Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25040
TA ACTIႀ : A CON I CAL D E POSIT T HA P R J E C DO N RO "Did anyone notice all those sticks stuck in the ceiling?" someone asked. It was obvious that at some point, high water rushing through this very tunnel had embedded sticks in the stone and mud wall. While I knew it was Thailand's dry season, my brain stuttered for a moment. When you can't look up and see the sky, your mind creates all kinds of morbid ideas. Our team had come to northern Thailand to find and explore virgin caves. At this point we were deeper than any previous effort in Tham Nam Loung cave. And we were sti ll going. The idea of traveling on ground that has never before been touched by another human mesmerizes me. That is why I came. The expedition was the brainchild of adventure photographer Mark Coslett. Venturing to southern Thailand in 1996, he found large caves choked with tourists. When he asked if caves in the northern karst region might be less congested, he heard various rumors: caves were hard to find, they were vertically oriented, and home to the exalted dead of northern hill tribes. Rather than disappoint Mark, this news inspired him. He traveled north and found, hidden by the mountains and jungles, a rugged region geologica lly perfect for caves. He returned home to assemble a worthy team to map these new caves; a group balanced by extensive caving experience and solid rope management skills. Two years later, in April '98, our expedition sponsored by The North Face began. We arrived with the equipment and desire to explore the area's potential. Mark, Jim, and Jamie Tipton came with their caving experience, Will Hair, with his knowledge of rope skil ls, and myself, with a pen. One by one, we emerged from under that water-filled arch into an C I L 0 31'l11 �3AO dn 9NI0lIna ONV �OOlj 3Hl 01 9NlddO�O Sl1S0d30 A8 Q31V3!!J 3111JV1V1S NMOO 301Sdn NV ' « STALAGMITE alcove the size of a Volkswagen bug. Other than the tunnel we had just sl ithered through, there was only one way to go, through a smooth cylindrical tunnel about three feet in diameter. "There is a waterfall around the corner, " Jim reported. He had crawled ahead and found a hole in the floor. "It's about three feet wide and water's gushing over the thing so I can't tell how much it drops. But it's pretty loud. We'll have to set up an anchor." Jim is a world-class caver with major pushes in Mexico, British Columbia, Ita ly and Borneo. He was in his element. Will, a caver and climber from Utah, helped set up the anchor. We had no idea what we would find, but the possibi lities made our heads spi n. We donned harnesses and rappelled 100 feet down through the water-choked hole. The falls battered us with a vengeance but as we penetrated the darkness, the walls widened and we descended into a large cavern covered with brown sta lactites. The smooth and unfeatured walls gave the cave the feeling of a medieval castle, surrounding us with a cold dampness and sounds originating from places we couldn't even imagine. We regrouped on a sand bar in the midst of a dark pool. "Do you think we'll drown trying to get back up that thing?" Jamie asked as he pointed to a rope that disappeared