i was going to say exactly that. she makes it look so easy. It has been said that Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels.... Rachel is the Ginger Rogers of caving.
This cave is so beautiful want to go back. Only got to the King's shower. Your guys' pace and uplifting humor is nice. Great video this is how you record a cave! Thank you all for showing us this wonder.
While it is very exciting it is definitely NOT for ME but I was captivated with curiosity the moment you guys went through the gate. My bravest moment cave exploring was a guided tour of the Jenolan Caves in New South Wales Australia and they turned out the lights. BLACK as BLACK! And apparently there are many areas not yet explored!
This is awesome! I put off watching it because I'm not super into caving, but then got super excited to see you flying in to my city in the first few minutes. This seems like a super epic project and now I'm very interested in learning more about the history there.
Today was pretty uneventful. I woke up like any normal day and went to work. The drive home was just as pleasant as the drive in. When I got home I patted the dog, watched some TV, and ate a sandwich for dinner.
I understand people have claustrophobia, and other things, and/or are just afraid of caves and all that.. but it's hard for me to fathom being terrified or unwilling to do something like this. My facinstion for caves and just underground tunnel systems far out weigh any fear I would have. Really want to get out there and so something like this one day.
I only had 48 hours up inside vertical cave. Digging to open a surface exit. Cartography of cave was laid over a USGS topo. To locate a suspect sinkhole. Had catnaps on a ledge while tied to a natural anchor. Left when my water jugs was done. Left the dig location clean apart from a pink PVC tube register station for visitor comment. Did you ever see it ?
I love this. It would be so fun, I have done several miles worth in a cave in Utah, but we were just winging it, so we went until we got the the drops, and couldn't go further than that. I would love to make a decent someday
I used to live in Alabama when I was born, ive carved caves and repelled off Mt.Chehah but never repelled in a cave. Caved in Bangor cave and others though.
11:00 2 burritos ! OMG 🌯 You maniac! I hear they go straight through you.. Hope you had a side passage for a good Bathroom setup ! Haha with the lady Present I just wouldn't eat until later 😂😂😂
16:00 The fact that they put it in a plastic bag, indicates that they wanted someone to read it eventually. In which case they really should have made some kind of tablet.
It's mapped but I'm not sure if the modern-ish (1990s) map is hosted publicly online. Here's my "I don't know much about geology" explaination about the speleogenesis: The main passage of the cave is a phreatic trunk with an active stream overprinting-- the trunk is at the elevation of the valley floor. If you pull up a geological map of the Mississippian limestone of northern Alabama, its in the St. Louis Limestone. Then there's a few major rotunda rooms along that trunk (all in-line with each other) that go through the Monteagle Limestone (~200-ft thick layer). Unsure why we haven't found cave above those rooms even though there's 200-ft thick of sexy sexy Bangor limestone above them that could form beautiful cave. 🤷 Topless Dome is almost certainly unrelated to the development of the main borehole trunk passage-- it simply formed like any of the other big pits in Alabama do, but happened to intersect the (much older) borehole trunk. The top of Topless terminates at the Pennington/Bangor contact. It punched straight through both the Bangor and the Monteagle without interruption because that hillside happens to lack the sandstone-rich Hartselle layer between the two thicc layers. The floor of it hits the Monteagle/St. Louis contact and moseys just a little before joining the rest of the stream that wanders through the main cave.
@@rachelhasbruises That is dramatically more intelligible than the "Geologic Discussion" portion of the NSS regional books I read last time I was caving in that area. I'm pretty sure they proof those for accuracy and not the likelihood to induce sleep.
Woa what are those backpacks? Have you done a gear review? I didn't see it in the gear buying guides. If they can survive a muddy cave I bet they can survive normal use.
The red one is a 45L Rodcle, which is my favorite even though it's too huge for most caves... Caving packs would be pretty rough to wear in non-caving environments, though. They tend to be little to no padding and minimal adjustments (no shoulder risers, etc.) The new Petzl Transport series (circa 2024) have more aboveground features but are still made of TPU material, which is extremely durable and can be weld repaired. I think Jenks sells those packs since he carries Petzl.
Hahaha, that's the spinning wheel of my Spinster Palace! 😂 Found it at an antiques / flea market in Alabama for like $30. I don't know if its actually functional or just a decorative piece but yeah-- I thought it looked cool. ((Sorry to anyone who actually spins / knits, I'm simply a poser))
@@rachelhasbruises high wheels are very beautiful, regardless of their functionality...but I spun for years on a louet treadle wheel, and only used a high wheel once (they were also called "walking wheels" back in their colonial heyday), so perhaps my admiration is a "grass is greener" kind of thing.
