Subterranean Shenanigans: Uncle of Underground

This November, a keen group of VOCers embarked on the first-ever Uncle of Underground – a

trip from Vancouver to Port McNeill (involving 6 hours of travel to the northern end of Vancouver

Island). Little did we know, this journey would have us jugging up a cave so large it housed a

subterranean river.

Day One: Resonance

Dirty Cavers

Once we arrived, we wasted no time and headed straight to our first cave, called Resonance.

Think of the most cavey cave, this was Resonance; the entrance appeared carved into the earth,

forming an absurdly fantastical arch. Beyond was a tubular tunnel lined with cave crickets and

huntsman spiders (much to Jenna’s despair). The tube had us walking like lil gremlins, but soon

enough, it opened up into an enormous room which was actually a giant fault (a fracture in the

earth).

On the way out of Resonance, we climbed up the tube and discovered the acoustics were quite

entertaining. We sang (which is describing it politely), as the echoes bounced around like a choir

of off-key children. It was pretty dope.

Day Two: Mini Gil

Mini Gil Cave, Port McNeil

The next day, we met up with the Vancouver Island Cave Exploration crew and headed up to a

cave named Mini Gil. This cave was much different than the cave from the day before. It had me

uber-thankful I packed a wetsuit. The Mini Gil entrance was in the middle of the woods, almost

unassuming if you didn’t know it was there. The chasm was anything but mini – it was a massive

hole in the ground that dropped down into nothingness. Not gonna lie; looking over the edge had

me NERVOUS. How on earth were we going to get down there, let alone get back up?! I

watched a bunch of the VOC & VICEG folks set up some gnarly tree anchors and begin to rap

down into the dark. This gave me time to build up my confidence and get stoked on the descent.

Before I knew it, I was lowering myself through the chasm and into the river that surged below.

What a rush, and one of my favourite descents into a cave (by far the biggest I’ve ever done).

Being at the bottom and peering up at the crack in the ceiling where daylight poured through

(where I had been moments before) was unreal.

A group of us followed the river deeper into the cave while others tossed floaties down to chill

on the underground meandering river. Eventually, we reached a squeeze section that required us

to remove our harness, reduce our head movement, and have hella-controlled breathing. As long

as the person in front ( Zack) shouted that it opened up, we followed. This led us to a section of

cave that had some wicked stalactites. We swapped stories in total darkness and sat with the

sounds of the cave for a bit. Intentional sensory deprivation can be a good time.

Up we go

The faff of getting everyone up and out of Mini Gil was onerous; however, our patient leader

Nick managed to get everyone up in one piece. Nothing motivates people to run through the

forest in completely soaked wetsuits more than mid-November temperatures at nightfall. I made

good time getting back to the warmth of Alex’s car.

Despite the constant rain, we found comfort in sharing a fireside with our new VICEG friends

each night.

Day Three

On the last day, we explored some touristy caves on the way back to our ferry.

A big thanks to Nick for leading the caving trip!!