[One cave open for touristy purposes, not far from where I grew up. Not my photo.]
I saw somebody half-joking earlier that one of the major drawbacks to living in Sweden was November. In this part of the country, about as far south as it's possible to get? The overcast skies with wind and cold rain are more of a whole winter phenomenon. But, at least it's less likely to happen in July! Which is a damn sight better than what I got almost-used to living around London for all those years. 🥴
It took me long enough, but then it finally occurred to me exactly what the special sort of deceptive harshness to the British climate reminded me of: sneaky cave hypothermia!
Caving has many dangers associated with it. In this article, we look at a silent but deadly danger: hypothermia.
Yeah, I grew up on limestone karst and we actually got warned about that a lot. Because kids. Back home, down in caves it tends to stay somewhere around 52F/11C year round--which doesn't sound that bad at first! (Especially in a significantly colder winter climate than anywhere in the UK.)
But, that shit can sneak up and really start leaching the life out of you after a while. Especially with the constant damp and the cold water liable to keep dripping all down inside your clothes and quickly soaking your feet. 🥶 Nothing is going to dry out down there. It's also easy to get disoriented from the darkness, and pay less-good attention to what's going on.
Yep, kinda noticing some similarities there. 😒
[Same cave, same source.]
In fact, the Virginia Tech Cave Club's list of required gear for their outings sounds pretty suitable if you may be spending half an hour or more walking around London under very typical weather conditions:
• Helmet with chinstrap (must be worn at all times)
• Three sources of light
• Water
• Large trash bag (for dirty clothes after the trip, and for warmth in the cave)
Maybe substitute something like the Seattle Sombrero I actually picked up the first winter here in Malmö for the helmet, and you could do worse. Or, maybe keep the helmet too, given how randos chucked shit out of their cars at me more than once. You might also prefer to carry along hot drinks in a Thermos, because yeah.
Further sensible suggestions there, btw:
Note that cotton clothing is not recommended, as some caves can be damp. Instead, try to find clothes made out of polypropylene, nylon, or other synthetic material.
• Boots (preferably with lug soles and ankle support)
• Heavy jeans
• Thick socks
• Long sleeve T-Shirt (extra shirts recommended for more insulation)
Please remember to bring a change of clothes for the ride back! You WILL be dirty!
In this case, you may as well wait until you get back to wherever you're going before you change. Because the whole outside environment is the dank cave. But, otherwise? You could do a lot worse.
They are also NOT factoring in windchill, which is generally not a major consideration down inside a cave. Better make sure to add a windproof layer too, at the very least.
Similar does apply here in the winter, too. Only, it's cleaner and that shit does tend to clear up come late spring or so. Which is something, at any rate.
