Customer Reviews

Adventure of Caving

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mr. McClurg's book covers a wide range of caving topics, from equipment to conservation to basic techniques and advanced vertical techniques. I read this book when I first became interested in caving. While no book is as effective as hands on training and experience, it did provide a good foundation for the techniques used in caving. When I later joined the National Speleological Society, I was able to grasp the concepts taught to me much more quickly.

I had the good fortune to read Mr. McClurg's book, "Adventure of Caving" BEFORE I undertook any wild cave trips on my own. This was back in 1988, so I own the previous edition of the book.

Because I encountered this book PRIOR to caving on my own, I didn't have to deal with some of the problems new cavers often have, such as running out of light, getting lost or hurt. (It usually happens in that order.) He helped my wife and I to understand how to cave safely, knowing what the dangers are and how to avoid them, but he writes in such an enthusiastic, breezy and humorous style, the "learning" is nearly painless. This is a book that one can read and enjoy even if you don't plan to go caving on your own. Some of his jokes had me laughing out loud on my first reading. One of them, gets funnier and funnier the more I cave (and we've done a LOT since then). He says,

"Crawling isn't the ONLY thing that cavers do. It just SEEMS that way."

For some reason, this quote comes back to haunt me every time I do the 1500 foot crawlway in a certain unnamed cave in Indiana. Of course, at that time, my sense of humor is being sorely tested. It seems much funnier afterwards when we're sitting around a hot pizza and a cold beverage. It's hilarious, now that I've sworn off doing that particular cave altogether, since I'm just getting too old and fat to enjoy the squeeze.

If you are thinking about going caving, or just interested in the sport, you will enjoy reading, "Adventure of Caving" by David McClurg. I've read it at least ten times, and still refer back to it from time to time. Thanks, Dave for getting us off to a good start!

This is a good practical book about caving. It is well-written and thorough. A beginner could read select chapters in this book and feel prepared to go on a group trip in a noncommercial cave.

Caving is physically demanding, requires planning, and entails risk. Mr. McClurg covers those basics like cave safety, dressing properly, and the essential supplies one should take into a cave. Some chapters cover more advanced topics like knots, harnesses, and ascending and descending. Though these are things you should learn from experienced cavers and not in a book, it does serve as a good reference. The knots section could be clarified with some schematics to accompany the good photo illustrations of essential knots.

There is one issue that needs to be addressed: this book is out of date regarding headlamps and lighting in general. Though no book will be completely current regarding LED light sources, this book --ten years old at the time I wrote this review--makes no mention of LED headlamps or flashlights. It also discusses NiCD rechargeable batteries, which have fallen heavily out of faver (NiMH batteries are far superior and more environmentally friendly).

I love this book; it is good enough that it should be updated and published as a new edition. Those who wish to find updated info on lighting technology can find it on the WWW.

While none of the things shown in the book should ever beattempted without proper, expert instruction, David McClurg providesan in-depth and fun look at the sport known as Caving. His extensive experience in both horizontal and vertical caving shows the reader how one gets around in the underground, and he places empathisis on safety althroughout the book. The reading is easy and illustrations are clear and simple to enhance comprehension...

I was looking for a book about ass spelunking, and this did not cover that topic. I was dissappointed, but not surprised at all. Overall, the topic was covered pretty well, except for that it didnt cover what I WANTED.