GOING VERTICAL!!!

If you're a caver one thing you should seriously learn is vertical climbing. Not all caves have got an easy entrance like some of the commercial caves like Mammoth Cave, Marengo Cave, and others where you just walk in for an easy stroll. Some of the best caves in the world need a good long rope to be seen.

Vertical climbing is one of the more technical aspects of caving. There's are at least five different methods and systems for climbing. Some are more basic in nature and take a little more work while the more mechanical systems can get you in and out of a hole very quickly. They also take a wee bit longer to learn too.

First of all age doesn't matter when it comes to vertical climbing. I've already told you about Bill and Mariam Cuddington, who are 73 and 64 respectively and do climbs all over the country. Here I'm showing you 9 year old Melannie Chenier, of Canada, who became the youngest person in the world to do a 120 meter climb using the 'frog' or sit-stand method. Chenier climbed more than 370 feet of rope in just over 21 minutes. One man, who was 33 years old and more physically fit, did a 30 meter mechanical climb in just 30.5 seconds. The only limit you give to this is the limit you give to yourself. With the right gear a person can sit, or even sleep on a rope and feel very comfortable. Some of those that have made the climb on El Capitan have even spent the night on the side of the rock wall using a hammock system, not that I would feel that comfortable sleeping at more than 2,000 feet off the ground with only air between me and the Earth below.

The best climbers will tell you to take classes before making the big climbs, learn from a certified climber and use the best gear. During the vertical climb class at this year's convention nearly 50 people showed up to learn from the best of the best. They learned the proper use of a cable ladder. They learned how to used one of the most basic three-knot systems, which looked the most difficult to me, although for some of the most experienced it is a good way to stay fresh. Others practiced on the 'frog' system while even others learned to used two different mechanical systems, the Rope Walker and the Mitchell system. One man told me he was afraid of heights but said you spend so much time concentrating on what you're doing you don't have time to be afraid.

Oh....one last thing. I had one man come down and sit next to me and was telling me about the different systems he had used. He also told me he would be going to a pit in Georgia in a few weeks that was 240 feet deep. You might ask what's so unusual about that. The man is 83 years old. We should all be so lucky.