The post-80s office worker A San has fallen in love with caving. Not only does he often go on adventures himself, but he also started a QQ group called “Cave Exploration,” attracting 23 members to join the exploratory activities of the “cave people.” Yesterday, he told reporters, “This morning, the three of us went to Luohuang Jian Mountain Village Cave. That gate is 10 meters wide, and the wall is 3 meters thick…”
A San, 22 years old, works in Jiangjin. Last year, he read an online post about cave exploration, found it fresh and exciting, and thought that since he had lighting equipment, he decided the next day to gather four friends and head to Fairy Cave in Yongxing Town, Jiangjin, for his first exploration trip. Lacking experience, they only went in for a few hours before coming out—but from then on, they fell in love with this adventurous sport.
“Cave exploration requires thorough planning; otherwise, accidents can easily happen,” A San told reporters. He once got lost during an expedition. One weekend in September this year, A San and two friends went to explore Fairy Cave. Thinking he had been there before, he didn’t bring enough spare batteries, water, or food this time. Unexpectedly, due to unclearly marked trail signs, they couldn’t find the exit when leaving the cave.
“We walked inside the cave for over three hours, our energy began to drop, and we all started to get scared.” After a wave of panic, A San carefully observed the path multiple times, marked the routes they had taken, then groped around in the dark for nearly another hour. Finally, using a bamboo pole they had encountered earlier as a clue, they found the exit marker and successfully got out of the cave.
“After that incident, I immediately went home and searched online for more caving knowledge,” A San said. Each exploration takes about four to five hours, and typically involves bringing gear such as climbing helmets, high-powered flashlights, waterproof backpacks, rain boots, coveralls, gloves, and, of course, reflective tape for marking.
Speaking of the joy of caving, A San said, “Unlike mountain climbing, cave exploration has no fixed destination. The greatest thrill is that you never know what you’ll encounter next.” It’s precisely this quest for the unknown that makes every caving trip feel rewarding and worthwhile.