Adventuring Light

02/03/2025

Fenix Lighting USA has a little lantern that I’m in love with. The CL22r has become my favorite caving light for filming in small spaces. I also use it for camping. ❤️

02/03/2025

This is why we have to replace rusted bolts.

02/03/2025

There was virgin passage, but this was blocking the way. Would you go?

02/03/2025

Yeaterday, I met up with a stranger to check out this hole that he thought might be a cave. He is a friend of a friend, so I figured he probably wasn’t a killer. We hiked up a very steep hill and the hole turned out to be a cave! My rope wasn’t long enough to tie off and reach the bottom, so I need to go back and finish exploring. I can’t wait to see what’s down there. It’s at least a 50” drop and it looks like it goes! Thanks for the pic Native Habitat Project

02/02/2025

Artificial Intelligence is so good, until it isn’t. I got AI to design a logo for me. No amount of chatting back and forth could successfully get the extra letter removed. So close! I like the design, but the misspelling…😖

02/02/2025

A landowner reached out and invited me to check out some possible caves and here’s what we found! Thanks Native Habitat Project for inviting me and helping me film!

02/01/2025

What a day! Native Habitat Project invited me to check out some caves and holes he suspected to be caves. I’ll be turning in three undocumented caves this week! Kyle is very knowledgeable about plants and trees, plus he restores native habitats. Very cool work he is doing. Check out his page!

02/01/2025

Post Saturday caving trip

02/01/2025

01/31/2025

We got permission to access this cave by knocking on someone’s door. The landowner said “don’t ask. I never saw you”. This roughly translates to “go ahead, but I will not be sued over this”.
In a world where everyone is afraid of being sued or taken advantage of, I’m thankful for the people who say “yes”!

01/30/2025

After watching the ladies pose for pictures, I told Clint it was his turn.
Me: Clint, smile for the picture!
Clint: Hang on (pulls velcro apart).
🤣🤣

01/30/2025

My First Open-Air Pit: A Tale of Terror and Tom

When I first became a vertical caver, I had a small problem: I had no one to dangle off cliffs with. The guy who taught me was off doing trips that required a death wish (I wasn’t quite there yet), and I didn’t really know anyone else.

Then I met Tom Whitehurst at a caving event—a super nice guy who manages one of the SCCi properties. I did what any desperate new caver would do: I begged him to take me caving. And, because Tom is an absolute legend, he said yes! He even brought his wife and another property manager, so I had an entire safety net of experienced cavers to keep me from doing something stupid.

We arrived at this big, beautiful, open-air pit and Tom checked my gear, reassured me and then—very patiently—talked me over the edge. If you zoom in, you can practically see my soul leaving my body.

Tom and his kindness are the main reasons I’ll be an SCCi member for life. If you know Tom Whitehurst, you know he’s a living legend in the caving world. And if you don’t know him—well, find a way to meet him. Just be ready to step off a cliff. 📸: Mrs Whitehurst

01/28/2025

This opening had to be “modified” in order to accommodate visitors, but look at this stunning discovery!

01/28/2025

Consider the headroom in this abandoned 1880s iron ore mine. How would you like to mine hard rock with minimal headspace?

01/28/2025

If you want to drive people to the edge of insanity, go caving, without putting your hair in a ponytail.
Believe it or not, I have a system that works for me and I’m very aware of my hair while rappelling. ✌🏼

📸: Wes Sims

01/27/2025

The most frequent comment on this page is some variation of “this isn’t safe and you’re going to die.” I’ve been given at least 1,000 Darwin awards by commenters, but not a single one has shown up in the mail. 🤷🏼‍♀️
I’m going to share a secret with you. Safety is an illusion. Anything could happen, whether we’re caving or going about our daily lives. We can take every precaution-wear the right gear, rig the right way, wear our seatbelt, and still not make it home that night.
A few decades ago, in a popular TAG cave, a couple of cavers stood under a ledge at the bottom of the cave, to avoid rock fall from the climber above. That 1 ton ledge they were standing under, suddenly collapsed, instantly placing them before their maker. Every single day, we risk our lives by driving in a vehicle and every single day there are car accidents.
I’m well aware of the risks. We cannot let fear hold us back. We can be brave, be as safe as possible, and live life with no regrets. Am I brave? Stupid? Not necessarily. I’m no more brave or stupid than someone who drives on the interstate to work every day. I just have a better view. 😎

01/27/2025

I think I was expecting a little bit more of a "finale" when we got to the furthest mapped section of the cave. Now I need to see an overlay to see what's on top!