smell , hear, feel ,taste

yrammy

Member
Few people would deny the beauty that can be found underground and the standard of cave photography these days is amazing. But the other senses come into play and I wonder what is felt, heard, smelled or tasted underground has impressed you over the years. For me it is the smell of 'outside' at the end of a long trip.

Any offers?

 

David Rose

Active member
The sound of a large rock whistling as it flies through the air when dropped from the edge of an undescended shaft of unknown depth, then booming from below as it hits a ledge many seconds later and continues to ricochet with overlapping echoes as its fragments continue to descend. An intoxicating cocktail of terror and excitement.

And the taste of a warm Mars Bar carried in my helmet, consumed at the bottom of a sporting cave before starting the journey out.
 

ALEXW

Member
I like to stop for a nap whilst my companions carry on and do exciting and energetic things. In a dry sandy passage I love the sensory deprivation, no sound, no light, no smell and no air movement. It is weird, I sometimes think I can hear or see things that I know are not there. Maybe I need to adjust my medication.
 

Laurie

Active member
I don't miss the smell of spent carbide.
I do miss the taste of a pint after an exhausting day underground. (I can't physically cave anymore and my beers are medically restricted.  :( )
 

Kenilworth

New member
I taste a lot of rocks and minerals. Out of plain curiosity and to help identify them (the same goes for plants, trees, mushrooms, and soil). The smell of limestone exploding under the hammer varies a little depending on the rock. The unexpected awareness of the far-off roar of water is exciting in an unfamiliar or virgin cave.

This will give me something to think about today.
 

Pegasus

Administrator
Staff member
Love the clink of metal as cavers move with SRT kit on, the click of krabs, the rattle of ladders being unwound down a pitch...

You can hear it now can't you?  I can  :)
 
20 years on I can clearly remember the taste of Peak Cavern mud, having had to repeatedly lick the tape measure clean to read it, whilst on a surveying trip with John Beck.
:yucky:

Dan.
 

yrammy

Member
I did that in Daren Cilau. I sat near the bonsai tree in the streamway,  whilst my pals went a bit further. With the light off I clearly heard - or thought I did, people coming from both directions, a dog and a bird!
 

Emsy

Member
The muffled sounds of companions moving and talking along narrow dry muddy passages, contrasted with the acoustics in big echoey rift passages and pitches.
 

andrewmcleod

Well-known member
The sulphur smell you get after you've smashed up a load of rocks cleaning a pitch head...

Or when someone has launched a rock at your head and it has just missed you before shattering into many pieces!
 

caving_fox

Active member
I love the squelch of properly glutinous mud - Craig A Fyynnon or Hall of the mountain King.
Also the feel of a smooth squueze over calcite floor when you can push and slide.
The force of water as you battle a stream
 

PeteHall

Moderator
The thunder of an underground river, the sting of icy spray lashing your face, the tranquility and disconnect as your head disappears below water.

These sensations cannot easily be captured in a photograph.

It seems a fitting opportunity to re-share a piece of accidental audio art, created when my camera began recording in my wetsuit pocket, before falling into the stream only to be recovered several days later when it was spotted by a passing caver.

https://youtu.be/X_qTeGx46BQ
 

MarkS

Moderator
I can't believe the enticing feel of a cold draught in a dig or unexplored passage hasn't been mentioned yet. Some really stick in the memory.
 
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