Before my brother and sister from eastern Canada arrived for a visit in August, I asked them if they wanted to go spelunking (caving).

Yes…not too far from where I live is a great cave…a subterranean wonderland having tight crawl spaces (face and bum/back in the dirt crawling), crevices, extraordinary natural calcite sculptures (soda straws, bacon strips, stalactites), and even a glacier-fed stream and waterfall!

After driving 10 km up a wet, narrow and steep logging road, we hiked another 800 meters through the bush. Then, having donned our hardhats equipped with lights and battery pack, our jackets, old clothes and a sturdy pair of gloves, we took a deep breath and carefully entered the cave with a group of about 5 or 6 other people…including a guide.

Our extraordinary experience was made even more remarkable by the fact that one of the older women in our group had MS (multiple sclerosis). And although we moved a little slower because of her and assisted her along the way, she completed the hour-long adventure! The only thing she opted out of was crawling through the narrowest portion of the cave on her bum…she waited for everyone to complete that.

Her tenacity and sense of adventure is proof that you don’t have to give up on your dreams and hopes and wishes just because you encounter obstacles and difficulties in life!

I say, “Go for it!”

And you can bet that I’ll be back to the cave to complete the more challenging (crawling through tight areas and into dark holes for longer stretches) 3-hour tour (yes, we joked about the 3-hour tour of TV’s 1960’s Gilligan’s Island show). 

Melanie Hack
Author of Who Killed My Sister, My friend
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