If I keep this up, I'm going to get a reputation

Here is our "before" picture......and I bet you can guess what happened next.  I just can't resist a chance to crawl around in the mud.

Last weekend, I received a belated birthday gift--a chance to try a little caving.  My mom and I went on the short version of the wild cave tour at the Lost Sea in Sweetwater TN.  Of course, we didn't have the fun of exploring (that part of the cave is thoroughly mapped), but we did get to crawl, wriggle, inch, and slither through small spaces, short drop-offs, and right-angle turns.  This particular mud was much drier and stickier than the Mud Run mud.  Here is the result:

I have a whole new crop of bruises to tend--mostly on my forearms and knees.  However, almost no scrapes and all of my bones are intact.  I didn't even bump my head!  (Got mud in my hair, though.)

I think it would be more fun to explore a less traveled cave, but I suppose you have to build up some technical expertise first.  Probably it would be a good idea to work on my upper body strength too (sore, sore arms and back).  Maybe someone in the caving club at the local university would be willing to teach an enthusiastic (if older) newbie?