On November 30th, a group of about 14 students set off to the Lava Tubes. I, being a Wisconsin girl, have rarely experienced anything so spectacular. It was unreal, the cave yawned above you and if you looked close enough, you could barely see the start of stalactites. I have to admit the climb down was a bit challenging for me, because I had to hold my flashlight.
Once actually down into the cave though, my mind was blown. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was gigantic! As my group and I continued on, we came to a fork in the road. My group, being the adventurous kind, took the more challenging route, for the two tunnels met up after a hundred or so feet. It was a tight squeeze, but worth it. Once the two groups had met up again in the tunnel, I spotted something white and fuzzy on the ground. We had no idea what it was. All we could gather was that there were sunflower shells scattered near it. Perhaps the fungi had grown off of it?
We continued on our journey and once everyone was in one place we tested to see how dark it would be if everyone turned off their flashlights. Of course, it was pitch black and if I waved my hand inches from my face, I couldn’t see it. We all were cracking jokes about this being where Gollum lived, for we had just finished reading The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Once in the very back and end of the cave, as we called it; Gollum’s cave, we again turned off the lights and told riddles in the dark. There were a couple of jokes and stories thrown in there too. The hike back seemed much shorter, than the hike there, for we were all in a hurry to get back and eat lunch.
The cave had been truly amazing, and I would definitely recommend it to others. I learned that truly fungi can grow in almost all places. Also I learned that what our world can create is truly amazing, and lastly that although caves might be a bit freaky, they are truly one of the most astonishing things I have ever seen. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, a word for the future: bring lots of flashlights and dress really warm.
Sophie, Eighth Grade Student
