Mammoth

 Mammoth

A large primordial beast gave its name to this vast underground cave, the longest in the world. It has over 350 miles of once-hidden passageways, and many more miles still to be discovered, perhaps as many as 600. That was the information the ranger gave us when we visited this underground national park years ago. Perhaps they’ve uncovered more tunnels since. 

Mammoth Cave is also the most ecologically diverse. Some 130 species of life are found there. Many are eyeless and unpigmented in the dark recesses of the cave. Though we didn’t see any of those when we toured, we did experience huge rooms, narrow spots that you had to squeeze through, and the flowstone that demonstrates the power of water to “melt” solid rock over eons of time. It was definitely a deep experience.