20 Extreme Adventures For Spelunkers and Cavers

Where the Mountain Casts Its Shadow: The Dark Side of Extreme Adventure Book Description

Without risk, say mountaineers, there would be none of the self-knowledge that comes from pushing life to its extremes. For them, perhaps, it is worth the cost. But when tragedy strikes, what happens to the people left behind? Why would anyone choose to invest in a future with a high-altitude risk-taker? What is life like in the shadow of the mountain? Such questions have long been taboo in the world of mountaineering. Now, the spouses, parents and children of internationally renowned climbers finally break their silence, speaking out about the dark side of adventure.
Maria Coffey confronted one of the harshest realities of mountaineering when her partner Joe Tasker disappeared on the Northeast Ridge of Everest in 1982. In "Where the Mountain Casts Its Shadow," Coffey offers an intimate portrait of adventure and the conflicting beauty, passion, and devastation of this alluring obsession. Through interviews with the world's top climbers, or their widows and families-Jim Wickwire, Conrad Anker, Lynn Hill, Joe Simpson, Chris Bonington, Ed Viesturs, Anatoli Boukreev, Alex Lowe, and many others-she explores what compels men and women to give their lives to the high mountains. She asks why, despite the countless tragedies, the world continues to laud their exploits. With an insider's understanding, Coffey reveals the consequences of loving people who pursue such risk-the exhilarating highs and inevitable lows, the stress of long separations, the constant threat of bereavement, and the lives shattered in the wake of climbing accidents.
"Where the Mountain Casts Its Shadow" is a powerful, affecting and important book that exposes the far reaching personal costs of extreme adventure.

Maria Coffey has contributed to Where the Mountain Casts Its Shadow: The Dark Side of Extreme Adventure as an author. Maria Coffey is originally from England, and now lives on a small island in British Columbia. She and her husband Dag Goering spend part of each year in Ireland, where Dag practises as a large animal veterinarian. They also work as professional sea-kayaking and trekking guides, leading trips in Vietnam, the Solomon Islands, Ireland and Canada. Coffey is the author of a number of internationally published books, including "A Boat in Our Baggage", "Three Moons in Vietnam", "Sailing Back in Time" and two books for children, "A Cat in a Kayak and A Seal in the Family". Her work has also appeared i

Fragile Ecosystem

Over tens of thousands of years, water that seeped through cracks in a cave react to minerals and carbon dioxide to form speleothems. Most of these rock formations are named after their resemblance to man-made objects. The six most commons types are flowstone, stalagmites, stalactites, column, drapers, and straws. However, the ecosystem in a cave is extremely fragile. What took thousands of years to form can be damaged by the slightest touch. Some can even be irreparably damaged by something a simple as being breathed upon. Cave conservation is all important to keep the underground playground as unspoiled by mankind as possible.

Eye Candy – Luray Caverns

You expect to see the eye candy of stalagmites and stalactites when you first travel through a cave along a paved sidewalk, perhaps some stairs, and maybe even a boat ride to behold the brightly lit multicolored spotlights on natural rock formations. But some of us look toward the dark corners of the cave and wonder what could be seen if we stepped off the tourist path. This is how it starts. Cave exploration then takes us into a dark world of exotic rock formations, huge underground rooms, streams, tight crawlways in the mud, spiders, bats and sometimes even cave rats. You will get dirty. You will get wet. You will have a blast!

Light and Equipment

Virgin cave systems are the last underground frontier to be explored. This can be adventure, cave mapping, cave photography, or any number of reasons to study the rocks or species found below. You need the right clothing, sometimes that is a wetsuit but can vary according to the environment of the cave being explored. No matter summer or winter, a cave will keep a fairly regular temperature. Helmets, boots, knee pads, gloves, even camping might be required if it is a very long caving trip. There are safety techniques and equipment to consider before descending into the vast unknown of geological phenomena hidden away from the above-ground dweller’s view.

Cave Diving

Found in the clear blue waters along the Mediterranean Islands are some of the best cave diving systems in the world. Inside the grotto, or cave, in Cagliari, Sardegna, cave divers navigate Grotte di Teulada. Cave diving isn’t for everyone. In fact, many experienced cavers never dive just as many cavers never act as cave diggers, two dangerous aspects of extreme caving.

There are five main rules to keep in mind before cave diving. Training, do not attempt a dive beyond your experience level. A guide line should be maintained at all times in the event a silt out occurs so divers can follow the line back to the underwater cave entrance. Divers are advised not to exceed excessive depth and to keep in mind the changes such depths can cause to their gas mixture. Even among fully trained and experienced cave divers, not paying attention to depth is the number one cause of fatality. The rule of thirds, indicating a diver should save one third of their air for a team member in case of an emergency. Under no circumstances should a dive be attempted without each cave diver having three different light sources. These rules can be remembered with the mnemonic Thank Goodness All Divers Live, or known as The Good Divers Are Living in the UK; training, guide line, depth rules, air management, lights.