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Beo
11-01-2007, 02:28 PM
Mitch had a good idea so here I'll try it.
I never even thought of it as a possible survival situation, I don't go splunking or into many caves that are all that deep, but lets say you are lost in the first place and then head into a cave for shelter and while inside you go checking it out and continue on taking turn after turn and going deeper... now you are lost in a deep cave, how do you survive?

warman87
11-01-2007, 03:03 PM
bring bread crumbs to make a trail out BRING good rope,burn something and follow the smoke as u all know heat rises
as a side note some caves have stalagmies and stalagities wich have minerls mabye u could soak them in water to get some nutrishion? and look for salt deposits thats how some animals get the magority of there salt

Beo
11-01-2007, 03:06 PM
No matter what setting your find yourself lost, the first thing to do is remain calm. Panicking will lead to disoriented thinking and confusion. If lost while hiking through dark, dense caves, follow these few tips to ensure your safe return.
When you realize you are lost, sit down and face the way you were walking.
Turn off all of your flashlights, headlamps or lanterns to conserve batteries and bulbs.
Test your mobile phone signal if you brought one. If you cannot get a signal, turn it off to conserve battery life as well.
Take stock of how you preplanned your trip. Did you tell someone you were going into the cave? What do they know about your expected return time? When will they start to look for you.
Take stock of your supplies. How much food and water do you have with you? How long will your light sources last? Are your clothes warm enough for the night, if rescue does not come before then?
Assess how far you’ve come? Can you find your way back? Is it better to move from your location or stay here until help arrives?
Take your survival knife or other sharp object and scratch an identification mark (name or initials) and the time into the cave wall. This will help you find your way back to this spot or help others find you. Create an identification mark of some sort by piling rocks or tearing off some cloth if you cannot scratch into the surface. If you decide to move, make this mark in regular intervals as you walk.
Conserve your light source the best you can. If you have an LED light with dimming capabilities, use the lower setting to help conserve battery life. If possible, light a fire when you rest to conserve your flashlights and lanterns for when you are moving.

trax
11-01-2007, 03:10 PM
And they say public education sucks, pfft :D

....the more you know....(insert annoying music and fake rainbow effect here)

owl_girl
11-01-2007, 03:12 PM
Well if you have a flash light turn it off and see if you can see light coming from anywhere. If you don’t have a flashlight then that would be pretty stupid to go in so far into the dark you cant see anything.

owl_girl
11-01-2007, 03:14 PM
Don’t light a fire if you're deep in the cave because it will use up oxygen. A bunch of kids died doing that and they were not even lost.

warman87
11-01-2007, 03:16 PM
and no light or red light helps u get and keep your night vision

Beo
11-01-2007, 03:17 PM
But if there's an opening to the cave (most have them thats why they're called caves) then oxygen will always get in. :) Won't it?

owl_girl
11-01-2007, 03:22 PM
Not if it’s deep enough the oxygen may not get in fast enough to replenish what the fire uses. People have died doing this. I’ve been in caves and they tell you not to fart for that reason.

warman87
11-01-2007, 03:22 PM
im talking about very small fire just to follow the smoke....mabye a torch if aplicable

trax
11-01-2007, 03:24 PM
owl_girl's right about the fire, when you're stranded in a mine you even have to shut off all the cap lamps except one for oxygen conservation. It's the number 1 survival necessity.

If you're in a cave far enough to protect yourself from the elements, you're in far enough. Entering a cave look for hair, small bonesfeather,(food remains) and scat etc. Caves are happy spots for lynx, bobcats, mountain lions, bears, so you don't want to be sharing housing. We're not all as tough as the dude in Jeremiah Johnson.

Beo
11-01-2007, 03:28 PM
I’ve been in caves and they tell you not to fart for that reason.

Get serious, no farting. That's just so ridiculas.

owl_girl
11-01-2007, 03:32 PM
Also if you’re deep enough in the cave it will stay the same temperature all day and won’t change temperature much if at any all year. So you don’t have to worry about it getting colder at night though it might feel colder once you stop moving to rest and your body is touching the ground.

MCBushbaby
11-01-2007, 03:33 PM
That reminds me of something I learned as a child. To know the differece between stalagmites (spelling?) and stalagtites, just know that stalagmites "might" reach the ceiling someday as they grow from the ground up, and stalagtites need to "hold on tight" or they'll fall cause they grow from the ceiling.

And they say public education sucks, pfft :D

I remember the difference in that cave mites (ticks, you know) are on the cave floor. So stalagmites are on the bottom. Just my 0.02

Here's two possible scenarios:

1) You go into a cave/mine (though probably a cave as mines have certain layouts) and you get lost during the many twists and turns.

2) You spelunk into a cave only to have your roipe break or the tie off at the top give way. Now you're 300ft down a vertical shaft with no way to climb back up.

What do you do now?

Likewise, remember that old mines usually have contaminated water so none of the standing water is safe to drink; there is no light inside the earth other than that from the entrance or your own portable device; poisonous gases are present in both caves and mines; in a small enough space you can suffocate yourself with CO2; there is pretty much no food in a mine/cave; and you always risk a cave-in (mine usually), false floor (ground erosion, especially in caves), or deadly prehistoric creatures (http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/thecave/) :)

owl_girl
11-01-2007, 03:37 PM
Well I never heard of anyone dieing from farting in a cave lol but if you’re touring a cave they tell you no farting. I’m pretty sure they pump fresh oxygen in there though.

Sarge47
11-01-2007, 05:17 PM
I'd look for Tom, Huck, Becky, and Injun Joe as well as laying off the beans! Seriously, we have a driver who's flatulence is so bad the Dept. of Homeland Security has labeled him a "WMD"! I'd pity any rescue party that went into that cave looking for him!

trax
11-01-2007, 05:35 PM
If you're in a mine where the compressed air and water pipes haven't been stripped out, you're in luck. Keep the pipe on your left and you're moving away from surface, keep them on your right and you're moving back toward the surface. But a mine having a "layout" that layout can get awfully confusing, there are mine drifts that go for miles under my hometown with side drifts (tunnels) running all over the place. They all look pretty much alike.

sh4d0wm4573ri7
11-01-2007, 05:59 PM
i would only go in far enough to seek shelter as iam trying to survive not waste more energy

trax
11-01-2007, 06:07 PM
i would only go in far enough to seek shelter as iam trying to survive not waste more energy

Cha-ching! We have a winner! What prizes do he have for the best answer in the thread Johnny?

Beo
11-01-2007, 09:29 PM
So if I hold in my fart for say... a day, will my insides explode from the pent up gas? :D

Beo
11-01-2007, 09:31 PM
He wins a trip down an old mne shaft :D

SemperParatus
11-01-2007, 09:40 PM
So if I hold in my fart for say... a day, will my insides explode from the pent up gas?

That or make a belch to write home about. :D

pilgrim
11-02-2007, 01:27 AM
They pump fresh oxygen into caves>

owl_girl
11-02-2007, 02:03 AM
They pump fresh oxygen into caves>
In the one I toured they must have because there were a lot of people breathing in there. It was 40 degrees F year round in that cave and there was a big waterfall half way down. It was a bit of a hike and a lot of fun.

HOP
11-02-2007, 07:42 AM
I think a small cave would be a god shelter I would stay close to the entrance easier to go for water, wood and food speaking of farting if you can fart you are probably not in any danger of starving.