Caving Trip to Remember

This is the time I went caving with two friends in Queens Birthday weekend (first weekend of June and our winter in 1988). I was involved in a group that did a lot of alpine climbing most weekends and was in a platonic relationship with a woman named Jenny who was also a climber and a few years older and more experienced than me in most things. (all names have been changed)

Jenny and I considered each other best friends, saw a lot of each other during the week as well as the weekend and got along like a house on fire. Things had started to heat up a lot between Jenny and I over the last couple of weeks. I was still a virgin but I never told her that. She never told me weather she was or was not, but I didn't expect her to be.

We were starting to hug and kiss and introduce a more physical and playful side together when I would visit her place during some of the weeknights whenever we had a bit more privacy there between us. Something we kept from the other members of the club at the time. I still don't think they realised how close we were back then.

Some club members organised a winter climbing trip to Mt Aspiring. Jenny, another woman and 3 other guys decided to go and three of us decided to opt out since we had done a similar trip to the same place at Easter time during the warmer weather a few months earlier, and winter climbing was never really my thing. Climbing in ice and snow never really turned me on much, I was more of a warm sunny day climber. There were plenty of other ways to keep yourself entertained during the winter. It was nice to stay home and chill out sometimes as well.

So Robert, Diane and myself stayed behind, the weather wasn't that good and it had snowed a lot in the mountains during the week leading up to this. We were at a loose end on the Sunday so I suggested to go caving. All of us just friends about the same age 19 - 21ish and had known each other for a few years. I had done this trip a few times before with other friends and suggested it for something to do. I ignored the fact that it was winter.

Robert and Diane were both keen and had never tried caving until now. I had taken a few friends here a few times before and knew this place well. This cave is about 500 meters long and has a small stream flowing through it, in one end and out the other, a natural limestone underground tunnel that runs through the middle of a small hill. It is very dark inside as it twists and turns a lot. It has several small waterfalls to be climbed, the inside averages about 3 meters wide and the roof about 15 meters high with water dripping or showering down from above most of the way. You can't stay dry when you do this trip but it is great for novice caver's who aren't afraid to get their feet wet, and not a highly technical place either without the need for ropes.

So we drove there, about 1 1/2 hours west of where we live. None of us had wetsuits so we got changed into shorts, tee shirt and sneakers and carried a torch each. The weather was sunny but cold with patches of snow on the ground, I took them to the exit first to show them where we get out, then around to the entrance. They both seemed really keen.

I went in first leading the way, very surprised at how cold the water was, about 1 degree above freezing I would guess. I was secretly hoping one or both of them would want to pull out because it was so very cold. No one said anything so I carried on. The water temperature was only a fraction above freezing due to being mainly melted snow. The water level was normal and it was running clear, which was a good sign. I thought it would be bad when it went over my balls but it was actually my knees that really suffered. The cave entrance goes into a pool about waste deep, as the water came over my knees is soooo painful because it was sooo cold, I could feel my joints freezing up. After that it went from waste deep to about knee or shin deep in most parts, quite fast flowing but not flooded.

About 25 meters in we turned the first corner and it gets really dark straight away at this point. A waterproof torch is essential here. I carried on secretly hoping someone would say "I'm cold, lets head back." but to my disappointment it never happened. I felt like I was being frozen alive. Shining the touch around you could see the water raining down it spots, from the roof that was about 15 to 20 meters high. We climbed up 3 waterfalls each about 1 ½ to 2 1/2 meters high about 100 meters apart and had to go through the middle of the freezing falling water.

About ½ way through, 25 minutes in, I noticed that I no longer felt cold. After about 45 minutes only had about 50 meters to go and we could see the faint sunlight at the exit.

The last part was a big pool that was armpit deep we had to wade through, then climb up a rope ladder about 7 meters high over the rock and crawl under an overhang to get out, exiting through the middle of the stream in knee deep freezing water. We had acclimatised to the cold by this stage so the pool at the end wasn't as bad. If the pool at the beginning had been this deep I'm pretty sure we would never have started.

At the entrance there were two people steering back at us from the outside, both in ski jackets and beanie's and looked freezing cold with their arms folded watching these 3 young thinly dressed nutters exiting the cave, soaking wet from head to toe in almost sub zero temperatures. I've always wondered what they were thinking.

We exited the cave, into what felt like, the very warm sun, there was broken patches of snow on the ground all around about 6 inches deep. Walking about 400 meters back to the car with the sun on us feeling warm as toast in our soaking wet and very cold cotton tee shirts, shorts and soaking sneakers. Got dried off and changed into dry clothes and drove back home.

Half way back home we stopped at a country pub for a drink where Robert admitted he enjoyed the experience but was secretly hoping somebody would suggest heading back because of the cold. Then Dianne said she too was really wanting to turn back but was afraid of being called a wuss and wanted to keep up with the boys, so I admitted that I was hoping someone would speak up as well. We all found this really funny and had few laughs about it. I still find this funny.

I have never done another winter trip through there. I still go though there once every year or two always in the summer months now, it's a great place to take kids or visitors from overseas if they are adventurous enough.

The exact date and day's events I will never forget because after we got home we heard that our climbing friend and partner, Jenny, was killed in an accident at Mt Aspiring, slipping on the ice and falling more than 600 meters to her death. Sometimes I think it is lucky she wasn't roped to anybody else, but other times I think it may have saved her life as well.

I remained a virgin for over 12 more months eventually losing to a one night stand.

I loved Jenny and I loved the company we shared. It took me a few years before I became interested in getting involved in another relationship again after that.