@@samuelfindley3490 oh that's awesome you spun! Yarn-based hobbies are on the "one of these years" to-do list :3 seems so relaxing and meditative Seems even cooler when someone is spinning their own yarn!
Wow! I had no idea there were any alternative passages to the top of the Topless Dome! I also had no idea anyone had ever been to the top! I thought the only way to get to the top was to climb!
@@rachelhasbruises I know. Sprat and irata both. Being from the flatlands of the Netherlands I’ve been in some small caves but nothing with days of climbing and 400ft drops. Seems like a blast👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
@@TheRopeAccessChannel ohh, but if you're already in Europe then you're not far from hugely vertical caves. The US doesn't have nearly the vertical extent of eastern Europe and Asia. (:
@@rachelhasbruises I asked a caver friend about this video and if he had ever done caves like this and he said the same. Plenty big ones in Europe! I’m going to look into it. Definitely something I want to experience 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
On the mainland I assume? That's a massive shaft, even France doesn't have such deep vertical pits! Slovenia or Croatia had a cave with a more than 600 meter vertical shaft though, I can only imagine what abseiling that must be like!
Have you contacted Derek Bristol about possible collaboration/expedition? Looks like you're getting sucked into caving thing as I did 40 years ago. There seems to be a lot of overlap between what you 2 are doing, and I love to see technology and technique being advanced. Mo' perspectives = mo' better!
I don't know anything about climbing so maybe this is a dumb question. You seem to be going up where the wall is almost flat, how the f are you doing that? Not only climbing it but putting bolts in at the same time. How are you climbing that with basically zero holds? I guess the heavier guy holds Rachel in place or something but how is the guy then climbing up after her? I'm clueless haha.
It depends on the type of cave. If a cave system has multiple entrances then there is almost always a decent draft through it which promotes fresh air in them. But if a cave has only one entrance and especially if that cave is very windy in all 3 axes then it can definitely cause the deeper sections to build up CO2, which can cause shortness of breath and headaches. Fortunately CO2 is not really that dangerous (unlike CO), just annoying.
@@pieterveenders9793 i watched more cave videos and know that now. i was juat thinking like how in mines they need ventilation but mines have one enterence usually or a bunch of winding corridors that go up and down air cant rlly flow thru. but CO2 can be deadly, it just needs way more than CO does to be so
@@ghostbirdlary Yeah, CO2 can definitely be dangerous, but in the grand scheme of things its quite harmless compared to CO. From what I remember a human being can withstand as much as 30% CO2 before dying, while for CO its merely several hundred parts per million. And on top of that CO has the eery quality of being heavily sedating, and often creeping up on people and not even noticing it until its too late. CO2 is much more noticeable due to the shortness of breath, headaches, and the weird taste it gives at high concentrations. I've been in caves with high CO2 levels on multiple occasions and other than noticing you breathe much more rapidly it's not really that much of a bother.
Check out the project details at www.hownot2.com/topless
Check out our new store! hownot2.store/
Nice knowing the cavers have same humour no matter where your from in the world. Awesome trip, glad your trying out this sport.
This place is amazing, you guys are fearless and the 74 year old man is inspirational! What a crazy adventure
Every single person in this video is such a badass it is legitimately hard to believe.
Rachels sense of humor fits right in on this channel! 🤣
Awesome video!
@@feelinghealingfrequences7179 congratulations on sounding like a dumbass in public.
Rachel is a Beast!! That last climb down must have been grim!
Let's hope guys don't go shop for their own big girl attire.
This is how my granddad went to school every day, uphill both ways
Barefooted in the snow lol
@@averageamericanadventures1384 *mud
@@rachelhasbruises in the ww2 trenches*
Best comment I've heard
There is a funny video on here about that same quote!
Rachel is a badass. 💪💪
Awh, thank you. 🥹
Yeah I'll definitely 2nd that comment you're a badass girl, nice finish to that lead!
I concur. It's cool to see people have such drive and clear passion for their pursuits.
@@rachelhasbruises Big fan. You're a cutie.👍
i was going to say exactly that. she makes it look so easy. It has been said that Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels.... Rachel is the Ginger Rogers of caving.
