Post by L Roebuck on May 24, 2006 17:36:50 GMT -5
Dexter senior takes adventure to all levels
By SACHA CHAMPION Statesman Staff Writer &
PAUL MAHAN Dexter High School Senior
This is the fourth in an ongoing series entitled "What's Your Story," aimed at getting to know the special interests and lives of residents across Stoddard County. In this and the next story, we will meet a group of Dexter High School graduating seniors who all have a unique hobby or exceptional talent.
Crawling through small spaces in a dank, dark underground cavern isn't everyone's idea of a good time. But for Paul Mahan, a Dexter High School senior, exploring caves is an adventure.
"My cousin in Tennessee goes caving a lot," said Mahan. "He invited me to go with him and I finally decided to go."
So far, Mahan has explored two caves in Tennessee -- Espey Cave and Indian Grave Point. Climbing through holes barely big enough for the slim teenager to fit through isn't a problem for him.
Crawling flat on his stomach through small passageways or climbing over big rocks with only the aid of a flashlight aren't problems for him. What does pose a problem for this steadfast teen is the lack of light at bedtime.
"When you don't have your flashlight on, it is so dark that you can't see anything, not even outlines," said Mahan. "That was the biggest challenge to overcome for me because it can really freak you out when you turn off your flashlight."
Mahan has been in caverns so tall that "when you stand at the bottom and look up, you can't see the top of the room." But he has also seen amazing underground formations and areas that haven't been disturbed for possibly hundreds of years.
"In some rooms you can tell that kids or the like have been there because there is graffiti all over the walls," said Mahan. "But in some rooms, you can tell that they haven't been disturbed in years or possibly ever."
It is unclear how many people in the United States take part in the ever-growing popular sport of cave spelunking, or exploring. Many teenagers may dabble in spelunking in local caves while many adults plan spelunking trips for months in advance.
Cave spelunking is not for those who suffer from claustrophobia or a fear of the dark. There are also several other dangers faced by spelunkers like high carbon monoxide levels in some underground caverns and the fact that caves can be home to many deadly species of animals such as the rattlesnake, scorpions, bears and bats, one of the most widely-known carriers of rabies.
None of those are a deterrent for Mahan, though, who says that he wouldn't trade his time in the caves for anything. Only one time did Mahan become truly frightened while in a cave and that was when two of his friends turned up missing.
"They decided to go explore a part of the cave on their own and didn't tell anyone where they were going," said Mahan. "We were trying to leave and the next thing you know they just weren't there.
"They finally came back after a while, but it was still very scary thinking that they were lost in the cave somewhere."
In the following excerpt from an essay entitled "Down and Dirty … and Dark … and Wet … and Cold …" that Mahan turned in to Mrs. Galloway's senior writing class at Dexter High School, Mahan describes the experience in his own words:
"It is 11 p.m. and as I put on my new all-purpose gloves and strap on my pack, I silently hope that my cousin was right, that waiting here in the cold and the snow would be worth the fun later on. I put on my headlamp, turn it on, and look down the incredibly steep hill.
"As soon as everybody is ready, we head down the hill toward what we'd sat in the truck for seven hours to see. The snow, already falling hard, not only made it hard to see, but also made going down the steep hill harder than it would have been. At first, I am freezing, the tip of my nose and my ears going numb, but after the first five minutes of the descent, I start to break a sweat and wonder how much farther we have to go.
"Finally, I hear running water: a river, the signal that we had arrived. We pass by the river on a narrow ledge and stop at the mouth, and Jeff, our so-called 'guide' says, 'Here we are guys. Espey Cave.'
"According to the Nature Conservancy, Espey Cave is one of over 8,000 known caves in Tennessee that stretch for hundreds of miles. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a cave as 'a natural underground chamber or series of chambers open to the surface' and to caving as 'to explore caves, especially as a sport or hobby.'
