Cave Exploring - The Big Chill

The Big Chill

Sloshing Along Through An Underground Creek In A Cave

by Stewart Martin

Publication Date: April 1996

It was July, 90°, hot and steamy as usual but Rita and I both were shivering and our teeth were chattering uncontrollably. We had just crawled out of Thornhill Cave. We had been in the cave about ninety minutes, but we were already experiencing the first major symptoms of hypothermia.

This was the second time we had been in Thornhill, and we had come with our friend Dennis who had visited the cave several times before. Dennis was the guy who introduced us to backpacking years earlier. Dennis is a great person to have along in the back-country - his fire-building skills are legendary and he's always calm and collective in an emergency. However, he does get turned around occasionally, and considering we were not familiar with the cave, we were in for an experience we wouldn't forget.

We had worked our way down through the cave to the underground stream. I remembered from our first trip that we had to walk in the stream for about a quarter mile before taking a side passage that lead to bigger parts of the cave. But I didn't remember whether we went upstream or down. Dennis studied the junction for a few minutes, then with confidence in his voice, said "we go right!. . . I think?"

I remembered from our previous trip sloshing along in ankle-deep water through this underground creek, only occasionally stepping into a pool knee-deep. However this time it was different. We had just left the junction and were already in knee-deep water. Maybe I didn't remember this part of the creek, or maybe the water-table was higher today, or maybe we were supposed to go the other direction - I didn't know.

Dennis seemed confident and we continued to follow him. Rita and I are only 5 foot 5 inches and Dennis is about 6 foot 4 inches. I think that eleven inch height difference kept Dennis from noticing that the water was getting considerably deeper. The stream had finally gotten about thigh-deep on us while Dennis still had dry knees - however, we kept following.

I don't know exactly what it feels like for a woman, but one of the biggest shocks to the male system must be when you finally have your crotch fully submerged in 50° water. Anyway we kept going until we had gotten chest-deep in the stream. At this point the water was waist-deep on Dennis and he advised we wait while he went ahead. He was still convinced that the side passage was up ahead.

Rita and I began to shiver as we stood still in 50° water that was now covering three-fourths of our bodies. The cycle of hypothermia had begun as the cold cave stream began to rob the heat from our body's core.

Medical science officially describes hypothermia as a core body temperature of 95° or less, but things begin to happen before that. One of the first signs of hypothermia is uncontrollable shivering, followed by a loss of mental activity, such as not knowing when to eat, not putting on your coat or rain jacket when you should - or continuing to hang around in 50° chest-deep water. Trouble with motor skills, coordination, and slurred speech may follow.

Eventually you may stop shivering, indicating that your body has given up all its body heat energy and there's no longer enough energy to move. Eventually your breathing and heart rate will slow, your muscles will become rigid and you begin to lose consciousness. All this may happen to you because earlier you had lost your mental activity (you became stupid) too stupid to eat, dress, or LEAVE! A person can remain in this state of chilled hibernation for days, but eventually the burden will be too hard and the heart will stop.

It seemed as if we stood in the stream waiting for twenty minutes, but I think it really was only about five when Dennis came back. He conceded that we had gone the wrong way and that we should turn back. By the time we got back to the junction, we were shivering so hard we could hardly talk. We decided to abort the expedition. On our climb out of the cave, our movements became more sluggish and although we couldn't stop shivering, it really didn't seem as if I remembered "being" cold.

Once we were out of the cave, we changed into some dry clothes and hiked to our car in the hot sun. The hot and humid weather that we had complained about earlier, never felt so good! We had stopped shivering by the time we got back to the car. Afterwards I couldn't help thinking what might have happened if it had taken longer for us to get out or if it had been a cool and rainy day. I don't know the answer to that, but there is one thing I do know and won't ever forget; the next time we go back into Thornhill cave, we will be better attired for the cold water trek, and at the junction of the stream crossing GO LEFT...I THINK?