My first caving experience

Kedar

New member
Hi

I'm new to caving.  Last week I went on my first caving tour in Canmore, near Banff Alberta with Canmore Cave Tours.
I had a fantastic time!

I took my GoPro camera with me and created this video of my experience.
https://youtu.be/R7OQEDsB62A

Does anyone know of caving locations on the Eastern coast of Canada?

Thanks
Kedar
 

Ian Ball

Well-known member
That's spooky music!  Looks a fun trip, how far did you travel underground? It seemed quite a maze down there.

I'm afriad I know nothing of the geology of Canada!
 

rhychydwr1

Active member
Plenty  of books etc.


CANADA - The Anglo-Canadian Rock Mounts Speleological Expeditions 1983 and 1984.  compiled by members of ACRMSE 1983 & 84.  108pp A4 numerous b & w figs, plates, maps, diagrams etc.  Deals with the Mount Robson Region and the Bocock Peak area which at that time had been seldom visited.    Therefore it presented a unique challenge to cave explorers, geologists and geomorphologists in view of the inhospitable terrain.  Ten significant new caves, the longest in excess of 1.3 km and numerous shorter caves were explored.  Long out of print, the first copy we have ever had and highly sought after sb

CASTLEGUARD CAVE AND KARST, Columbia icefields area D.C. Ford (ed.) 1983 in Artic and Alpine Research v.15 n. 4  135 p

CASTLEGUARD by Dalton Muir and Derek Ford 1985  227 pp 113 colour photos.  A book of high quality photos of one of Canada's most famous caves.  Minimal text in English.  HB DW

CAVES OF THE CANADIAN ROCKIES AND COLUMBIA MOUNTAINS by Jon Rollins 2004  336 pp, numerous, photos, survey, maps etc nearly one a page.  This is a detail guide book, written by a caver for a caver.  SB 

CAVES OF THE CANADIAN ROCKIES AND COLUMBIA MOUNTAINS by Jon Rollins 2004  336 pp, many photos, surveys etc.  Over 200 caves are described in the Canadian Rockies and the Columbia Mountains, on both sides of the BC/Alberta border.  They span an area from the Crowsnest Pass in the south to the Prince George area in the north. This first regional Canadian caving guide offers extensive information for each cave, including location, cave survey, history of exploration, access maps and all the necessary technical details needed for safe exploration.  SB

DOWN TO A SUNLESS SEA by J M[ike] Boon 1977  105 pp, 4 surveys of which 3 are large fold out ones.  I like the story of caving in Ireland on a shoestring (as were most of his trips). He was camping on a farm and after accidentally burning his tent down he had to borrow some clothes from the farmer in order to travel home again!  Mike Boon was a British caver who was active from the late 1950s thru the 1970s.  You might know him from the accounts of early Swindon?s dives, but he also surveyed (with Tich Morris) the entrance series of Darren Cilau - 'nuff said?  Mike went on to become famous, caving in Mexico when Mexico wasn't cool, did a solo expedition to the back of Castleguard Cave in Canada, and was considered by some to be the best caver in the world... and currently lives quietly in Calgary [2011].  [Tot, Dec 2014] Is this the rarest caving book of the 21st Century. 
Down to the Sunless Sea is now free on-line at www.caving.ab.ca/boon. -

IMPERIAL COLLEGE CAVING CLUB / CANADA EXPEDITION 1986  61 pp surveys etc.  A mega 9 week expedition which found 8 new caves.  SB In English ?5.00

CAVING INTERNATIONAL

No 1 October 1978  36 pp illus.  Mulu, Los Tayos, Solo Caving, Solo to PSM, 2nd Int film fest, Interview with Tom Rea, Caving in Africa, House Cave, Oaxaca, Mexico, Daughters of Radon, a dangerous family.

No 2  January 1979 42 pp illusUnderworld of Mulu Pt 2, Atea Expediton, Sima Zoquiapan, Peter Lord on Cuetzalan, Janus Pit, International News, Reviews etc.

Caving International No 3 April 1979 ex lib with two hole in spine for binding. Not sold, donated to Wells Museum 261014

No 3 April 1979  48 pp, illus.  Nullarbor Plain - World?s Longest Cave Dive; Hole in Wall, PNG; Interview Derek Ford; Conquest PSM; Well of Bolonchen; Longest and Deepest; Reviews etc.

No 4 July 1979  48 pp, illus.  Caves of Mt Arthur NZ; TV superstar [Jim Eyre]; Schneeloch, Interview Doug Medville; Glaciospleleology; Valley of Sighs, Capricorn Tower.

No 5 October 1979  52 pp, illus.  Huatla, H?lloch; Interview Geoff Yeadon; Cave Photography; Kernmantel; The Darkness Beckons.

