Pretty much as the title says, what's something you wish you knew or want to tell people who are new or fairly new to urban exploration?

Doing it with less clothes makes it better.

I would send a message back to my former self warning that a police action in a particular abandoned neighbourhood would kill six people.

Posted by Steed I would send a message back to my former self warning that a police action in a particular abandoned neighbourhood would kill six people.

That's horrible, I'm sorry. I'm glad you're okay

Posted by Steed I would send a message back to my former self warning that a police action in a particular abandoned neighbourhood would kill six people.

It must have worked, you're still here.

I'd tell myself that it's ok to explore during the day (and always easier to explain why you're on the property in broad daylight than it is at 1:00 am)

I'd educate myself on the law and how to maintain anonymity a little better. I wouldn't blindly trust the motives of everyone that claims they have this common interest.
I'd be a lot richer and a lot less stressed if I'd done a better job of these things.

I wish I knew some of the more basic laws, being stupid and rushing into things has almost gotten me arrested a few times.

Explore with people you trust.

You are not invincible, and Lady Luck is fickle.

No matter how many times you've gotten lucky before, one day you'll roll the die and discover that Lady Luck abandoned you when you needed her the most. And the worst part is, you won't realize until it is already too late to change things.

Whether you are gambling on the structural integrity of a building or betting you won't get caught doing something, your luck will fail eventually. It's guaranteed. It is far better to be cautious than to deal with the fallout of a disastrous exploration.

never trust or be "acquaintances" with RailGuy88

Always shoot RAW.

I wished i knew how cheap are cameras in pawn shops!!! I used to borrow camera from my mom because i thought cameras are very expensive, really didn't knew about the pawn shop wonderland. Off course she didn't wanted to give me her camera for HUNDREDS(literally) of times when i went exploring. That was many years ago, i have very little pictures of most epic exploring years 2008-2010.

Take photos! There are so many places I explored before I started photographing explorations. Many of those places are now gone and won't get that chance.

Even if i have been caught, i don't regret anything really since it's part of what we do.

But i would have like to take more picture back then.

Just because you have heard of a location doesn't mean it's still there, places do get demolished over time. I wish in the beginning I had done my research before dragging my entire group of friends out in places in the middle of nowhere to find buildings that no longer exist!

Just because it looks safe to walk on doesn't mean it is. Same goes for metal as much as wood. I've fallen through both.

It's not as risky as you think it is, usually.

Posted by sara'mer It's not as risky as you think it is, usually.

^ This is exactly what I was going to say! I would go back and tell myself to chill the fuck out and relax. Of course, some people start exploring with the exact opposite problem (thinking they're invincible), which is way worse.

I have lots of other ideas of things in my head, but I'm having a hard time summing them up briefly, and I don't feel like writing a book here.

The CSOAP drains (giant deep tunnels 80-200 feet below Rochester) aren't that awesome. The unsuccessful mission to find them, especially in the ugly way I did, wasn't worth ruining my next 8 years as an explorer, even if I somehow didn't fall off the rope and die in a dropshaft.