar is part of a pic which was taken when we just came out of that mud cave. Due to the failing bulbs I started to search the web shortly after being back from vacation - only to find CPF and such and it was just downhill from there - but looking back I have to admit that having 2 x 2AA mags and a 2D mag and a 4AA headlamp with me I was bitten befor finding this place.

Oh I just found the old thread - just copy´n´paste abit

Klaus

Old post:

My Mud-pic - where the Avatar is just cut out from

Actually this is how it all started

It shows me and three other guys covered in mud after some hours of mud-cave crawling in south france - actually its a cave close to some place in a natural reserve area where I´m going to for like 20+ years - lately in that area (Ardeche) they also found those 35K year plus old three dimensional cave drawings and had to rewrite mankinds history book.

To make a long stort short - summer 2001 we went in that cave and I had like a 4AA headlamp and a 2D Mag with me and gave 2 back-up Mag 2AA´s to two of the other guys, one had a Mag 3D but with pretty run-down batteries - in the end both Mag 2AA bulbs blew (I was running NiMhs in them) so after being back home I started surfing the net to learn about why those bulbs failed (not much runtime on them) - and guess what I found ;-)))

Here´s the complete pic - looking close you´ll see the poor mud covered Mag too - so to me this pic is kind of the starting point of my CPF-addiction and so I cut out that portion as my kind-of avatar - makes sense ?

Klaus



Here´s the place



Added: Here´s a link to a french site about the close-by grotte de Saint-marcel d´Ardèche - which actually is REALLY close-by as the two caves are interconnected (somehow) - the mud-cave one isn´t open to the general public & tourists as is the one on the link as its hidden and sauvage - the entry to those two caves are probably just 500 yards apart while the "big" tourist entrance is artifical and around 2 miles away and 500 yards up the mountain.

Les grottes de Saint-Marcel

I haven't caved, but I've hiked through lava tubes, which is similarly a CPFers heaven. Lava tubes are big tubes lava used to flow through. The black irregular-shaped rocks eat light like you can't believe; even my 6P just didn't seem all that bright in a lava tube.

If you go to the Big Island, you must do some lava tubing. I don't mean the Thurston lava tube, which is smooth and tame for the visitors. There are some big wild tubes on the island that are a real blast. The floors are covered with very sharp ever-shifting rocks and boulders, big and small, so be careful! Remember the tube will suck up your light and make it disappear. My recommendations are: 1. multiple lights, 2. minor first-aid kit (any slip can result in cuts), and 3. drink a lot of water in the tubes (for some reason, you won't feel thirsty in the tubes, but you get dehydrated).

Out of all my trips to Hawaii, going through those wild tubes is absolutely the greatest memory my wife and I have. Just amazing fun.

Joe