Nos 6 & 7 January and April 1980 (issued as 1 volume) 80 pp illus, Caves on Hawaiian Volcanoes, Link Pot Saga, Progress in PNG, Longest and Deepest, Cave of Tasmania, Mexico Madness, Sima GESM, Interview with Fernand Petzl, Caves of Devon, Fossil Moss Cave, Cave Photography, International |News, Equipment and Techniques, Formation of Lava Rube Caves, Reviews

No 8 July 1980 52pp illus international news, interview with Sid Perou, Atepolihuit de Nauzontla, Caves of the three counties, Abyss of Provatina, Siege of Meregill, Diving beneath the Mayan  city of Xcaret,Abisso Paolo Roversi, history of exploration and survey of Coldwater Cave Iowa, cave photography large scale speleolphotography using Diprotodon Poulter, reviews etc.

No 9 October 1980  52 pp, illus.  Caving in Turkey; Interview Tom Aley; Greenlink Cave, NZ; British Caving Scene; Austalasian Caving Scene; Speleo-stamps; TAG Extension, Brinco; Zephyrus Press; Easter Cave W Australia; Garma Ciega-Cellagua; Cave Photography; Deep Cave Diving; Gypsum in Caves;

No 10 January 1981  46 pp, illus.  Untamed River [PNG]; Interview with Paul Courbon; Cueto-Coventosa Traverse; British Caving Scene; Austalasian Caving Scene; Art of Rappel; Nar? Photospread; Sumidero Maigual, Honduras; Cave Diving in N Derby; Damming upm Caves.
CAVING INTERNATIONAL No 10 Jan 1981 52 pp, illus,
Contents
International News................................4
Nar?: The Untamed River....................7
CI Interview with Paul Courbon....... 13
The Cueto-Coventosa Traverse.......... 16
The British Caving Scene...................22
The Australasian Caving Scene.........23
On the Art of the Rappel?????.. 24
Nar? Photospread................................ 26
Sumidero Maigual, Honduras............28
Cave Diving in Northern Derbyshire, U.K.......33
Cave Science Topics: Damming up the Caves....38
Equipment/Techniques: The New Jumar....42
Reviews............46
Letters to the Editor...........................48
Cover Photographs Front: A climber is silhouetted in the sunlight in 50-metre-deep Neversink, Alabama. Photo by Ralph P. Earlandson. Back: Entrance room, cave in Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico. Photo by Rick Day.
well worn copy ?3.00 not sold Hrvojen 5/9/17

No 11 April 1981.  BU56-Pathway to St Georges River?;  Sea Mills of Argostoli; Pozu del Xitu; Houses of Stone- Caving in Belize, Before the Ayatollah-Cave Hunting in Iran; Lamprechtsofen-The Magic -1000; British Caving Scene; Austalasian Caving Scene; Close up cave Photography.

No 12 July 198156 pp, illus. The search for Lamprechtsofen?s upper entrance; Interview Pete Lindsley; The Euopean caving Scene; The American caving Scene.  Mulu 80; Before the Ayatollah-Cave Hunting in Iran Pt 2; The Apprenticeship.

No 13 October 198160 pp, illus.  Karst in China; Tresviso-A Caver?s Paradise; British Caving Scene; Austalasian Caving Scene; European / North American Cavinng Scene; Explorations in Peak Cavern; Nettlebed, NZ?s deepest and longest; Jean Truel:Cave Asrtist; SRT a discussion; CO2 in Caves.

No 14 January 1982 48 pp, illus.  International news, Interview with Jukia James; North American Caving Scene; Living Caves of the Dead; Siege of a Supersystem-The Saga of Toohey Ridge; Art of Cave Mapping; British Caving Scene; The Blue Holes of the Andros Island; Bolt Belays for SRT; Caves and Prehistoric Man in Westtern Tasmania.

Most of these issues were out of print years ago.

UNDER GROTTO MOUNTAIN / Rat?s Nest Cave by Charles J Yonge  2001  144 pp 17 maps, surveys and diagrams, 85 B&W 11 colour photos.  Rat?s Nest Cave is the eleventh longest cave in Canada and is close to the town of Canmore in the Bow Valley, Alberta.  Although it is only 4 km long it is a popular cave, close to the road and open all the year round.  The author has opened up the cave for ecotorism.  This means a 3 hour, wild caving trip for the tourist who is prepared to get muddy!  This book is partly a guide to the cave and the first chapter give a blow by blow account of the tourist section which includes an 18 m rappel and a tight squeeze called the Laundry Chute.  The reader is advised to consult the large pull out survey in the rear of the book  whilst reading the text.  Other chapters included Caving in the Canadian Rockies which can involve the use of skis or a helicopter.  Geological Origin of the Cave Rock takes us back to 400 million years ago.  The Geological History of Rat?s Nest Cave brings us up to the present. Speleothems, Archaeology, Cave Surveying as well as the history of modern cave exploration is also covered.  All I might add is written in an easy to read style and will be appreciated by cavers and non-cavers alike.  SB
 
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