San Antonio is filled with many different attractions and sites. It has so many places to visit; and not just on the surface. Beneath the busy, vibrant, and overall unique city of San Antonio lies a different city. A whole different world, in fact, can be found and explored using the assistance of experienced caver Alisha Topperwein . She has gone on quite a few caving expeditions and was eager to share her knowledge of caves in San Antonio. The central point, however, is a cave by the name of "Robber Baron". When this area of town was still ranchland, This cave was often visited. Local legend says that in the 1930's, after some children were lost for a day, the owner decided to dynamite the entrance to reduce risks. The cave was re-excavated in the 1980's, and is now owned by a local group for preservation and study. It is reputed to run for several miles. I was fortunate enough to visit this seemingly limitless cave, as it is the longest cave in San Antonio. Now there are many dangers associated with caving that everyone should be aware of. According to Alisha, the most dangerous thing to happen in a cave is lack of a light source. Its pitch black down there and if you're not equipped with at least two spare flashlights, then your in danger of getting lost, getting stuck, and stepping in or just coming in contact with an insect or species that can be potentially dangerous.
This leads to the next danger of the cave; animals, insects, and other critters. There are six species that can only be found in Robber Baron and no where else on earth! two of which are endangered species! in fact, the cave even has its own spider crawling inside that was given the original name, "Cicurina Buronia", or as we like to call it, the "Robber Baron Cave Spider". Other caves around the world can have mountain lions, bears, bats, possums, wolves, coyotes, snakes, scorpions, and other venomous insects and dangerous animals. If you're bitten or attacked and you happen to be deep in the cave, it could be a while before help is available. This is why it is best to have not only a guide, but also someone experienced in first-aid.
The third danger found in pretty much any cave is the cave itself. If you're not careful or if you do not have proper knowledge of the cave you're in, there can possibly be a cave in; one of the walls can be very weak, and without knowing, someone brushes up against it so that the weight of the earth literally crushes most of bones in their body. When you don't know the cave well, you can fall maybe down a crevasse or in a deep area that you can't get out of. Basically, you can get stuck or stranded, again, without help for a while or worse case scenario, forever. Though these dangers are mostly worse case scenarios, they must still be taken into extreme consideration.
The Robber Baron Cave is located on the North side of San Antonio just off of 410 in someone's backyard at the bottom of a sinkhole. The gear needed was kneepads, a helmet, very unwanted clothes, gloves, a camera with a flash, a bottle of water, and 2 or more flashlights. When I entered there were about ten people altogether, One experienced caver, and everyone yielding at least one flashlight. The opening of the cave was a pretty tight fit. Once inside, I was able to stand comfortably but only because im so short, I think everyone else had to tilt their heads when they stood. I found some amazing things in the cave, blind roaches and silent crickets, I even found some crystallized rock formations. We didn't explore the whole cave because the cave is so long and branches off so much with so many channels that we probably didn't even see a fourth of it. We entered a room with tagging all over it aptly named the "graffiti room" where we hid candy in for a scavenger hunt. Another room that was only accessed by practically squirming through an opening slightly larger than a computer screen at the foot of a boulder led to a room comfortably fitting about four people. Its not recommended to stay in the cave for so many hours simply because of the abundance of CO2 (bad air).
The Robber Baron Cave is referred to a horizontal maze cave. There are basically three types of caves; horizontal maze cave, vertical maze cave, and deep caves (of course, there can be a combination of the three). There are mostly horizontal maze caves in San Antonio, with Robber Baron being the longest. These types of caves branch off horizontally in any and every direction. Vertical maze caves involve descending and climbing. For that you'll also need a harness, a rope, a pulley, a cam, a sling, and a karabiner. Deep caves don't just have pathways; these caves are like underground mansions with wide openings and channels so wide you could comfortably fit ten eighteen wheelers side-by-side.
