A whole new (underground) world

Cave Passages

by Michael Ray Taylor

I was a little skeptical about reading this book at first, because I'm not very into sports/outdoors writing. That's probably because my idea of an outdoor adventure is taking a walk to our local Dairy Queen!

However, ever since I visited the Yucatan Peninsula about 15 years ago, and saw some of the cenotes there, I have to admit that I've wondered about what other beauties could be found underground.

I don't, however, think I'd be up to the caving exploits of the people described in this book. Taylor recounts his experiences in deep, dark places with names like the "Grim Crawl of Death," "the Claustraphobia Crawl," and "the Agony."

However, in exchange for braving the dangers of caving - such as hypothermia, broken bones, or death -- cavers get to see beautiful sites seen in person by few other humans, such as the Chandelier Cavern in Lechuguilla Cave in New Mexico.

Taylor writes entertainingly and well, and he knows his material. I highly recommend this book if you'd like to get a sense of the sport and the world of caving.

You can find this book on WPL's 2nd Floor, 796.525 TAY.

c Waterloo Public Library 2007