Expedition News
Speleologists are preparing to invade the deepest cave
On the 20th of July Lithuanian team of cavers is departing and starting a long travel to the deepest cave in the world – Krubera – Voronya cave. Last few months the members of the team were training hard to prepare themselves for the challenging two weeks work in the underground labyrinths. The training program included climbing the 45m tall water tower and cave – diving lessons in the lakes or flooded forts.
“Configuration of the caves is very different – sometimes you have to crawl through the narrow tunnels, sometimes – dive info the water sumps, and sometimes – to climb high walls, – says Gintautas Svedas, one of the most experienced participants of the Lithuanian team. – That is why training program of the cavers is never boring: we learn to climb high buildings, dive under the water, crawl through the narrow constructions and do many other things,” – he says.
All team members agree that the most challenging part of traveling through Krubera – Voronya cave is passing the water sumps. That is why cavers pay special attention to the diving lessons. One of the most experienced Lithuanian divers Vytis Vilkas is teaching them to dive in the lakes or flooded forts, left in Lithuania after the World War II, – the environment there closely resembles the water sumps in the caves. Longer and deeper sumps can be passed with diving equipment, but there are some sumps, which must be passed without equipment – simply holding one's breath. One of such sumps is in Krubera – Voronya cave.
During the preparation for the expedition cavers not only take trainings, but also prepare their bodies with a special diet – they consume low – fat, high protein foods and a lot of vitamins. After the team descents into the cave, the diet will change dramatically – constant humidity and cold makes the transportation of the food difficult, and physically demanding work under the ground makes the body use more energy, so even while eating bacon, bread, chocolate and other caloric food travelers will experience a weight loss.
Lithuanian expedition "Towards the Center of the Earth" 2012 is a part of the project "The Call of the Abyss", organized by the Ukrainian Association of Speleology (UkrSA).
