In the Sierra Nevada foothills tucked secretly away are wild caves that seldom have human visitors. The last human in one wild cave visited today by four members of the MJC Geology Club was back in January 2012. A log sealed in a watertight container yielded the last visitor in the beginning of the year. The cave welcomed us with open arms and we treaded carefully and with respect into her darkness. Back into her depths we crawled - mostly on our stomachs - until we reached the back of the cave. Gathered as a small group, we turned off our headlamps and quietly sat.
She spoke to us in the sounds of water trickling down the walls, or dropping from above down to the floor. The flow of cool air enveloped us like a hug given by a close friend. The smells were a mingle of mustiness and wet earth. We enjoyed the darkness and the peace inside. Places such as this are remarkable - not only in how they were created, but how they evolve and continue to change. I hope the lack of visitors persists so that these caves stay as beautiful as they are - untouched and unmarred by destructive human hands. The only downfall was that we didn't see any bats which are always exciting to see.
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