National Geographic: Mysteries Underground Page #2

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some of them are kind of dynamic

in so much as you leave one handhold

while you're going for

the next foothold.

And if you do that just right

and you have your pack balanced

just right,

you flow through it real smoothly.

And so I think

it's very much like doing a dance,

a very intricate dance.

And you want to do it perfectly,

you know,

and it's very beautiful when you do.

Deeper into the cave,

mineral formations

become more fantastic and delicate.

Cavers must move among them

with great care.

Spikes of aragonite,

one form of calcium carbonate,

grow in fragile bushes.

The gentlest touch could damage them.

There is infinite contrast here.

The now famous Chandelier Ballroom

is one of caving's classic beauty spots

Plumes of gypsum sprout

from the ceiling,

some as long as 20 feet

the most dazzling examples

of their type ever found.

Utter silence pervades Lechuguilla.

The only sound is made by the intruder

In the constant 68-degree temperature

and high humidity,

dehydration is always a threat.

Anybody else need any hot water?

for some, the notion of life

with almost a quarter mile

of rock overhead

can be oppressive, even terrifying.

But cavers like Bridges

relish the experience.

It's almost like coming back to home

after you've been gone for a while.

It's a very comfortable feeling to me,

particularly in that particular cave.

And you know it's a sense of isolation

The world becomes very simple

Here there is no day or night.

If they ignore the time,

cavers tend to stay awake,

and sleep,

for longer and longer periods.

In Lechuguilla Cave,

there is little evidence of life.

But this is rare.

Many caves harbor a hidden kingdom

of creatures, dominated by bats.

Bats thrive in darkness.

They navigate not by sight,

but by subtle patterns

of reflected sound.

Some caves are home to millions

of bats,

the greatest concentration

of mammals anywhere.

Their nitrogen-rich droppings,

or guano,

are harvested as a fertilizer.

Large deposits produce a toxic gas,

which can be lethal.

Mountains of bat guano support

the intricate food chain underground.

Sometimes, an injured bat, or a baby,

falls into the guano

and itself becomes food.

Within minutes the bat is reduced

to a skeleton.

Abundant underground, the cave cricket

Crickets spend much of their time

gathering food outside their caves,

but inside they perform

a vital role as scavengers.

In mute testament to their environment

fish have evolved here without eyes.

The salamander has dispensed

with eyes, too,

and has no need of skin pigment

in a world without sunlight.

People have probably always found

shelter in caves.

Thousands of years ago,

as much of the world still lay

in the grip of the last Ice Age,

prehistoric hunters left spectacular

evidence behind them.

The human spirit was born

and nurtured here,

its expression etched

on walls of stone.

By the early 20th century

most people lived elsewhere.

But science and curiosity drove some

to explore deeper underground.

Magnesium flares lit the way,

filling dark voids with light.

Geologists squeezed into

subterranean chambers

seeking to understand

their origin and structure.

And soon the ancient lure

of caves turned to profit.

Tourists went underground.

Then and now,

humans have been compelled

to seek out caves,

and to combat the gloom

with gay defiance.

In the United States,

New Mexico's Carlsbad Caverns

was declared a national park in 1930.

But natural wonders were not enough.

Carlsbad and other caves promoted

all sorts of attractions,

some a bit farfetched.

The time will come

when some master musician

in the Carlsbad Cavern will

be able to create s symphony in stone

Many parts of the world

are known for caves.

Because most lie on limestone bedrock,

the soil is often thin and life is hard

So it has often been

in the remote uplands of Kentucky.

But the automobile brought

a new source of wealth

city folks, eager for amusement.

Everyone who owned a cave

hung up a sign.

Each was touted as being bigger

and better than the others.

The so-called Cave Wars

spurred bitter feuds and even violence

Crystal Cave belonged

to the Collins family,

but it was too far

from the beaten path to prosper.

Thirty-seven-year-old Floyd,

one of the Collins boys,

was determined to find a cave closer

to the highway.

He set off alone on a

cold winter morning in January 1925

and squeezed into a narrow,

twisting crack in the earth,

never before explored.

A hundred feet or so into

the tight passageway

Floyd dislodges a rock that falls

on his leg and pains his left foot.

Every detail of this fateful mishap

will soon be known throughout the world

Struggling to free himself,

Floyed becomes more tightly wedged.

His arms are pinned at his sides.

He can do nothing but shout for help.

Twenty-four hours later

Floyd's cries are heard.

A younger brother, Homer,

manages to reach him.

Coffee and sandwiches revive Floyd,

but no amount of tugging or pulling

will set him free.

Would-be rescuers knock down more

dirt and rocks.

Soon more help arrives,

but rescue efforts are clumsy

and disorganized.

Curious onlookers begin to gather.

They become restive and quarrelsome.

A week goes by.

Floyd is still alive

and the crowed swells to thousand.

It becomes a carnival.

Souvenirs are sold

and moonshiners arrive on the scene.

It's hard to maintain order

and the National Guard is summoned.

Skeets Miller

a 21-year-old newspaper reporter,

braves the tortuous passage seven times

to comfort Floyd

and describe his plight.

Miller takes down food and drink

and an electric light bulb

to keep Floyd warm.

In bitter cold and rain,

little more can be done for him.

When a cave-in blocks the passage,

a rescue shaft is begun.

People all over the country

join Floyd's family in prayer.

Floyd's brothers expect the worst.

Rescuers finally reach him

on the 18th day.

It is too late.

Floyd has been dead for some time.

The crowd goes home.

The public is soon interested

in other things.

It takes two months

to recover the body.

The rock that trapped Floyd

was not a boulder,

but a mere 27-pound stone,

shaped like a leg of lamb.

His death left a legacy of fear

of the dark,

mysterious underground

that haunts many to this day.

Today, there are about 16,000 devotees

of caving in the U.S.

Here, where Tennessee, Alabama,

and Georgia meet,

the countryside is studded

by deep pits

vertical caves

the delight of weekend enthusiasts.

Nine-year-old Leah Brown

holds a world speed record

for rope climbing.

Her partner, Avis Van Swearingen,

also holds a climbing record

for women over the age of 60.

With skill and courage

they suspend their lives

on a slender thread.

We call that rope the nylon highway

because it takes us

to wonderful places

and new parts of the cave,

and it's the only way you can get there

If I'm the first one down a drop,

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