[plants]

That said, anyone reading this shouldn't let this experience deter them from trying caving at least once. Caving is one of the most underrated and obscure outdoor sports, mostly because it's really hard to go caving without an "in" to the caving community. Caving can be safe and extremely fun if you are going with someone in a local grotto (i.e. caving club), and not all caves have a "spiral passageway barely able to fit a human". If you feel unsafe at any point, no one is going to make you squeeze through that foot-wide and thirty-foot-long tunnel.

There is also obviously a big emphasis in caving communities on safety, such as wearing protective gear and bringing twice as much light/water as you think you'll need. Many areas I've been caving (in Virginia/West Virginia) also have amateur cave rescue volunteers if something does go bad (although they should absolutely be a last resort).