Into the great Abyss

"When we get down there you may be face-to-face with a snake or a dead animal. I'm not scaring you, am I?" IU Outdoor Adventure Trip Leader Matt Lattis asked as we began our vertical descent into the deepest cave in Indiana. \nHe offered to take the IDS staffer who doesn't know how to tie his own tie on a day trip to explore the great abyss of one of 2,000 caves in Indiana.\nA cave enthusiast since the eighth grade, Lattis is one of the trip leaders at IU Outdoor Adventure. The program consists of specialized classes and individualized trips ranging from day trips in Bloomington to week long trips all over the world. Kayaking in Kentucky, rock climbing and caving in Southern Illinois, and backpacking and whitewater rafting trips are a few of the orientation trips available to freshman in August, but students can plan their own trips year round with help from IUOA.\nSituated on the third floor of the Union, IUOA has equipment for rental, including tents, stoves, canoes, kayaks, and anything else needed for an adventure, and the staff is more than happy to come with and guide. Their custom experiences trips allow you to "mix and match activities, choose your own trip dates, and travel to locations from as close as your backyard to as far away as New Zealand," according to their Web site.\nLattis said the trips cost around $25-$30 for a day trip, with greater expense for the weekend trips.\nOur adventure began in Lattis' customized raised red jeep with a raised frame and monster wheels, splattered with mud. We left from the Union to an unmarked patch of grass just north of Bedford. The spot looked like a place to turn around instead of the entrance to a massive vertical cave.\nGrabbing ropes, helmets with lights, and emergency supplies, he guided me through the woods to the entrance to the "Gory Hole." Once geared up, he threw one end of the rope down the pit. \n"This is my favorite sound in the world," he said as the rope whizzed down the 142-foot drop until a faint noise echoed up the cave as it hit the limestone below. \nAfter getting used to the feeling of being on rope, and assurance from Lattis that it would hold me, we began our spelunking adventure. Well, I spelunked. He caved. Spelunking is what cavers call amateurs trying their hand at "bouncing a pit." \nDescending is effortless: just hold the rope behind your back and let out a few feet down at a time to glide down the incline, but 15 feet down, with Lattis another 10 or 15 below me, my smooth descent was brought to a screeching halt.\nA large clump of my hair, sneaking out of the bottom of my helmet, was snagged on the rope. With 15 feet of rock above of me, and over 100 feet straight down, I felt paralyzed. Unable to move my head more than an inch in either direction.\nI was scared, but was never in danger thanks to Lattis' expertise and calm under pressure. He handled it like the professional he is, quickly ascending up to me, assuring me it was ok, and guiding me through the rope change-over with special care, not even having to cut off my hair. Though it did make me wonder why haircuts don't hurt, since having my hair jammed between the rope and the clamp was unbearable, until Lattis eased it out.\n"When your hair was caught I treat it like it's my hair in there," he said. "I don't just rip it out." \nWith other cavers' lives at risk, it's essential to be able to stay calm and be aware of the situation. Lattis quoted Paul Petzl, climber and inventor who said, "Know what you know and know what you don't know."\nLattis is learning all there is to know about caving. He is certified as a wilderness first responder and has certifications in caving, a hobby he discovered in junior high when a presenter came to describe caving to his class.\n"I probably bugged the hell out of that guy," Lattis said. "I asked so many questions about gear, where to go, stuff like that."\nHe found out he had a cave on his family's property in Indiana and before long he was caving all the time. Starting out on horizontal and progressing to vertical, his main hobby for most of his life. \n"I went and instantly fell in love," he said.\nCaving isn't just about going up and down the rope. Lattis loves crawling through tight passage ways, getting muddy, and seeking out new areas to explore. \nWe cooled down as we continued into the cave, which stays at 52 degrees fahrenheit all year, providing a perfect escape for the mid 90's heat we had been smothered with all week in Indiana. The caves have a unique property where the average highs and lows determine the temperature inside making it a year round sport. \n"I've caved in the coldest days of winter and the hottest days of summer," Lattis said.\nOur headlamps provided most of our vision, as we gazed at the limestone and flint rocks in the cave. The incredible formations occur because of the way the water drips down the limestone, forming it over years into a work of art.\n"I know it's just rock and mud, but it's beautiful," Lattis said. \nHe gets a lot of pleasure out of taking others into the caves, saying "Can you believe so many people will never experience this?" as he guided me through the ledges, cliffs, nooks and crannies of the massive cave.\n"It's an exploration that a lot of people wouldn't think about doing," he said. "You can get further away from city life. I don't know, I think it's a blast."\nLattis is constantly traveling for caves. He frequents Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia- known as "TAG"-and is heading there this weekend to find a good place to take his advanced caving class. \nA favorite trip of his was to a West Virginia bridge where they repelled over 850 feet, which he said was one of the coolest things he's experienced. \n"It was a sensory overload: 360 degrees of unbelievable sights. I got 400 feet before I stopped to take a picture, I was so nervous."\nAs we got to the bottom of the cave to look around and sign the registry, Lattis admitted when he first saw my hair stuck in the rope's he thought, 'Oh shit,' but he kept his cool.\n"At no time did I feel like you were in a life or death risk," he said. "A rule of vertical climbing is, don't rush it. I'm very calculated with my gear." \nAfter Lattis used his geological knowledge to describe the rock formations to describe limestone and flint rocks, we ascended back out of the cave on rope. This time, sticking a foot in the foot rest to propel our body up, then slide our opposite hands clamp up the rope, pulling up with upper body strength foot by foot to the top of the cave and back to reality.\nFor Lattis it's just another day at the office. Through his years of experience and work at IUOA, he has developed an individual degree called Outdoor Adventure Leadership and Instructional Development. His hobby has become his life's work which he plans to devote his life to. \n"It's given me an opportunity to be a better leader and become a better person," he said. "I'd like to always be involved. My passion is teaching people first hand. I want to travel for a few years, see what's out there."\nFor more info stop into the IUOA office in the Union or check its Web site: www.imu.indiana.edu/iuoa/index.html to plan your own adventure for caving, rock climbing, rappelling, backpacking, ice climbing, kayaking, bungee jumping, or sky diving from hours to weeks in advance.