new old caver

[chexmix]

Hi all -

I am 46 years old & haven't been in a cave in years. I also recently (late Feb.) moved to the Boston area (just emailed the Boston Grotto), pretty far from the kind of geology I grew up in ...

... when I was young in Cincinnati, OH, we used to go caving in IN and KY with some frequency. My older brother did, too -- in fact, when I was a teenager his friends often wound up leading bunches of us (as part of Explorer Post activities, or whatever) through the caves _they_ had known: places like Sloans Valley Cave System, Cave River Valley, etc.

None of these trips were terribly organized, nor were our times underground very long. I don't think I ever had to change carbide (I still have my lamp!) on one of these trips - they were mostly short bops into and out of caves with buddies.

My first "big" trip came in the summer of 1980 with some members of the Greater Cincinnati Grotto. We caved to the surveyed end of a cave which IIRC was called Sally Turpin. I think I was underground for eight hours, and emerged more exhausted than my 18 year old self had ever been before. It was unbelievable. The next day we did a five hour trip (I think) from one entrance to another of Wells Cave. It was during this trip that we all heard a large rumbling sound which, naturally, caused some concern that the weather outside had turned bad. We discovered when we got back to civilization that we had probably heard the sound of an EARTHQUAKE that actually shook stones off buildings back in Cincinnati! That's a story I enjoy telling (so I hope it isn't total b.s. ... it is true, anyway, that the earthquake happened that weekend, and that its epicenter was in KY).

Then it was 13 years before my next (and so far last) caving trip. I was back in Cincinnati after spending years away getting multiple degrees in a discipline (theatre) which no longer holds any interest for me (!) & joined the GCG on a trip into Pine Hill Cave in Rockcastle County, KY.

... and then the caving desert returned.

I don't guess anyone will wonder _why_ I would like to return to this ... you're all cavers and you _know_ the appeal! I'm slightly nervous about being 46 years old and trying it again, I have to admit. On the plus side, I've been working out lately and am in better shape than I've been for a while. Although I haven't yet actively returned to caving, I've been a member of the NSS for several years now.

I'm tired of having an armchair life.

Regards,

Glenn

[graveleye]

welcome to the forum Glenn! I also returned to caving a few years ago after 20 years away from it... didn't start back til I was 40. It's never too late! Welcome aboard!

[mgmills]

I don't guess anyone will wonder _why_ I would like to return to this ... you're all cavers and you _know_ the appeal! I'm slightly nervous about being 46 years old and trying it again, I have to admit. On the plus side, I've been working out lately and am in better shape than I've been for a while. Although I haven't yet actively returned to caving, I've been a member of the NSS for several years now.

I'm tired of having an armchair life.

Regards,

Glenn

No worry about your age - my first wild caving experience was when I was 42 years old. At that age many people probably thought I'd give it up pretty quickly. I still love it. In the last couple of years I have caved less due to building a house in a new area and starting a new job but am getting back into it slowly. Fortunately I live in a cave rich area.

Lots of us older cavers are hanging in there caving around in the T.A.G. area. I know 80 year olds who are still actively caving.

Last weekend I led a group of boy scouts to one of my favorite caves(Tumbling Rock), The scout master could not go due to a recent injury to his elbow so he sent his 50+ year old wife who had never caved before. The scout master's wife was the real "trooper" of the trip. She hung in there with the boys and did everything they did. . . . 4 hours in cave.

Good luck to you. If you meet Steve & Joanne Stokowski tell them Martha said 'Hi"

[speleogen]

Heck, you're just a kid. My first caving trip was at 50. At 51 I took the NSS Basic Vertical course. As long as you stay in shape and keep your head clear, no worries (well, outside the ones even the 20 year olds face)

John

[adleedy]

welcome to the forum!

No worries about too old too old to go caving, theres something for everyone.

[Doug Bohannon]

Welcome Glenn,
As a somewhat recent addition to the NSS myself, it seems a bit odd to welcome someone else to Cavechat, but when I read your post I felt compelled to reply. I, too, am a bit "long in the tooth" at age 48, but I still enjoy getting out in the wilderness as much (if not more) as ever. Not quite as agile as I was in my younger days, but I still manage, lol. You mentioned being from Cincinnati, and being from Northern Ky myself I can relate to the caving experiences you described. Started crawling through various Ky caves in my late teens, and never stopped (ok, I did slow down, but still never stopped!). Anyway, just wanted to extend a welcome from someone "back home", and to wish you some great caving up there in the northeast. Be safe!