This cave is so beautiful want to go back. Only got to the King's shower. Your guys' pace and uplifting humor is nice. Great video this is how you record a cave! Thank you all for showing us this wonder.
While it is very exciting it is definitely NOT for ME but I was captivated with curiosity the moment you guys went through the gate. My bravest moment cave exploring was a guided tour of the Jenolan Caves in New South Wales Australia and they turned out the lights. BLACK as BLACK! And apparently there are many areas not yet explored!
Great job on this series!
Thanks
Cleaning is always the most fun part of the caving trip.What wonderful dedication exploring. May the blessings be. From Tasmania.
Oooh mama! Been looking forward to this episode!
This is awesome! I put off watching it because I'm not super into caving, but then got super excited to see you flying in to my city in the first few minutes. This seems like a super epic project and now I'm very interested in learning more about the history there.
This cave series has been epic, so cool
Keen to see some mud tests on the grigri regarding reliability of moving parts
Grigri eats mud like a champ. I have used it with absolutely coated rope and it still holds, it’s just difficult to let slack out occasionally
@@ethanreuter2888 says the guy who has definitely killed Grigris with mud..... 😂
Amazing! Thank you for documenting this whole other world!
Damn Rachel is tough as nails. Working under those conditions for that long.
When you want to go climbing but also spend a lot of time cleaning equipment afterwards then this is for you I guess
You forgot the part where we get to hang out in places no human has ever seen nor touched, but yes that's basically accurate. (:
@@rachelhasbruises First descentascentdescentascentdescentascentit'sunclearhowmanytimes.
@@rachelhasbruises It's like the glory of mountaineering on a new peak, but underground and swapping cold/snow for wet/mud!
@@Govanification but hey-- no frostbite! ;)
@@rachelhasbruises People we're on the moon before they were there. You guys are cool. :)
Today was pretty uneventful. I woke up like any normal day and went to work. The drive home was just as pleasant as the drive in. When I got home I patted the dog, watched some TV, and ate a sandwich for dinner.
At what point of the day did you have the joint ?
@@deiluxx wake and bake
Loving this... You can tell that Ryan is inherently terrified haha
Ryan is both terrified and bored at the same time. I was half thinking the movie comment was a joke and then... movies. NICE.
@@matthewgough9533 *four* movies all told, iirc 😂
Props to Ryan for jumping full into caving though.
"it's not Gunna be a rescue it's Gunna be a recovery"
Lmfao
12:00 Now we know why Rachel went exploring. 🤣 Was not expecting that!
Looks like fun. You should keep up with Rachel and the project.
so cool to see the old equipment used in the past
Rachel is an AMAZING CAVER!
Rachel is the work horse of this operation.
Great video, I could watch this all day!
Exploration videos are the best content ever.
Glad I caught wind of this video. Nice work.
Sooo awesome, but that phallic formation was very disturbing lol...Rachel you rock girl...
You guys went into that deep cave
system and lived to tell the story
about your expedition, that is a blessing.
Thank you all.
You know your partner is good when she even goes to the darkness with you! your guys are awesome.
Fantastic work! So amped right now! 🤘🤘🤘
I understand people have claustrophobia, and other things, and/or are just afraid of caves and all that.. but it's hard for me to fathom being terrified or unwilling to do something like this. My facinstion for caves and just underground tunnel systems far out weigh any fear I would have. Really want to get out there and so something like this one day.
Wow amazing episode!
I hope it gets all the views and likes it deserve
Best in awhile looks fun
I only had 48 hours up inside vertical cave. Digging to open a surface exit. Cartography of cave was laid over a USGS topo.
To locate a suspect sinkhole. Had catnaps on a ledge while tied to a natural anchor. Left when my water jugs was done.
Left the dig location clean apart from a pink PVC tube register station for visitor comment. Did you ever see it ?
I love this. It would be so fun, I have done several miles worth in a cave in Utah, but we were just winging it, so we went until we got the the drops, and couldn't go further than that. I would love to make a decent someday
I used to live in Alabama when I was born, ive carved caves and repelled off Mt.Chehah but never repelled in a cave. Caved in Bangor cave and others though.
