No injured cavers recorded.
At about noon on Saturday, August 27, five cavers entered Cascade Cave on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. At the entrance they had discovered that only two of them had electric lamps to back-up their carbide lights. One of the group had not been in a cave before. After 'miscellaneous adventures' they reached the register at the bottom. On the way out they began to experience lamp problems and the group split up. Two went on ahead, the correct way, then waited for the others just before the Rabbit Warren. One of the trailing group of three found the correct route and joined the first two who then proceeded to Double Trouble and derigged it, since they had discovered on the way in that it could be free-climbed. These three then went on through Bastard's Crawl where the one ahead was sufficiently faster that he became separated, leaving the other two behind. Unfortunately he had what was left of the carbide. Soon the two he left ran out of carbide and stopped, lightless. Meanwhile the last two were looking for a roped pitch but found none (since the rope had been removed). One of these had his helmet strap break resulting in his having to carry the helmet. Finally they realized their error and ascended Double Trouble. They soon encountered two lightless, cold and angry cavers. This group of four now had only two lights, the two electrics, one of which they switched off to have a reserve. With one light they made their way out.
Sound like a trip you've been on? A little lack of equipment, a little lack of leadership, a little poor judgement and you are soon into this sort of fun. Although they had no problem at the entrance pit, they were lacking in rigging experience such that the last man down and first out had no belay (ladder climb). As Whitfield points out, doubling the belay rope through the biner at the top gives a belay from below for that man. The business of party separation and lack of equipment may be solved if one or more assume some leadership-check equipment, expecially for novices, and make an effort to keep the party together. The attitude of 'Every man for himself' is all too common. To paraphrase Whitfield, the responsibility for proper equipment and judgment rests ultimately with the individual, yet experienced cavers have a responsibility not to let novices get into bad situations.
A group faced challenges due to inadequate backup lighting and leadership issues, resulting in party separation and a difficult exit from the cave.