"One by one, we make our way in to explore the cave, entering into pitch-blackness. Twisting and turning, ducking and crawling, jumping and climbing, we made our way through the cave to the place where we would sleep for the night. I then realized why my cousin made me buy all the things I did.
"According to the National Speleological Society of Southern Nevada, a caver's 'basic necessities' consist of many things. A caver's main light should be mounted on the head, so that it is always lighting your vision and keeping your hands free, and two spare lights such as a flashlight or a candle with waterproof matches, should be carried as well. It is also suggested that a helmet is used, but nobody on our trip seemed to like that idea, so we didn't bother with them.
"As for clothing, warm and durable is the key. Espey Cave tends to stay at about 65 degrees year-round, regardless of the surface conditions. Long sleeves, long pants, boots and gloves are all recommended. The long sleeves and pants protect not only from the cold, but from sharp rocks as well. The boots provide ankle support and protection from any water that might be in the cave and the gloves protect not only your hands from the cave, but the cave from your hands and the oil in your skin. All of these things, however, are on your body, but there are many other things such as food, water, a first aid kit, a knife, a rope and other things that are all carried in a pack. All of these recommended things can add up to quite a large amount of weight on your back, making maneuvering difficult at times.
"Once we reached the bunk spot, we unloaded packs and sleeping bags and set up camp, rested for a few minutes, and then decided to explore for a while. One of the first things Jeff shows us is a 'silo,' a tall round room, so tall that the top couldn't be seen. This particular silo was connected to water somewhere above us, and a steady stream dripped down on our heads as we walked in. A shallow pool of water sat in the bottom of the silo, and I was glad for the waterproof pants and shoes I was wearing.
"Tired of getting wet, we continue to explore the cave. As Jeff led us around, he pointed out something to us. There were tiny gray bats hanging from the ceilings of nearly every room in the cave. Hundreds of species live in the many Tennessee caves. The gray bats in Espey Cave are one of the few on the endangered species list. About 95 percent of these bats live in only eight caves spread across Tennessee, Missouri, Alabama, Kentucky and Arkansas. This fact, according to the Nature Conservancy, puts the bats dangerously close to extinction. While in the cave, if we had interfered with the bats' hibernation, we could have thrown off nature's balance and even killed them.
"After seeing several bats, stepping in puddles, climbing over rock piles, then sliding down in the mud, crawling through pancake squeezes that are so tight in places you have to force every bit of air from your lungs to fit through, and exploring as far as our stamina and wet socks would allow us to, we decided to return to our gear and try to get some sleep.
"When everyone got settled in and turned off their lights, I realized just how dark it really was in the cave. With no way for light to reach us, telling time without a watch, or even seeing, was impossible. As I drifted off into a restless sleep, I wondered if that was how it was to be blind and then my thoughts wandered to how terrible it would have been if my light burned out. I quickly pushed these thoughts from my mind and tried to rest myself for another full day of exploring …
"The next day, after everyone woke up and put on fresh, dry clothes, we had only a few more places of interest to see for this trip, one of which was called the 'trophy room.' In the trophy room, there were large amounts of wet clay that people had used over the years to sculpt many different things to be discovered by later cavers. Among the things we found molded in this clay were the front of a car, buildings, a fish, a snake, trolls, horses and many other animals.
"After we had our fun in the trophy room, it was time to move on to the next cave. But first, we had to leave this one. Maybe this doesn't sound so bad. It might even sound good, getting to return to the surface for a while, but it wasn't that easy. After everyone repacked their gear, we had one more room to look at … After we finally got everyone assembled, we climbed back up the impossibly steep hill to the truck, this time not in the dark in falling snow, but in the day time and in about two inches of snow.
"That was fun."
Mahan, the son of Freeman and Ponna Mahan, said that although he will soon be off to college, he won't give up on his caving.
"I want to keep doing it and become even better at it," said Mahan. "It gives you a chance to see something that not everyone will see in their lifetime."
