What a wonderful gathering of the great cave explorers of New Mexico this past weekend. These were the people who went where no one had gone before and probed the darkness to see what no one had seen before. They experimented with new designs for vertical gear to make things lighter and better for reaching those deep recesses of the mountains. There will never be another gathering like this. But it also was also significant in that it marked the end of the era of recreational caving. Never again will anyone be allowed to go “recreational caving” in Fort Stanton because it would be a “fun” thing to do. Nothing has brought this clearer to me than the BLM bunkhouse; where the walls are covered with the accomplishments of the “ists” who have taken over Fort Stanton Cave and caving in general. Mr. Fleming told me a while ago that “he no longer goes caving as caving isn’t fun any more”. At the time I didn’t understand him, but now I do. If all caving is being done to further research of the “ists”, then caving is a dying activity. Young people are not going to join us and go caving just to collect soil samples or watch a chosen few get to do all the exploration of new places. Preservation of the caves is a waste of time if there is not going to be any one in the future to appreciate the caves for what there are, and the natural grandness of them. The 50th was a wonderful event and congratulations to all who made it a success. I had a great time but left with a heavy heart as I realized that caving as I knew it is a dead art form. Ken
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass - It's about dancing in the rain.
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