The "Rapture" is something else again:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapture
Thank you all for joining in. Plenty of explanations of the effects of breathing nitrogen, and of high CO2 levels, but no-one has admitted to experiencing what Tabor was on about.In his statements on the 'a terrible way to die' website (thanks, Mikem), Tabor carries on (digs himself deeper) with:"At some level, everyone's brain will start to say, 'I don't belong here. This is a very dangerous place.' It's an ancient primordial instinct and it just says, 'You have to get me out of here, right now'" Well no, my brain has never said that. Have any of you other cavers' brains said that? Sitting in a large, dry chamber, lights out, with water drops going 'plink, plonk' in the distance is incredibly peaceful.I agree with Tamarmole; I think, like Langcliffe, Tabor has inflated just one person suffering from 'a standard anxiety attack' into this semi-mystical, cave-induced experience.
It's a term made up by the Yanks in an attempt to make them look good/better/stronger when describing multi-day trips underground, such as on expeditions to Mexico.They seem to think it works well in books, and when enticing the younger generation on these trips.Little do they realise that Europeans and others laugh at such tosh.There's a stark contrast in the Tabor book between the Russian stuff and Yank stuff. Most of the Yank stuff is rubbish and barely credible, chasing a depth record that is long gone. Whilst the Russian stuff contains some really interesting and hard expedition caving. The only thing that has some truth (Yank stuff) to it is an expedition leader chasing a young girl around a cave like a lost puppy, whilst the expedition divers wait for him to be ready to go and push the bottom of the cave !!Funnily enough after 12 days underground in Huautla , the last thing I wanted to do was return to the surface, maybe reverse 'Rapture' ??
In the context of the book it is likely to arise within people who have even (sic) underground for several days and likely to be pushing further into the cave and cannot simply 'get out' in a couple of hours, not your average UK caver doing a 4 hr from surface UK trip so I don't think he has inflated it.
Foot hang, eh? Very nasty.
Below you can see Mark about to descend Foot Hang, fighting off The Rapture with every ounce of his strength.
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