Our journey underground started off early this morning. We awoke earlier than usual because our internal clocks are still in the Central Time Zone. After a short drive to the Park entrance we started our accent up this mountain to 4,406 feet. Twisting roads lead to fantastic views around every corner as the dessert shared with us its flowering cactus, rugged mountains and broad planes in the distance.
The terrain here is not friendly if you dare venture off the beaten path. Hot temperatures soaring to the 100's lick a hot wind against your skin, like someone has opened a blast furnace without warning. The contrast of the southern slopes, that are barren from prolonged exposure to the hot sun, versus the northern slopes, that have a temporary reprieve and thus vegetation flourishes as much as it can for a dessert.
Immediately after getting your pass to descend into the cave the contrast of the two worlds become evident. Here you are looking for any form of shade to cool you off from the 100 degree sun yet you start to add on layers of clothing to keep you warm on your journey. You arrive at the mouth of this underworld. At night it becomes alive and begins to spew millions of Mexican Bats into the night sky but for now it swallows you up as you begin to traverse its twisty path downward.
Immediately after getting your pass to descend into the cave the contrast of the two worlds become evident. Here you are looking for any form of shade to cool you off from the 100 degree sun yet you start to add on layers of clothing to keep you warm on your journey. You arrive at the mouth of this underworld. At night it becomes alive and begins to spew millions of Mexican Bats into the night sky but for now it swallows you up as you begin to traverse its twisty path downward.
As you get further down the path the smell of the Bat Cave, which is 200 feet below the surface, greets you with a nose tingling ammonia smell.
Finally, as you pass the bats that are hanging 140' above your head you start to find that your eyes are adjusting to the faint light around you. Dark obscure objects begin to reveal there beauty.
As you continue down a path that seems will never end you are met with amazing formations all around you. High above your head hang tons of rock formations that appear to be so fragile that a light breeze would knock them off.
At the depth of 754 feet below the surface you begin to feel the chill of the 58 degree air around you. Even at this depth if you stand still around small openings you can feel the wind rush past you as it circulates around the cave system. Warm air clashing with the cool air exiting the cave creates a vacuum that circulates fresh air into cave.
At a curtain point, in a tour that we took, the Park Rangers turn off all the lights. You sit there in absolute darkness not being able to tell if your eyes are open or closed. Sitting there quietly you begin to hear the heartbeat of the cave. Every so often you hear little drops of water hitting rock or puddles. The droplets deliver calcite to the formations and drop by drop, over millions of years these formations grow and begin to take unique shapes. Here gravity and chemistry work in complete darkness to create these masterpieces that we will never see completed in our lifetime.
About halfway through our journey we enter the "Big Room". After walking around its mile long perimeter encompassing 8.2 acres you can understand why it was named "Big Room". Ceilings as high as 300 feet and chambers that seem to never end. You can't help but put yourself into Jim White's shoes and imagine how he must have felt when he discovered this room back in 1896. With only a kerosene lamp to illuminate the area around him it must have felt like he had arrived in another world. Here at 830 feet underground you realize how small you really are in this vast planet. You begin to realize how the forces of nature work with each other. This planet is a living, breathing ball that is still growing and reshaping itself.
At last you reach the surface to find the harsh sunlight blinding your eyes. The once cozy layers of clothing now feel like they are constricting you and not allowing you to breath. The harsh contrast of the underworld meets the surface again. This experience was an incredible one that given the opportunity everyone should have. Words and pictures are not sufficient or worthy enough. This is where your 5 senses will work in harmony to envelope you in this experience.
I hope that I was able to give you a tiny glimpse into our day of sensations in the underworld.
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