With the expressed dangers of the caves its evident that a guide is imperative to have. If there is no guide, you must have not only knowledge of the cave, but proper training and experience of the cave with at least two other people with you. But even with the most experienced caver, being careful is not an option. anything can happen underneath the earth's surface. We must respect what is not known about caves and not have a careless, nonchalant attitude about these underground wonders.
There are so many caves in Texas alone that have not yet been discovered and so many caves in the world that can yield hidden information to all of mankind. Perhaps the remanin of an ancient civilization, or possibly new species of any kind of animal or insect, minerals, and crystals. I recommend that if anyone is looking for a fun time, or if anyone likes to explore that they try out this exciting hobby. -1,021 words
This leads to the next danger of the cave; animals, insects, and other critters. There are six species that can only be found in Robber Baron and no where else on earth! two of which are endangered species! in fact, the cave even has its own spider crawling inside that was given the original name, "Cicurina Buronia", or as we like to call it, the "Robber Baron Cave Spider". Other caves around the world can have mountain lions, bears, bats, possums, wolves, coyotes, snakes, scorpions, and other venomous insects and dangerous animals. If you're bitten or attacked and you happen to be deep in the cave, it could be a while before help is available. This is why it is best to have not only a guide, but also someone experienced in first-aid.
The third danger found in pretty much any cave is the cave itself. If you're not careful or if you do not have proper knowledge of the cave you're in, there can possibly be a cave in; one of the walls can be very weak, and without knowing, someone brushes up against it so that the weight of the earth literally crushes most of bones in their body. When you don't know the cave well, you can fall maybe down a crevasse or in a deep area that you can't get out of. Basically, you can get stuck or stranded, again, without help for a while or worse case scenario, forever. Though these dangers are mostly worse case scenarios, they must still be taken into extreme consideration.
The Robber Baron Cave is located on the North side of San Antonio just off of 410 in someone's backyard at the bottom of a sinkhole. The gear needed was kneepads, a helmet, very unwanted clothes, gloves, a camera with a flash, a bottle of water, and 2 or more flashlights. When I entered there were about ten people altogether, One experienced caver, and everyone yielding at least one flashlight. The opening of the cave was a pretty tight fit. Once inside, I was able to stand comfortably but only because im so short, I think everyone else had to tilt their heads when they stood. I found some amazing things in the cave, blind roaches and silent crickets, I even found some crystallized rock formations. We didn't explore the whole cave because the cave is so long and branches off so much with so many channels that we probably didn't even see a fourth of it. We entered a room with tagging all over it aptly named the "graffiti room" where we hid candy in for a scavenger hunt. Another room that was only accessed by practically squirming through an opening slightly larger than a computer screen at the foot of a boulder led to a room comfortably fitting about four people. Its not recommended to stay in the cave for so many hours simply because of the abundance of CO2 (bad air).
The Robber Baron Cave is referred to a horizontal maze cave. There are basically three types of caves; horizontal maze cave, vertical maze cave, and deep caves (of course, there can be a combination of the three). There are mostly horizontal maze caves in San Antonio, with Robber Baron being the longest. These types of caves branch off horizontally in any and every direction. Vertical maze caves involve descending and climbing. For that you'll also need a harness, a rope, a pulley, a cam, a sling, and a karabiner. Deep caves don't just have pathways; these caves are like underground mansions with wide openings and channels so wide you could comfortably fit ten eighteen wheelers side-by-side.
With the expressed dangers of the caves its evident that a guide is imperative to have. If there is no guide, you must have not only knowledge of the cave, but proper training and experience of the cave with at least two other people with you. But even with the most experienced caver, being careful is not an option. anything can happen underneath the earth's surface. We must respect what is not known about caves and not have a careless, nonchalant attitude about these underground wonders.
There are so many caves in Texas alone that have not yet been discovered and so many caves in the world that can yield hidden information to all of mankind. Perhaps the remanin of an ancient civilization, or possibly new species of any kind of animal or insect, minerals, and crystals. I recommend that if anyone is looking for a fun time, or if anyone likes to explore that they try out this exciting hobby. -1,021 words
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