Rockhopper's Don't Do It Page

This is a page of caving ethics. Some of it is obvious, but as with all ethics, not obvious enough.

This isn't a page of caving safety. This is about not hurting the cave or other people. It's up to you to figure out how not to hurt yourself.

• Don't Leave Grafitti

  There must be some massive thrill in leaving behind your name carved on a rock, or the name of your favourite band, but I just don't get it. Do you sit at home thinking about people seeing your name as we go through the cave? Do you wonder what we think about it? This is what we think: we think you are immature and petty, and probably suffered some kind of horrible castration accident in your pre-teens. Mostly we feel sorry for you.

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• Don't Take Souvenirs

  You know the slippery slope: just one doesn't matter, but if you take one, and he takes one, and she takes one...and so on. But that isn't the point. It doesn't belong to you. Don't take it.

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• Don't Bother the Bats

  You know the story here, too: bats don't spread disease, they control bugs, they are very cute, they are unfaily maligned. None of that is true. They DO spread disease, they don't eat enough bugs to keep the others from bothering you, and they look like tiny demons. So what? You are going into their home uninvited. You are much bigger than they are. Harrassing them is just bullying, and its disgusting. Besides, you spread diseases, don't control bugs and probably aren't all that cute. Just leave them alone. This goes for other cave animals, too.

  Some of this is common sense: try to be quiet around them. Don't shine your lights on them (or camera flashes), don't poke them. It turns out that whispering bugs them more than talking softly. It's okay to make fun of them, as long as you do it softly.

  Some of it is not common sense. You should NOT go into a cave where bats are hibernating. They notice your passage and rouse (about twenty minutes later). Their metabolism picks up, so they need food, but since there aren't any bugs around, they can't eat, and they die. Cavers are amazingly cavalier about this. One of them said to me, "I've never had a problem with it." As if it was about him.

  Just don't. This is your entertainment. There are valid reasons to kill other animals, but entertainment isn't one of them.

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• Don't Mark the Cave

  You'll see arrows carved into the rock, or chalk or paint. Don't do it. Your goal should be to leave the cave as you found it.

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• Don't Disturb Marks in the Cave

  It seems like a contradiction to the above rule, but it isn't. Other cavers may be relying on the tape or tin-foil or paint or cairns to get back out again. They shouldn't have used those markers, but that doesn't not give you the right to put their safety in jeopardy by removing them. (Unless they've put up grafitti, and then anything goes). Sneer at their inexperience, certainly, but leave the markers.

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• Don't Trespass

  Why do I even need to say this? Cavers, and climbers, and mountain-bikers, and hikers, and birders all get the impression that because they do something cool, they have the right to do it anywhere they want. And they get very indignant when someone brings up the notion of private property. Hel-lo! You are a part of human society, and cool does not overturn laws. Ask permission before entering a private cave, go in only if you get permission, and thank the owner after leaving.

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• Don't Use the Cave as a Toilet

  I'd really like to tell you this one's okay, but it's not. Hold it or find a way to pack it out. I'm sorry. I know it's gross, but it's bad for the cave. It's your mess; don't leave it for someone else.

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• Don't Leave Your Freakin' Used Carbide in the Cave

  If you brought it in with you, take it back out. Some people's children, I tell you.

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• Don't buy crappy operating systems from predatory monopolistic software corporations.

  This has nothing to do with caving, but since you're already doing something cool, why not take it a step further?

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