Thursday

Thursday was for under the mountain! We had signed up to explore a cave right outside of town, with a company called Canmore Caverns. We met our guide, Max, at the office, and found out we would have the rare treat of having him to ourselves. He was a second generation "caver", who's parents used to send him into the unexplored pockets that were too small for an adult to fit into, starting at age six!
We looked over a map of where he was taking us, our route in the cave would explore a small corner of a sprawling labyrinth known as the "Rat's Nest Cave". The explored portion extends for miles, but new passages are discovered each year, and the full extent is not known. It was named for the pack rats that occupy the entrance (lovely). Our guide informed us that this was no sissy tourist magnet, no handrails to be found and the only lights would be those on our helmets. We would be scrambling up and down and occasionally clipped into safety ropes, crawling on our bellies in mud, and, if we so chose, pushing ourselves past our comfort level in various "squeezes", or tight spots.
Naturally, the first order of business was to sign waivers releasing the company from any liability, should we fall down a bottomless pit or disappear into the endless twisting darkness of the cave. A waiver of this nature was to be expected, however the next page left us flabbergasted. It seems, not a joke, that the cave was on property owned by a nearby limestone quarry, which routinely (and without notice) conducted blasting operations. The waiver explained that sometimes these blasts can be felt in the cave, and at any time a portion of the roof could conceivably collapse on us. Though our guide assured us that no collapse ever happened in the known history of the cave, he admitted to having felt the tremors in the cave. Umm..., what? Completely taken aback by this, we glanced uneasily at each other and instantly came to an unspoken agreement. We would be complete fools to put our lives on the line for just a day of thrills, so the only sensible choice was to cancel the tour and go back to our room.
So, a few minutes later we were in our car and on the road, following our guide to the cave entrance. It was a twenty minute hike up a ravine to the entrance, lugging all the equipment provided to us. Coveralls, climbing harnesses, helmets and lights, water and snacks. As soon as we crawled past the safety fence in the opening, we knew we were in for a real adventure. Max pointed to the gaping vertical shaft three feet away and started explaining and exhibiting the many bones found in the cave. Many of them were found at the bottom of the first big pit from animals seeking shelter and falling in. Others were found deeper in the cave, brought in from outside by the pack rats.
We had a blast scampering around, while paying close attention to the guide's directions of where not to step. The three of us were the sole occupants for most of our time there, and we were able to shut off our lights and immerse ourselves in utter darkness, listening to the water dripping here and there. Though the opportunity was ripe, and will likely never come again, Ben was under a solemn oath not to practice his Smeagol impersonation while in a dark, damp cave.
The most memorable portion of the excursion was when we approached the first "squeeze". We had the option of skipping it, but we decided we should at least try. Ben went first, worming himself into a black crevice that was not even noticeable as a passage until Max pointed it out. To elaborate on just how small this space was, Max instructed us to turn our heads to the right before we approached the choke point on our bellies, otherwise our lights would not shine ahead in the slightly curved hole. Once in the choke point, there was not room for us to turn our heads, due to the light mounted on the front of the helmets. Adding to the challenge was the knowledge that once through the passage, the only way out was the way you came in.
Once Ben made it safely in, Charity called out inquiring if she should make the attempt. Ben recommended that she not try, but Charity decided (after Max's encouragement) to go ahead anyways. With a bit of work, Charity made it just fine. Both of us had to make a conscious effort to will ourselves to continue, when the walls literally started to close in. Once we felt the rock touching shoulder blades and ribs at the same time, we had to quell our brains natural instinct to panic. Also, only one arm would fit next to our bodies, so the other had to be thrust in first, and wasn't much help in maneuvering.
The second "squeeze" was approached with more confidence, but proved to be more challenging because of an uphill bend right after the choke point. Charity got fairly stuck in this one, but kept her cool and was able to listen to Max's instructions and wriggle free. Charity had prayed before the trip, anticipating the fear, and feels God gave her strength to be able to enjoy the experience. We were definitely pleased with how He used the cave to teach us something about our limits, and how we were capable of much more than we knew. Here's some pics, but please excuse the rabid wild-eyed looks, it was dark and we may have been a wee bit pumped on adrenaline!

 

Some "soda straw" stalactite on the cavern roof

Several pools in the lowest part of the cave are still being explored, and a new species of life, a small shrimp like creature was discovered here.

After we made it out alive, we hiked back down to the car and were treated to a thunder and lightning storm and even a brief hailstorm. More epic misty mountain views!

And yet, by the time we had driven across town to our room, the sky looked like this!