What would “caving” mean to you? I thought it would be easy-strollin’ morning much like the picture you see here, wandering through eight-foot-tall caves in ease. As it turns out, caving is a) not like this picture and b) very athletic!
Caving near Collingwood, Ontario is a fairly adventurous pursuit. Tucked in and under the imposing bulk of Metcalfe Rock are a collection of holes and crevices that you can squeeze, shimmy, crawl and climb though–literally. Caving is more an exercise in seeing how many ways you can contort your body to fit through bizarre rock formations than a leisurely hike into a rocky depth. That’s not to say it’s not fun–it’s so fun. You get super dirty and squeeze through cracks you never thought possible, sharing high-fives with your group when you emerge from a particularly tricky section. It’s all the fun of climbing, without all the ropes and technicalities. Highly recommended.
We went with Free Spirit Tours in Collingwood, with a great guide named Al. Check out their website for more information.
Photo: Afferent-Rapture, Flickr Creative Commons, “Beach Cave in California”
Meal: Oliver & Bonacini, Blue Mountain Ontario
Delicious. Located in the Westin Hotel in the Blue Mountain Village, O&B is a place we usually avoid simply becuase we can’t afford it. But thanks to a gift certificate, we were able to indulge in a three-course O&B experience and it was awesome, worth every penny. There’s actually nothing worse than spending a lot of money on a steak in a really nice restaurant and having it be borderline. This did not happen there–the 10 oz New York was sublime. My boyfriends smoker-cooked half chicken? Also amazing. What tied it all together, though, was the great service. Our server, Jay, was excellent and even handled an awkward situation at the end (with the stupid gift certificate) in a super relaxed manner which took some of the sting out. Great experience overall.