11:00 2 burritos ! OMG 🌯 You maniac! I hear they go straight through you.. Hope you had a side passage for a good Bathroom setup ! Haha with the lady Present I just wouldn't eat until later 😂😂😂
9:28 you forgot my 2 Big Macs.. Gonna have to go back
Nice shooting. Congratulations to all for the efforts
The muddy wet ropes hurt me deep down in my soul 😣. Can’t imagine the lifespan on those
Don't cave 😂
You guys are absolutely incredible !!! Extreme indeed
10:56 I'd kill for a snicker and burito bro. I've been in my room, Shanghai, for straight 22 days...
10:45...finished that section, wash clothing..ironing..cook some meals...bring kids to school and you watch tv
The natural comedic timing has me cracking up
Looks like their inside of what used to be a living organism. Serious work. Very cool and wild.
16:00 The fact that they put it in a plastic bag, indicates that they wanted someone to read it eventually. In which case they really should have made some kind of tablet.
This is nuts.
Well done.
Totally surreal looking experience.
Badass!!! Also...did y’all watch The Descent before or after?! 😸
Does a map of the cave exist? I'm really curious to see these weird pits and their development inside the karst system.
It's mapped but I'm not sure if the modern-ish (1990s) map is hosted publicly online.
Here's my "I don't know much about geology" explaination about the speleogenesis:
The main passage of the cave is a phreatic trunk with an active stream overprinting-- the trunk is at the elevation of the valley floor. If you pull up a geological map of the Mississippian limestone of northern Alabama, its in the St. Louis Limestone.
Then there's a few major rotunda rooms along that trunk (all in-line with each other) that go through the Monteagle Limestone (~200-ft thick layer). Unsure why we haven't found cave above those rooms even though there's 200-ft thick of sexy sexy Bangor limestone above them that could form beautiful cave. 🤷
Topless Dome is almost certainly unrelated to the development of the main borehole trunk passage-- it simply formed like any of the other big pits in Alabama do, but happened to intersect the (much older) borehole trunk.
The top of Topless terminates at the Pennington/Bangor contact. It punched straight through both the Bangor and the Monteagle without interruption because that hillside happens to lack the sandstone-rich Hartselle layer between the two thicc layers.
The floor of it hits the Monteagle/St. Louis contact and moseys just a little before joining the rest of the stream that wanders through the main cave.
@@rachelhasbruises That is dramatically more intelligible than the "Geologic Discussion" portion of the NSS regional books I read last time I was caving in that area. I'm pretty sure they proof those for accuracy and not the likelihood to induce sleep.
Breathing lots of silica dust running that hammer drill in there.
I want to see alot more of this stuff
Woa what are those backpacks? Have you done a gear review? I didn't see it in the gear buying guides. If they can survive a muddy cave I bet they can survive normal use.
The red one is a 45L Rodcle, which is my favorite even though it's too huge for most caves...
Caving packs would be pretty rough to wear in non-caving environments, though. They tend to be little to no padding and minimal adjustments (no shoulder risers, etc.)
The new Petzl Transport series (circa 2024) have more aboveground features but are still made of TPU material, which is extremely durable and can be weld repaired. I think Jenks sells those packs since he carries Petzl.
Jaw dropped right from the start!!
Awesome cave video I would like to go caving with you I live in Knoxville Tennessee
You don,t know srt technics?Great cave.Cheers!
I dig the high wheel in the background of the setup room.
Hahaha, that's the spinning wheel of my Spinster Palace! 😂 Found it at an antiques / flea market in Alabama for like $30. I don't know if its actually functional or just a decorative piece but yeah-- I thought it looked cool. ((Sorry to anyone who actually spins / knits, I'm simply a poser))
@@rachelhasbruises high wheels are very beautiful, regardless of their functionality...but I spun for years on a louet treadle wheel, and only used a high wheel once (they were also called "walking wheels" back in their colonial heyday), so perhaps my admiration is a "grass is greener" kind of thing.
@@samuelfindley3490 oh that's awesome you spun! Yarn-based hobbies are on the "one of these years" to-do list :3 seems so relaxing and meditative
Seems even cooler when someone is spinning their own yarn!
Caves seem like interesting venues for small music concerts.
Wow! I had no idea there were any alternative passages to the top of the Topless Dome! I also had no idea anyone had ever been to the top! I thought the only way to get to the top was to climb!
Wow You’ve just completed something I will never do but that is incredible to watch
Dope series Ryan !
The world needs more badass chicks like Rachel.
Epic video! What an adventure!! I've never looked into big caves but this is awesome!!
