THE BIRTH CANAL

Our teachers spent the entire day getting us hyped up about the "Micah caves” requiring not only bravery, but headlamps. It was our final stop (7th site) of the day, and I was tired, but curious. The caves have zero historical significance that we know of, but hey, how could an adventure called the “birth canal” be a let down? (Here is a before shot in a little cubby to the side of the caves.)

When I first got there, my skinny friends in the other section warned us that it was a tight, tight squeeze and if you have any inclination toward claustrophobia, this is not the cave for you. Well boy were they right! I wish I had believed them.

I entered the cave with confidence. We started out on all fours. It’s a mercy I was wearing tight jeans, because I’m not going to lie, my birthing hips made it a tight squeeze. After about 2 crawls, my crawls transformed into snake-like scoots. A “shimmy” if you will. I knew the dirt was coming through my clothes and into my very skin, but the intensity of the situation overrode any fears of dirt or grime. My healing, yet still infected right lung wasn’t very happy, and my eyes stung, but I just kept scooting. Praise headlamps; it once again saved the day! I really relied on my friends Jecia and Nycole whose soothing voices reassured me that I was totally fine the entire time. They used claims like “people have been doing this for years,” “Nobody has died yet," "these caves have existed forever and never fallen in” and “this is soft rock, we can definitely pry you out if you get stuck.” It wasn’t SUPER long, but it was a big relief to escape the first tunnel and come into the big pigeon breeding room.
(see the pigeon holes behind us? We are being pigeons, fyi)
The guys served as “OBGYN’s” in getting all the girls up the vertical wall and on to what I reminiscently refer to as the “fallopian tube.” Only a few girls fell, but everyone was okay. It was this next part where I surprised myself and got a little panicy. My heart just started beating really fast and hard, and the idea that I’d already entered my grave did cross my mind. Really, I thought perhaps my body would not escape this crevis of a cave. Turns out I did get out, but I spent a moment or two laying on my back helplessly staring up 1 inch to the rock trapping me in such a small enclosure. It was then that I wished I had foregone that second pita… ☺ My knee had little room to bend as I dug my heels into the dirt and pushed with all my might. At this point, I found my arms beside my body, making me too wide to get out. So I had to then scoot backward, deeper into the fallopian tube where it opened up just enough to get my arms above my head, somewhat collapsing my shoulders.

Cheers of “It’s a girl! Stefanie you made it!” greeted me as my head popped out of the cave. It took a few more minutes to weasel my body and limbs out from the awkward angle and hard, small space. But I did it. I got out okay. A little dirty, and a little stressed from re-birth, but victorious ☺
(This pic is actually from before the birth canal. I was MUCH dirtier after, but I didn't dare take out my camera for fear of dust... you get the idea.)