Why are caves hard to explore?

Their degree of difficulty of the cave you choose depends on 3 sets of factors:

1) The number and character of any given cave and its natural obstacles.

2) The choice, quality and condition of the caver's clothing and equipment, and the choice of techniques-safety also enters here.

3) Last but not least the mental and physical condition of YOU on the day, your ability and experience, andy your self-control of any fears you may have of heights, deep water, tight crawls etc. Though if you lack caution as well as fear you are a danger to yourself and your team-mates!

Some caves are intrinsically very easy indeed.

Others are moderately hard but still reasonable for an appropriately-equippednovice under proper supervision.

While yet more caves really are hard, presentingsustained physical and mental challenges even to very able, very experienced cavers. Ithink - but stand to be corrected - that the remote series linking Mammoth Cave to Flint RidgeCave to give the world'slongest system, are in this category.

I wonder if Mark Twain had a particular, real cave in mind when he wrote that scene in Tom Sawyer - a dry cave that was easy enoughto negotiate but veryconfusing to navigate.