Go meet up with some SPRAT folks who are Cavers-- most SPRAT stuff is based on caving ropework and techniques.
@@rachelhasbruises I know. Sprat and irata both. Being from the flatlands of the Netherlands I’ve been in some small caves but nothing with days of climbing and 400ft drops. Seems like a blast👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
@@TheRopeAccessChannel ohh, but if you're already in Europe then you're not far from hugely vertical caves. The US doesn't have nearly the vertical extent of eastern Europe and Asia. (:
@@rachelhasbruises I asked a caver friend about this video and if he had ever done caves like this and he said the same. Plenty big ones in Europe! I’m going to look into it. Definitely something I want to experience 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
I’m stunned and amazed. Well done!
Mushroom Forest Dome....wasn't that a level in Super Mario World?
Have had one of those armytek wizard pro headlamps fail on me
My fellow men of culture i just discovered this hidden gem at 12:01
Great video. There is a cave in Greece with a 408 meter (1338 feet) one rope drop.
On the mainland I assume? That's a massive shaft, even France doesn't have such deep vertical pits! Slovenia or Croatia had a cave with a more than 600 meter vertical shaft though, I can only imagine what abseiling that must be like!
Hello I like this video it is good and interesting for me to watch.
Epic & beautiful. 🙏🦾
7:36 "HEY **CK FACE" - nice finger placement
Those wet rope tests where well worth it!
Ryan, are you coming to the NSS convention in Rapid City in June?
Have you contacted Derek Bristol about possible collaboration/expedition? Looks like you're getting sucked into caving thing as I did 40 years ago. There seems to be a lot of overlap between what you 2 are doing, and I love to see technology and technique being advanced. Mo' perspectives = mo' better!
Yeah, I was surprised about seeing his name come by as well!
Rachel is a certified badass
Make sure that you all have peppermint oil and eucalyptus oil to add in water a few drops if You all can't breathe... And drink
I've been inside the dome but definitely not to the top. Looks awesome
More cave! wow! . . . We want more of this! 🤣
this shit is bananas.
...which is why some of us love it.
Hello what would happen if I fell from the top to the bottom of the 400feet dop to the bottom please.
Can we get a mini-series? The adventures of cave girl and gear guy!
I don't know anything about climbing so maybe this is a dumb question. You seem to be going up where the wall is almost flat, how the f are you doing that? Not only climbing it but putting bolts in at the same time. How are you climbing that with basically zero holds? I guess the heavier guy holds Rachel in place or something but how is the guy then climbing up after her? I'm clueless haha.
thats really badass
Oh man, this would be so fun!
Dude Zebralight makes the best flashlights in the world.
This looks amazingly cool and scary! Love this!
I’m surprised you guys didn’t bring more glow in the dark stuff like I imagined people who explore caves do
I know absolutely nothing about repelling. How do you get the rope up there?
Its not a rescue, its a recovery (lol)
Not if you know what you're doing. 🤷
Less sketchy than ice climbing.
@@rachelhasbruises you are a boss!
Cool video.
Quality content
doesnt the air get stale when youre far from the enterence?
It depends on the type of cave. If a cave system has multiple entrances then there is almost always a decent draft through it which promotes fresh air in them. But if a cave has only one entrance and especially if that cave is very windy in all 3 axes then it can definitely cause the deeper sections to build up CO2, which can cause shortness of breath and headaches. Fortunately CO2 is not really that dangerous (unlike CO), just annoying.
@@pieterveenders9793 i watched more cave videos and know that now. i was juat thinking like how in mines they need ventilation but mines have one enterence usually or a bunch of winding corridors that go up and down air cant rlly flow thru. but CO2 can be deadly, it just needs way more than CO does to be so
@@ghostbirdlary Yeah, CO2 can definitely be dangerous, but in the grand scheme of things its quite harmless compared to CO. From what I remember a human being can withstand as much as 30% CO2 before dying, while for CO its merely several hundred parts per million. And on top of that CO has the eery quality of being heavily sedating, and often creeping up on people and not even noticing it until its too late. CO2 is much more noticeable due to the shortness of breath, headaches, and the weird taste it gives at high concentrations. I've been in caves with high CO2 levels on multiple occasions and other than noticing you breathe much more rapidly it's not really that much of a bother.
That waterfall would not let me sleep.. I'd be Peeing all night 😂
Amazing bravery...
7:34 I NEED THAT KOOZIE
really good content