The ranger that led our tour was Ranger Ashley. She was young and seemed to still be excited about her job. And this made our tour that much more enjoyable. The tour took us into a lower level of the cavern - The King's Palace. It was a highly decorated area and the formations were huge.
Probably my favorite part was when she turned out the lights, plunging us into a dark that was so black, so pure it is hard to describe. We did a little experiment while in the dark. We put our hand in front of our face and moved it back and forth. While it was too dark to actually see your hand, some people's brain function in such a way that they could 'see' their hand. I was one of those people!
The ranger also explained that some people experience panic with a dark so pure. Our brains are so used to having a least a little light at all times that it doesn't quite know how to process the dark. But my brain did the exact opposite. I felt immediate relaxation, like my brain going 'Ahhhhh...' It was incredible! I would love to experience the total darkness and silence for a little longer!
4 comments:
I will have to try that hand trick next time I am in a cave!
Do you think the rangers would let you camp in the King's Palace for awhile? The ranger at Mammoth Cave did the same thing, but there wasn't the total darkness you experienced.
Interesting about the study of the brain --and what it can do and does do for us humans... I'm one who is not afraid of darkness either --but I have friends who almost panic.... Interesting, isn't it????
Hugs,
Betsy
How cool.
So, are you going to live in a cave next???? LOL
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