Solo Caving - Should we?

[robjones]

On occasion I cave, scramble and hill walk solo if no one else is available that day. Most of my solo underground trips have been in mines filling in detail of survey legs done with a friend and so are into 'known' territory although sometimes distinctly off the beaten track. Plenty of low grade stope climbing on such trips given the basic nature of non-ferrous mines. 

Two different back-up lights, a drink and extra snacks 'just in case' are my standard.

Tend to find myself being more cautious as the consequences of an accident would be an unusually long wait.

With no distractions, you can get a LOT of surveying (or other work) done; conversely, I have to remind myself to stop for a rest / drink / snack.

Lots more time to take in the subtle details and to ponder them so specially productive in more ways than one.

Longest trips have been 36 to 48 hour underground camping trips - to avoid awful mid winter weather rather than due to depth underground. First night solo underground tended to hear lots of weird non-existent noises but fine on subsequent trips. An alarm setting on your watch is useful when camping underground solo as I tend to sleep over 12 hours given half a chance!

On day trips I leave conventional callout details with family / friends. On multi-day trips I add a note at the camp site of precisely which sections of the mine I'll be in and my e.t.a. In frequently visited mines I leave a pencil for potential visitors to add comments - the few times I've received visitors in absentia at the camp site, comments have always been positive and my gear not mucked about with.

Not done much solo underground digging as there's too much to go wrong, though that might reflect the nature of some of my digs!

All in all, I recommend trying a couple of solo trips - it's an interesting experience and you may learn a little about your motivations to go underground, the part that companions play, and your own mental limitations.

 

[droid]

If you are in a small team and you have an accident, then it might be that one member has to solo out to raise the alarm.

So it could be argued that solo caving is a good introduction for this, because you are sure to be more stressed going out to report an accident.....

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Definitely a mindset thing. Diving around 70 -80m on mixed gas you are on your own in any case. I got used to it and felt I could concentrate a lot more on what I was doing rather than trying to keep tabs on somebody else. Of course you would have redundancy for all kit and take more care. Trouble is it is very much frowned upon by the sport agencies. " Rules are for fools and the avoidance of the wise ". God help you if you balls it up though. They would have your guts for garters. Sometimes that mindset can go awry. If you are in a group you must be aware of others. I got horribly told off when I left somebody behind in Aggy once. I am not sure what application would require me to cave alone though. I like digging and photography so that's out. I never did caving for sport though I did many caves to explore them. Route finding with a group is a lot easier than on your own. Diving was different as my hobby was to identify unknown wrecks which usually involved measuring things and visual investigation.

 

[Pitlamp]

Solo caving is completely legitimate. But it's got to be thought out properly. It follows that solo ventures are generally better left to more experienced cavers, who will have better judgement as to the reasons for doing it and the ways to ensure it's safe.

Many, many good points have been made above. However I'm slightly surprised no-one's mentioned one of the most important benefits; conservation. When you need to move delicately through a sensitive and vulnerable area of a cave system it's easier to avoid leaving any trace of your having been there when you can concentrate 100%. (I expected Kenilworth to leap on this point in his post above.)

There are many other benefits; safety is a major one. For example, I prefer to be alone when dealing with an upward choke. Again, this is mainly about concentration. But also, the last thing you want is someone else trundling around clumsily nearby.

Sharing a breakthrough with all your mates who shared the work is a very rewarding experience. There are many times though when I've wandered along new passages on my own (most often as a result of breaking airspace beyond a sump). I think it was the late (and greatly missed) Rob Parker who once said you shouldn't run off excitedly down a new discovery, you should walk along it slowly "like John Wayne going into a gun fight". That's perhaps easiest to do when you're on your own. (There's a lot of wisdom in those words.)

Like Psychocrawler I've done huge numbers of trips with friends - and thoroughly enjoyed their company. I've also done a great deal of solo trips, for different reasons in each case. They've all been meticulously planned beforehand and (I think) carried out safely. So yes, solo caving is most definitely "acceptable" (provided it's done properly.) Remember, if you do screw up, the buck stops with you.

 

[ZombieCake]

Spooky sounds, sights or thoughts in caves are generally in ones imagination or manifestation of pareidolia  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia  a powerful force.
Tend to go witch hunting in caves on my own as most people think I'm a bit mad. Gets results though.