Dexter, MO: The Daily Statesman
By SACHA CHAMPION Statesman Staff Writer &
PAUL MAHAN Dexter High School Senior
This is the fourth in an ongoing series entitled "What's Your Story," aimed at getting to know the special interests and lives of residents across Stoddard County. In this and the next story, we will meet a group of Dexter High School graduating seniors who all have a unique hobby or exceptional talent.
Crawling through small spaces in a dank, dark underground cavern isn't everyone's idea of a good time. But for Paul Mahan, a Dexter High School senior, exploring caves is an adventure.
"My cousin in Tennessee goes caving a lot," said Mahan. "He invited me to go with him and I finally decided to go."
So far, Mahan has explored two caves in Tennessee -- Espey Cave and Indian Grave Point. Climbing through holes barely big enough for the slim teenager to fit through isn't a problem for him.
Crawling flat on his stomach through small passageways or climbing over big rocks with only the aid of a flashlight aren't problems for him. What does pose a problem for this steadfast teen is the lack of light at bedtime.
"When you don't have your flashlight on, it is so dark that you can't see anything, not even outlines," said Mahan. "That was the biggest challenge to overcome for me because it can really freak you out when you turn off your flashlight."
Mahan has been in caverns so tall that "when you stand at the bottom and look up, you can't see the top of the room." But he has also seen amazing underground formations and areas that haven't been disturbed for possibly hundreds of years.
"In some rooms you can tell that kids or the like have been there because there is graffiti all over the walls," said Mahan. "But in some rooms, you can tell that they haven't been disturbed in years or possibly ever."
It is unclear how many people in the United States take part in the ever-growing popular sport of cave spelunking, or exploring. Many teenagers may dabble in spelunking in local caves while many adults plan spelunking trips for months in advance.
Cave spelunking is not for those who suffer from claustrophobia or a fear of the dark. There are also several other dangers faced by spelunkers like high carbon monoxide levels in some underground caverns and the fact that caves can be home to many deadly species of animals such as the rattlesnake, scorpions, bears and bats, one of the most widely-known carriers of rabies.
None of those are a deterrent for Mahan, though, who says that he wouldn't trade his time in the caves for anything. Only one time did Mahan become truly frightened while in a cave and that was when two of his friends turned up missing.
"They decided to go explore a part of the cave on their own and didn't tell anyone where they were going," said Mahan. "We were trying to leave and the next thing you know they just weren't there.
"They finally came back after a while, but it was still very scary thinking that they were lost in the cave somewhere."
In the following excerpt from an essay entitled "Down and Dirty … and Dark … and Wet … and Cold …" that Mahan turned in to Mrs. Galloway's senior writing class at Dexter High School, Mahan describes the experience in his own words:
"It is 11 p.m. and as I put on my new all-purpose gloves and strap on my pack, I silently hope that my cousin was right, that waiting here in the cold and the snow would be worth the fun later on. I put on my headlamp, turn it on, and look down the incredibly steep hill.
"As soon as everybody is ready, we head down the hill toward what we'd sat in the truck for seven hours to see. The snow, already falling hard, not only made it hard to see, but also made going down the steep hill harder than it would have been. At first, I am freezing, the tip of my nose and my ears going numb, but after the first five minutes of the descent, I start to break a sweat and wonder how much farther we have to go.
"Finally, I hear running water: a river, the signal that we had arrived. We pass by the river on a narrow ledge and stop at the mouth, and Jeff, our so-called 'guide' says, 'Here we are guys. Espey Cave.'
"According to the Nature Conservancy, Espey Cave is one of over 8,000 known caves in Tennessee that stretch for hundreds of miles. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a cave as 'a natural underground chamber or series of chambers open to the surface' and to caving as 'to explore caves, especially as a sport or hobby.'
