*NOTICE: Mammoth Cave National Park was one of our stops on our road trip to Kentucky, which you can read about in this post. Please excuse the date stamps on the photos.*
Mammoth Cave is a massive network of underground tunnels in Kentucky. It covers about 83 square miles in terms of area, and it is the longest cave complex in the world. It was established as an official national park in 1941. Our tour began with the guide leading us deep into a gaping maw of rock in the ground. It was awe-inspiring to see the giant, dark hole in the ground as we descended a set of steps into it.
It was a blisteringly hot summer day, with it being July and all, but once we were underground the air became cool and dry. The cave was lit dimly with lights every few meters, but it was so cavernous that the entire place was mostly shrouded in shadows and darkness. It wasn’t my first time touring a cave, as we had visited Luray Caverns (another cave network in Virginia) before, but it was dwarfed by the size of Mammoth Caves. Imposing stone walls stretched into the darkness above, and although our group members were constantly speaking to one another, all sounds seemed muted and hushed in the face of the imposing size of the cave.
The caves seemed less alien with the help of the lights, which brought an element of familiarity into the cave. However, at one point I realized that behind us another guide was turning out the lights that lined our pathway behind us (probably to save energy), and the darkness was constantly swallowing up the places we had just walked through. It was all too easy to imagine getting lost in the cave as an early explorer with only the most primitive of technology, at the mercy of a single, flickering torch that did little to ward off the twilight.
Our guide led us through the tunnels across stone rails, walkways, and stairs spanning gorges, steep formations, and winding passageways. Similarly to Luray Caverns, sharp rock formations protruded from the walls and floors, like falling water frozen in time.
My favorite part of the tour was when the park ranger seated us all on benches built along the side of a stone walkway stretching over a deep ravine, then blew out his lantern. The tunnels were instantly plunged into utter darkness, so complete that I could barely tell if my eyes were open or shut. Eventually our party was guided out of the system back into the sunlight, but the experience was ingrained in my memory. Although the journey through Mammoth Caves might sound intimidating, it was highly enjoyable and I completely endorse the experience. There’s really nothing quite like walking through such an unfamiliar environment, where the usual scenery and sound is replaced by motionless stone and silence.
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