This past weekend I took the trip to Canmore for an unforgettable adventure!
This will have been our first official Being Brave Club event in Alberta, and guess who forgot to bring the famous bbc flag?? Me. Since that was the only hiccup, I will get over it!
Our group of seven plus our guide had a total blast together! It was really a brave play date! We had time to take in all of our surroundings, learn about the history, take photos and crawl through some tight spaces–just to see how we liked it!
Some of us were nervous at the start (I’m some of us), some weren’t sure what they really got themselves into and others were so pumped to explore the underworld!!
Our adventure began at the Canmore Cave Tours office where we were met by our guide, Brent. He gave us some information about the cave we were exploring: Rat’s Nest Cave (spoiler alert, there were no rats) along with what to expect and then we go gear’d up. #Redsuitadventures We got gloves, knee pads, coveralls, helmets, lamps, and dry bags to carry it all in! This adventure comes with literally everything you need to go caving!
Once we had all our gear lined up, it was just a quick 5 min self-drive to the trail head where the real adventure began.
We had a good 30-40min hike up to the cave entrance, but it felt so great! Yes, it’s up hill but the views are stunning and we made a few stops to check out the scenery –and never felt rushed.
Once we made it to our destination, we had time for a little snack, time to suit up and away we went!!
There’s a little climb to get into the cave entrance, with the help of a rope and encouragement from the whole BBC team, everyone made it up and in with no problem!
From here on out we were exploring the depths of the Rat’s Nest Cave, we didn’t see any rats but we did meet a little critter that lives there and her name is Chewy.
The rest of our adventure was soooooo awesome, we climbed, crawled, took a 6 story repel down further into the cave and learned so much!!
We took on a few optional tight squeezes along the way.. something I wasn’t sure I was going to try. I’m so glad I did though! It definitely helps you feel and realize that some barriers we put up about what we think we cannot do — is all imaginary. Something I will look back on in everyday life and re-think what I think is possible.
Our guide was incredible, he was so knowledgeable, encouraging and really funny, which definitely helped when there were parts that did feel kinda nerve wracking. He gave us direction for each and every part and the whole group just crushed this experience.
Yes, caving is one of those things that might bring up some feelings and it did for me once or twice! But I put my trust in the professionals that lead this thing and remembered what I preach: Bravery is not about being fearless –there is no such thing. Bravery is about being afraid and not letting it stop you.
Want to give this a try for yourself?? Book a tour with Canmore Cave Tours Here.
