However, the two reasons it has its name are like to ward off many prospecting cavers. First, you’ll be crawling a lot — like a spider. Second, there are spiders…

To wriggle through a cave is to dance with geology. It is to be reminded of not only the power, but the longevity, of the forces of Earth itself; forces we engage with every day, but are somehow oblivious to through hundreds of layers of dissonance.

Finding experienced people to help you get started in caving is not just a nice help – it’s a requirement.

All-in-all, Carlsbad Caverns holds a special place in my heart… it encapsulates what National Parks are supposed to be in a way that not many other parks do.