Shasta Area Grotto

you need to practice safety

Caving even if done properly is a dangerous thing to do, possibly even deadly. There are many risks these are just a few of the risks that are present in caving. More info on these and other hazards will be posted soon.

Fall Hazards

This is a serious problem. Tripping on things can cause serious injuries. If you trip and fall chances you are going to hit rock when hit the ground. If you are injured this can lead to other problems such as hypothermia. An injury or just being tired could leave you to tired to complete a climb to get out of a cave which could jeopardize others as well as yourself. 

Cave Stability

Rocks do come loose sometimes. Just because a hundred people have stepped on a rock before you doesn’t mean it will be stable for you. If a rock falls and hits you it can kill you, even if it didn’t fall that far or wasn’t that large. As a general rule most caves are basically stable, what I mean by this is that the general shape of the cave is not going to change any time soon but most if not all caves have unstable rocks or ledges. These can give way or break leaving you it a dangerous situation with the potential end result of death. 

Hypothermia

Hypothermia can kill you. You get cold your body temperature drops and your body begins to slow down trying to conserve heat. Caves are often quite a bit cooler than the outside(summertime) and his may feel good at first but then if you aren’t moving your body slows you will begin to get cold. 

Darkness

Just to simulate how dark it is in a cave, this probably still wont be dark enough. Go into a closet/bathroom(NO Window) and shut the door, turn the lights out and close your eyes(NO PEEKING). Now imagine trying to walk in that kind of darkness. Scary? It should be. A minimum of three light sources per person should be carried at all times, NO if ands or buts. 

Claustrophobia

If you don’t like tight spaces this is you and you probably shouldn’t be caving. A panic attack in a cave is one of your worst enemies. People don’t follow common sense when they are in a panic state and this can lead to making fatal judgments. 

Injuries

Carry a 1st aid kit and know how to use it. 

Getting Lost

This ought to include going to/from the cave as well as inside the cave. Many of our lava tubes come out somewhere beside where you went in, and without a reliable sense of direction and knowing the landmarks, one can get truly turned around when coming out of a cave.