Life as we live on a daily basis tends to be filled with a parade of events, happenings, frustrations, and joys that don’t strike like lightening. Life moves along, taking people along for a series of personal transformations that for the most part don’t feel particularly important. You only notice, many years after the fact, that things have changed. But there are those momentous events—a particularly traumatic accident, a death of a loved one, the end or start of a new project, an amazing piece of news—that leaves its imprint with you, announcing its undeniable role in changing the self or your perception of the world.

Yesterday I went on an amazing trip through the caves of Puerto Rico withAventuras Tierra Adentro and in specific caves filled with water, an underground river snaking its way through the rocks, the mud, the bats, (and unfortunately the roaches but hey, they are part of natural habitat) that make up a vast underwater river system in the northwest part of the island.

I first went on this very trip when I was 16 and it was one of those momentous, memorable events that struck like lightening. At the time, I was a budding environmentalist having recently started the first environmental club at my school, mostly recycling all the cans at school (my car was thus appropriately dubbed “the recycle-mobile). I would also organize fund-raising events such as the infamous milkshake sale (trying to outdo the usual bake sales) and send the proceeds to the most radical environmental group I knew of at the time (Earth First) to save the dolphins or turtles or whatever needed saving at the time. I also knew that the group that did anything together, stuck together, so I organized a caving adventure with the environmental club.

The trip was then as it is now, utterly breathtaking (and at points leaves you with no breath) and has only improved since the first time I made the trek, as I will explain in a moment. The first time I did it, it left its mark on my life in many many ways. Until that trip, I had never really experienced the full blown glory and mystery that is the natural world. I was exhilarated by the exhausting hike that “touched me” by basically, at the time, mangling my body. The day after the trip, I literally could not get out of my bed … for hours. That was not because the trip was (or is) so outrageously hard. The guides are completely amazing and while challenging, it is fine if you have an iota of fitness; it was just I was, like many peers of my age on the island, a rum drinking, smoke inhaling teenager who did not have an iota of fitness.

After the trip, while I was lying immobile in bed due to the pain, talking to my friends on the phone who found themselves in a similar embarrassing predicament, I decided, never again. Despite the pain, I decided I liked using my body, I really liked the outdoors, and well, it was high time to stop sucking on the smokey smokes and turn my energies and body to the natural world.

I did not quit the smokes overnight (I tried, I failed) but the desire was sparked and eventually I quit. Almost immediately, I started doing more outdoorsy stuff, decided not to go to college and become a scuba diving researcher on a Chinese junk sailing boat, and then when I eventually made my way to school, I became an Ultimate Frisbee junkie, and worked for eco-type camps for many summers. That caving trip was the catalyst that led me down a new path and I was reminded of this yesterday, which left me thankfully not as sore, but equally exhilarated.

Ok, so this is a guide to PR, so let me back away from personal ramblings to why you should take this trip if you find yourself on the island. Well, first let me state the obvious: this trip throws you smack inside a cave and caves are freaken effing amazing even more so when there is a river running through it.

But let’s get to specifics:

These tour operators, who have been doing this trip and others for over 20 years, have got this trip so nailed down that they have thought of every damn detail to make the adventure fun and safe. Now, the trip starts at a god awful time 5:45 AM (but it is done for your safety to avoid the afternoon rains, which can lead to a flash flood). To help you stay awake as they orient you, they have come up with comedy routine during the bus ride, which I personally found really funny (I am pretty easy when it comes to humor), and it was a great way to communicate the safety information to a half awake audience.

Once you get to Lares, you start with a short lesson, then an quick zipline across and above a heavily forest canyon, followed by a 250 foot rappel into the mouth of Los Angeles river. Heights, I have to admit, are not my favorite, but it was pretty darn cool making your way down into the mouth of the river/cave via rope…

Once the group has made it safely down, you spend 3 or so hours romping through a guided tour of the cave, which includes: running through mud, some fairly challenging bouldering (assisted with ropes and guides), lots of swimming, jumping off cliffs into water (so so so so fun), staring at the cute bats, specially-placed theme music, darkness so black it gives dark a new meaning, and a very nice candlelit lunch as well, which was a real nice touch.

You get some interesting geological lessons, the humor that started in the van continues to percolate during the trip, and well, when you reach the end of the trip, back at where you started, you are left wanting…. nothing but more. Since the rappelling took you down and you can’t rappel against gravity, your two feet must take you back up so once done in the cave, there is one final hurdle, which is a fairly steep a 20 minute hike out of the cave that will leave your heart pumping but thankfully once done, there are refreshing drinks, snacks, and even a possibility for a quick rinse off before making your way in the van to the ride to San Juan.

Along with Culebra, which I will write about later, this comes as my most recommend short trip for the island. It is worth every penny. The guides are excellent and the caves are stunning. Despite going underground, you will be left soaring.

*pictures coming later.