At this very moment there are people underground in west-central Kentucky.
Some are there to tour the cave. Some are there to explore. Others are there to participate in America's premier
underground restoration project, the Restoration Field Camp at Mammoth Cave.
For the past decade and beyond, thousands of cavers from across the country have gathered at Mammoth Cave National Park to repair the damage caused by more than a century of tourism.
Underground Legacy is not just an account of cave restoration,
however.
It is a personal journey of exploration and discovery. Follow the
author through muddy underground crawlways and up dangerous climbs, learning along the way that cave exploration can injure, and sometimes kill.
. . .when those volunteers and I leave this
world, a small part of it, Mammoth Cave, is better off because we visited
there. It is our legacy.
Absolute
darkness! So complete, I could feel it against my skin. It was impossible
to see anything. I waved my hand in front of my eyes to test it... Nothing.
I reached into my pack for a water bottle and after quenching my thirst,
spit a mouthful into the water reservoir of my carbide lamp. While not a
very genteel way of filling one of these things, it worked, and avoided
spilling any of the precious liquid. I fingered the carbide in the lamp
bottom, gauging how much was left and added several small chunks.
Earlier, I had planned for a certain margin of error and thought there
was enough. Now I questioned that decision. Safety, I scolded
myself. Always think of safety . . .
I
struck the lighter mechanism and the lamp popped to life. A bright
yellow-white flame filled the room with light. The tension drained from my
neck and shoulders, and only then did I realize that I had been holding my
breath. It was time to move foreword. After attaching the lamp to my
helmet and adjusting the heavy, black-rubber kneepads, I shouldered my
pack. I was ready, and carefully picked my way down to the floor just
below.
Inching
forward, I fantasized that yawning caverns were just ahead. Caverns filled
with beautiful and rare formations. Caverns filled with mystery and
adventure. I imagined wonderful discoveries just around the next corner;
maybe some mighty underground river or a deep canyon. The lamp illuminated
the walls and ceiling… both smooth and flat. The light danced and
flickered with my every movement, causing a chorus line of shadows to
dance and flicker in response.
Objects
around me took on a strange and surreal appearance: canned goods, boxes of
winter clothes, and tools in neat rows along the wall. The washer and
dryer both looked odd and spectral. I crawled into the storage area under
the stairs, over boxes of books and old magazines—imagining I was caving
with the great explorers of Mammoth Cave, pushing a tight lead to the very
end. . .
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And for the Mammoth Cave
Babes, how about this naughty little number
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