118 | June• 2018
TRAPPED UNDERGROUND
PHOTOS: (PREVIOUS SPREAD AND OPPOSITE) ROB CAMPBELLTHERAINCOMESDOWNSTEADILY.
Jason Storie hears it but is not worried. He listens to it as
he prepares for a day of caving with five friends in a remote
spot 130 kilometres northwest of his home in Duncan, on
Vancouver Island, Canada.It’s caving, not hiking, he tells
himself.I’m not worried about some rain.
Quickly,hedonsaT-shirt,thentwo
sweatshirts,apairofoveralls,neo-
prenesocks,awater-resistantjacket
and rubber boots. Under his arm, he
proudlycarrieshisnewhelmetand
headlamp,theirstpiecesofequip-
ment he has not borrowed from his
buddy, Andrew Munoz.
“Sleep in,” he whispers, bend-
ingdowntokisshiswife,Caroline,
goodbye.
“Have a good time. Be careful,” she
says.
“A l w a y s .”
Itis6amonDecember5,2015.A
newcomertothesport,Jasonhas
gone caving only four previous times.
hiswillbehistoughestoutingyet:a
cave called Cascade, in scrubland
nearthecityofPortAlberni.The
cave’s diiculty rating is so high, the
entryisblockedbyalockedrectangu-
larmetaldoorintheground,andthe
key can be obtained only after every-
onegoinginsignsaliabilitywaiver.
At1.1kilometreslongand103me-
tresindepth–deepenoughtodrop
a30-storeybuildinginto–itisfull
of turns and tight squeezes, includ-
inganarrowpassagethatleadsinto
a short, tight downhill called the
Bastard’s Crawl, which in turn leads
toawaterfallnotquiteametrewide
thatisknownasDoubleTroublebe-
cause a jutting rock splits the stream
in two.
It’s going to be so great,he thinks.A
littlewaterhasneverscaredme!
Jasonistheoutlieramongthe
group, with the least experience and,
at 43, older by a decade and more. A
shaven-headedfatheroftwoyoung
children,he’sstocky,likeawrestler,
notslimandwiryliketheothers.It
wasAndrew,33,aparamedicandex-
treme athlete who lives nearby with
his wife and infant daughter, who in-
troducedhimtothesport.
“here are over 1000 caves and tun-
nels on Vancouver Island,” Andrew
would say. “Come with us. It’s never
thesame.”Althoughthedangerlevel
was high, Andrew was the perfect
persontostartoutwith,aformer
guide in the famous Waitomo Caves
on the North Island of New Zealand,
apatientteacherandaparamedic
who would know what to do if some-
thing went wrong.EACH TIME HE HAS CAVED,Jason
has felt awe. Underground, he is