Grand Canyon Underground 10/31/2013

Rocky slopes and canyons, cactus, grass, thorny shrubs, and the occasional tree, who could guess at the hidden treasures deep underground? Carlsbad Cavern is one of over 300 limestone caves in a fossil reef laid down by an inland sea 250 to 280 million years ago. We opted to take the self-guided tours of the Caverns, assisted by the audio tour offered by the park. We walked down the path to the natural entrance to the cave, the same entrance used by the first explorer to investigate the cave, Jim White.

What a wonder met us on our descent into the cave. Large passageways led to small corridors which led to an incredibly grand room filled with all manner of cave "decorations": stalagmites, stalactites, straws, drapery, flows, you name it.We have visited many other caves: Mammoth Caves, Jewel Cave, Wind Cave, Luray Caverns... but this was so ....grand. What made the experience special is that we were able to walk through the cavern alone, without any accompaniment. It was quiet, and it was ... grand. In the largest "room", we saw 2 ropes suspended from a point high above us (225 feet). The audio tour we took explained that in order to explore an area above the "Big Room", early explorers attached ropes to a helium balloon which they floated up, and succeeded in attaching the ropes to a stalactite. Then one of the explorers climbed the rope to a room above--again--225 feet above the large room. To see the ropes which are still in place is to know that those explorers were CRAZY. All I could think about as we walked the 2 1/2 mile trail through the cavern was that it reminded me so much of the grandeur of the Grand Canyon, underground.

 

After walking the cavern, we took a small break, and then returned to the cave entrance to view the bat flight at sundown.Sure enough, at about 6:15, we witnessed the emergence of thousands of bats from the mouth of the cave we had just walked through. They flew out in waves, at first spiraling in the area in front of the cave, then ascending to the skies and forming ribbons flying to the south. The mass evacuation continued for at least 15-20 minutes. As the sun was going down, so were temperatures. With a brisk wind, temps felt like they were in the low 50s. While we were shivering with the cold (wearing t-shirts and jackets), we were so happy we were here in time to witness this event. Soon the bats will be gone from the area, having migrated south.