"So, how is solo caving different from solo trail running, solo hiking, or
solo driving on rural roads."
It isn't. The truth is that one dark passage much resembles another and the
additional impediment of ropes and such makes it more trouble than it is
worth when the glorious outdoors beckons. There are dangers out there too,
almost as many as in a cave. Just as many places to break your leg plus
farmers with shotguns, none of which stops me from trespassing solo at every
possible opportunity. There is absolutely no way anybody is going to find me
if I'm out exploring previously unexplored jungle when I don't even know
which way I going to go myself. I was reminded of that the time when I was
alone in the trackless jungle of Belize some thirty miles from the nearest
road when a travertine shelf broke causing me to fall into a pit. It was a
scary moment but I climbed out with no difficulty. From this I concluded that
I simply needed to be more careful. Ditto for the time on the same trip
when I found myself eye to eye with a huge tommygoff.
Some people are goal oriented, on a given day they go to a specific place,
tell people where they are going and when they are expected to return.
That's not my style, I just like to explore whether above or below ground, and
exploring means going where you have never been before. There is inherent
danger in that, but I also find it to be safer in that going solo sharpens
one's perception and causes one to move more slowly and carefully. Despite
any such danger there is nothing on or under the earth that I like better
than sneaking around by myself!
Sleazeweazel
