Living in the USA Spelunking in New York By Masako Yamada	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
ニューヨークで洞くつ探検 U.S. Campus Life の筆者としておなじみの山田雅子さんは、いまニューヨーク州で社会人として新しい生活を始めています。働き始めてすぐ、同僚から洞くつ探検に誘われました。もともとアウトドア派ではない雅子さんですが、「初心者向けの洞くつ探検」ということなので、参加してみることにしました。

会社の同僚に誘われて、洞くつ探検に参加した筆者(手前右)。

Since I'm not an outdoors person, I do not know what inspired these seasoned spelunkers to invite me on this trip. I suppose they wanted to help me adjust to the area. And perhaps they wanted the company, as well. They told me that this was a "Beginner's Cave Trip" so I should have no problem hiking through the cave. I had paddled a boat inside a bat-filled cave in Belize before and found it fascinating, so I decided to join them.

The cave was only about an hour away by car. On the way, we saw many farms. We stopped at a small bookstore called "Speleobooks." Depending on your source, this store is considered to be the largest bookstore on caving/bats in the region, or the country, or the world. It is a one-room house with an outhouse out back, but apparently, it is the hub of a buzzing international caving community as well. The owners are committed spelunkers, and legend says that the proprietress was once stuck in a cave for 10 days with her leg broken.

When we arrived at the cave, the local spelunker's society had already commenced their monthly meeting. I felt welcome, even though I was an outsider. I was surprised to find the spelunkers to be so friendly. Since they are committed to protecting caves from vandals and property developers, I thought they would want to block newcomers. Indeed, caving etiquette dictates that the locations of caves not be disclosed to the general public. These cavers seemed to look down on those who visit tourist caves with admission fees.

However, these cavers also seemed excited to share their knowledge. They told me not to touch the caves with my hands, because the oils in the skin prevent new stalagmites and stalactites from forming. I also learned of some weird caving traditions, such as holding wrestling matches inside outdoor pits filled with ramen noodles. One of the most pleasant traditions is to hold a big potluck at the group meetings. All of the food is arranged in the back of a truck for people to help themselves.

After dinner, we finally went inside the cave. I was told beforehand to wear clothing that I wouldn't mind getting wet, since we'd be wading through water. I was also told that it would be chilly inside, so I should wear long pants. The veteran spelunkers wore plastic-coated suits and long rubber boots, but I made do with my jeans and hiking boots. After we had positioned our hard hats and headlamps, we were on our way.

Because it had just rained, the water was almost waist deep in some of the areas. The path was more or less straight, so there was no way that we could get lost, but in some areas, we had to climb over or crawl under rocks to get through. In one stretch, we progressed by straddling the passage with our legs and waddling forward. The expert spelunkers were always eager to lend an arm or a shoulder for support.

We saw many bats along the way. When I visited the cave in Belize, they were flying all over the place, but in this cave, all of the bats were semi-hibernating. They were gripping the walls, motionless, and we were able to get a close look at them. I was told that we shouldn't wake them up, because they'd use up so much of their energy reserves flying away that they could die.

I successfully made it in and out of the cave. It was indeed possible for a beginner to visit this cave! However, it was not a leisurely or glamorous stroll. Without the hard hat, the headlamp, the hiking boots and the support of the spelunkers, I would not have been able to make it. Fortunately, I was able to tolerate straddling passages, wading in cold water, encountering bats and getting my jeans completely covered in mud. It was fun. My life in Boston seemed very far away, and I liked it.

Shukan ST: Nov. 1, 2002

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