 

[Amy]

I have been in a cave alone separated from group. I hate the feeling of being alone especially when it is in the rear on a led trip to a cave I dont know. Bloody cave parkour runners. You know the type I mean. Such types have no business leading group trips at events and such (thats where it always happens).

Anyway. Being alone terrifies me underground but i do love just one other person or groups of three. In rescue we always teach 4 (one gets injured someone can stay and two to go for help). But i love just being with a single friend or two. Easier to move together, to have little impact on cave, and no muss ans fuss and chatter of a large group.

As to the question asked - should we solo? Personal question i think. Knowledge of cave, leaving proper callout, safe caver (rather than "reckless")?  If so and you enjoy it, why not? It sounds that people get the enjoyment of solo caving that i do from being with just a single friend which is arguably as bad as solo caving. Caving we do it for enjoyment (among other reasons, but lets face it, if wet dirty cold hard isnt fun somehow, we wouldnt go) then enjoy it how you may. Solo caving doesnt harm anyone else, it is a personal choice.

 

[Kenilworth]

Many, many good points have been made above. However I'm slightly surprised no-one's mentioned one of the most important benefits; conservation. When you need to move delicately through a sensitive and vulnerable area of a cave system it's easier to avoid leaving any trace of your having been there when you can concentrate 100%. (I expected Kenilworth to leap on this point in his post above.)

Am I still allowed to say ?conservation? on this forum?

You are exactly right of course. One of my biggest disappointments in the rare case that I am caving with people outside of my normal crew is that I am pressured by the haste of the majority to travel sloppily. I am ashamed to say that I most often surrender to their pace. When surveying alone, or even traveling through the cave or walking in the woods alone, I may seem to move very slowly indeed. But I still accomplish a lot, and the quality of my sketches, or of my thoughts, or my care, or my searching, is usually superior to anything done in a group.

You also mentioned sharing breakthroughs, and I agree that this is one of the times that solo caving is completely unacceptable. Unless you've done all of the work solo, whoever has helped should have opportunity to share in discovery. Of course it's often impossible to include everyone, especially on long-term projects, but to devour alone the product of a group effort is nauseatingly selfish.

 

[Pitlamp]

Kenilworth's last point is extremely good. I can remember several occasions when one or more of us has held back so that all of a team can take part in the actual discovery. It's far more satisfying than the selfish option.

The discoveries of two major passages at the top of a huge aven  in the Peak Cavern system of Derbyshire (UK) spring to mind. Much of the bolting had been done by hand (before the cordless drill revolutionised various aspects of caving) so it was a fairly major effort to get up there, requiring a strong team. When the huge passages at the top were finally gained those at the front waited for the rest of us to climb up and across before the whole team set off. On both occasions I was on the ground when the new stuff was stepped into and I remember how grateful I was to those at the front for being so patient.

Sorry, this is slightly off topic - but it gives me great pleasure to record my own gratitude for the above.

 

[Alex]

Quote from: Alex on Yesterday at 01:48:34 pm

lead a trip through Dan-yr-ogof to camp and out prices dig.


Wow! That must be an epic trip? 

Maj.

I meant Daren, I always get mixed up with blooming Welsh names

 

[shortscotsman]

Most of my caving has been solo caving - largely due to my personal circumstances rather than any particular desire.  It is a very different experience which I quite enjoy.  I like going at my own pace and pottering around and getting to know the system with I like doing over a number of trips slowly building up my mental picture of the system.  I do feel significantly more vulnerable but try to act accordingly and manage the risks as carefully as possible. Obviously SRT is limited by what I can carry (but its not a big problem in South Wales).   

The obvious downside is what happens if there is an accident and then I'm relying on call-outs. However this is just the same as solo hill walking/climbing etc  (at least before mobile phones appeared) where solo-ing is quite common.

One other slight downside is that you lose a lot of relief since the only light is from your headlight - I quite notice and enjoy the relief and shadows from other lamps when I'm with a group. 


I think the current situation where it is discouraged but not blocked is fine - if it is viewed as more dangerous then it probably
encourages the right attitude.  In principle access could be restricted to minimum group sizes but this is just giving the access bodies more hassle. Personally  I've not had a problem being issued keys with SWCC (perhaps an odd comment) .