"One by one, we make our way in to explore the cave, entering into pitch-blackness. Twisting and turning, ducking and crawling, jumping and climbing, we made our way through the cave to the place where we would sleep for the night. I then realized why my cousin made me buy all the things I did.
"According to the National Speleological Society of Southern Nevada, a caver's 'basic necessities' consist of many things. A caver's main light should be mounted on the head, so that it is always lighting your vision and keeping your hands free, and two spare lights such as a flashlight or a candle with waterproof matches, should be carried as well. It is also suggested that a helmet is used, but nobody on our trip seemed to like that idea, so we didn't bother with them.
"As for clothing, warm and durable is the key. Espey Cave tends to stay at about 65 degrees year-round, regardless of the surface conditions. Long sleeves, long pants, boots and gloves are all recommended. The long sleeves and pants protect not only from the cold, but from sharp rocks as well. The boots provide ankle support and protection from any water that might be in the cave and the gloves protect not only your hands from the cave, but the cave from your hands and the oil in your skin. All of these things, however, are on your body, but there are many other things such as food, water, a first aid kit, a knife, a rope and other things that are all carried in a pack. All of these recommended things can add up to quite a large amount of weight on your back, making maneuvering difficult at times.
"Once we reached the bunk spot, we unloaded packs and sleeping bags and set up camp, rested for a few minutes, and then decided to explore for a while. One of the first things Jeff shows us is a 'silo,' a tall round room, so tall that the top couldn't be seen. This particular silo was connected to water somewhere above us, and a steady stream dripped down on our heads as we walked in. A shallow pool of water sat in the bottom of the silo, and I was glad for the waterproof pants and shoes I was wearing.
"Tired of getting wet, we continue to explore the cave. As Jeff led us around, he pointed out something to us. There were tiny gray bats hanging from the ceilings of nearly every room in the cave. Hundreds of species live in the many Tennessee caves. The gray bats in Espey Cave are one of the few on the endangered species list. About 95 percent of these bats live in only eight caves spread across Tennessee, Missouri, Alabama, Kentucky and Arkansas. This fact, according to the Nature Conservancy, puts the bats dangerously close to extinction. While in the cave, if we had interfered with the bats' hibernation, we could have thrown off nature's balance and even killed them.
"After seeing several bats, stepping in puddles, climbing over rock piles, then sliding down in the mud, crawling through pancake squeezes that are so tight in places you have to force every bit of air from your lungs to fit through, and exploring as far as our stamina and wet socks would allow us to, we decided to return to our gear and try to get some sleep.
"When everyone got settled in and turned off their lights, I realized just how dark it really was in the cave. With no way for light to reach us, telling time without a watch, or even seeing, was impossible. As I drifted off into a restless sleep, I wondered if that was how it was to be blind and then my thoughts wandered to how terrible it would have been if my light burned out. I quickly pushed these thoughts from my mind and tried to rest myself for another full day of exploring …
"The next day, after everyone woke up and put on fresh, dry clothes, we had only a few more places of interest to see for this trip, one of which was called the 'trophy room.' In the trophy room, there were large amounts of wet clay that people had used over the years to sculpt many different things to be discovered by later cavers. Among the things we found molded in this clay were the front of a car, buildings, a fish, a snake, trolls, horses and many other animals.
"After we had our fun in the trophy room, it was time to move on to the next cave. But first, we had to leave this one. Maybe this doesn't sound so bad. It might even sound good, getting to return to the surface for a while, but it wasn't that easy. After everyone repacked their gear, we had one more room to look at … After we finally got everyone assembled, we climbed back up the impossibly steep hill to the truck, this time not in the dark in falling snow, but in the day time and in about two inches of snow.
"That was fun."
Mahan, the son of Freeman and Ponna Mahan, said that although he will soon be off to college, he won't give up on his caving.
"I want to keep doing it and become even better at it," said Mahan. "It gives you a chance to see something that not everyone will see in their lifetime."
Dexter, MO: The Daily Statesman
