If you’ve read any of my other articles, you know I’m a newbie to traveling. Well, my good friend, Travis, convinced me to go to New Zealand and Australia with him! A trip of a life time I just couldn’t pass up – and if you can go, you shouldn’t either. As we were planning the trip the first week in New Zealand was our adventure week for sure. Cave tubing, hiking, white water rafting, spelunking, and just to name a few. Knowing everything we were going to do about 2 months before I trip I started exercising and hiking like crazy trying to get in shape for it. Now living in Colorado gives me the opportunity to hike, but if you don’t have that near you just getting to the gym or outside would help!

I felt good and strong going on the trip. I knew I’d push my limits and face some of my fears, but I like doing that, it makes me feel alive! Everything was going great and we got to Day 4, the spelunking trip. This was the activity I had the most fear around as I had never done it before, was afraid of jumping from heights and am a bit claustrophobic. So of course I was all in for caving – 😊

As we drove to where the cave was, I started getting a little more anxious about what I was about to encounter. Could I really do this? The bus stopped and we had a short hike into the woods to get to the opening of the cave. As they taught us about the rigging and rappelling in the cave, I felt good as I just learned it on Day 1 going tubing in the caves. I remember thinking to myself – you got this!

As usual they asked who wanted to go first – so there I was saying “me” – who was this girl- but I don’t even like heights. They got me all rigged up and showed me how to place my feet over the opening of the cave to rappel in. As I got closer to the opening and looked down my heart almost stopped beating. Wow it was a long way down! And the rocks around the top were slippery – my mind starting quickly freaking out. But there was Travis telling me I could do this. So I positioned my feet, held the ropes like they taught me took a long deep breath and leaned back. I stayed like that for what seemed forever until I finally got the courage to start the decent. As soon as I started and felt the rope hold me, all my fears quickly drifted away and I started lowering myself down. After a very short amount of time I started looking around at the beauty around me, listening to the sound of the water falling from the top of opening and realized this was one of the most amazing things I had ever done and seen. There I was hanging by a rope maybe 40 meters from the ground, there was stones on the walls around me, moss growing all in them, water falling like a waterfall right behind me and the sun coming down on my face through the opening of the cave. It was magical and I felt like I could have stayed right there capturing it all for hours.

When I got to the bottom, I was by myself in the cave, till the next person go down. Or course I started looking around and soaking in the experience of overcoming my fear of heights. I turned off my headlamp for a few minutes to see the pitch blackness that was all around me. I was so glad I chose to be first so I could have that time by myself in the cave. It is something everyone should do once in their lives.

Once everyone was down, we started our underworld experience. I admit it was more beautiful and harder than I thought it would be. But I was getting through, traversing waterfalls, walking on ledges, and crawling through tight spaces. When we go to the first tight space I was last to go through in the group (5 of us including the guide). I remember looking at the opening wondering how the 2 guys in the group got through it, as I didn’t think I would fit (I’m 5’7” and 134lbs). But I started to crawling, wiggling and getting my body in odd position to get through it. At one point I stopped to catch my breath and almost panicked, but I kept going. When I got out of the tight space, I was so happy with myself! Then I told my friend not to let me be last through one again 😊

All was going well and loving pushing myself through the challenges around each corner. I was doing it! Then we got to an area that we had to climb up a little and work your way through a crevasse with about a 20 foot drop below us (did I mention there are no ropes). I was starting to feel tired but I could do this. As I worked myself up to the ledge I carefully placed my feet and hands – then one of my hands slipped, then my foot slipped, as I felt myself almost fall with 20 foot drop below me, I did everything I could to catch myself! I was able to hold on as I screamed like a girl as I felt a sharp shooting pain in my left shoulder! And I thought I was going to fall and kill myself. Our guide and Travis got over to me very quickly as I was spread eagle at this point in the narrow area holding myself up. I totally froze for a few minutes as I let the fear and pain pass. I really thought I broke my arm or dislocated my shoulder. My heart was pounding as I tried to calm down so I could see how hurt I was. At that moment I really didn’t know how I was going to continue and get myself out of the cave. Between the guide and Travis they calmed me down so I would at least start moving again. I was hoping we were almost out of the cave, but as I heard the guide say we are half way, my heart sank. And wondered how in the world I was going to get out of this cave! I was holding back tears, but somehow I pulled it together and kept going.

My arm was totally useless. Every time I put pressure on it, I would get sharp pains. So there I was, getting through the cave with one arm. The guide and Travis helped me as I had to climb up waterfalls, get through tight areas with freezing water, and much more. Somehow the drive to get myself out of the cave took over and all my fears slipped away. But I was becoming completely exhausted, my knees hurt, my arm hurt and I got to a point I didn’t know if I could go any further. I asked again how much longer and to my surprise we were almost out – YAY! I only needed to crawl up this area of rocks, get up one last waterfall and crawl to the surface. I sat down on a big rock, took a big breath, looked around and proclaimed I was good, Travis could send my dogs and I’d live right there in the cave. Everyone looked at me and realized I was actually serious – LOL. I had hit my wall of exhaustion. But someone with the encouragement of my friend and fellow cavers I dug deep and got myself out of the cave.

When I saw daylight I’d never been so happy, I think I actually had a tear in my eye. I had done it – faced my fears, got hurt and still managed to get myself out of the cave. I admit it was harder than I expected. If I could go back I would have started my workout program even earlier to make sure I was ready. But I learned something very special that day – I learned how deep I could go inside and find the drive to do something and survive. I could have totally broken down and had them get me out, but I was able to find the courage and strength to get myself through what I started!

Now I don’t recommend getting hurt just to learn what you are made of, but if you happen to have this happen, you will learn a great lesson you will take with you forever. And by the way the next day my arm felt great and my knee was totally swollen – I had torn a ligament in it. But I wasn’t even half way through the trip. I did almost everything we planned to do with a smile on my face, enjoying every moment of it!

You can have your own cave adventure by clicking the link above.

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