Outdoor Club Adventure, Part 2: Carlsbad Caverns

The Carlsbad Caverns are created from the same rock that forms the Guadalupe Mountains interestingly enough. Limestone from the Capitan Reef was thrust to the surface through the surrounding layers of sediment that were left after a prehistoric salt water sea dried up. Cracks formed from the colossal forces of the uplift that pushed the formation to the surface and it is these cracks that allowed water to seep down into the rock itself. Through some chemical mixing, namely hydrogen sulfide laden water from the gas and oil fields of the surrounding area and slightly acidic rainwater, sulfuric acid was formed with began to dissolve the rock. Many of the joints and cracks that formed in the rock were horizontal in orientation allowing the creation of massive underground rooms such as those found in Carlsbad. (I won't pretend in the least to be a geologist, so consider this a brief overview from what I remember. If you're anything like me you will want more information, so go look up a wikipedia article or something. I realize I'm a nerd so thanks for humoring me.)


Our little group of explorers from ACU could hardly contain ourselves with the excitement of getting to examine these caverns. Yet the anticipation couldn't compare to the actual emotions present when we actually saw the mouth of the cave and descended into the darkness.

We woke early and worked like a well oiled machine Sunday morning getting breakfast ready, organizing brown-bag lunches, and breaking camp. It was no surprise when we all piled into the vehicles actually ahead of the desired departure time. We arrived at the Visitor Center and milled around a bit getting tickets, but then we were off to the Natural Entrance for a self-guided tour. The day before had taken us to what seemed to be the top of the world, making this morning, as we clambered down into the depths of the earth, beyond surreal.For those of you like me who aren't aspiring amateur photographers and haven't splurged for an extremely expensive piece of picture taking equipment, you will understand my disappointment with my inability to capture natural phenomenon. Most of the photographic technology that us poor college students employed that morning was also unable to fully capture the crazy shapes and wild formations living deep underground, but, as you can see by the pictures in this post, some of us overcame the odds.
Going back to a little earth science for a bit, I am always blown away by the speleothems, or cave formations, that are found in caverns such as Carlsbad. It's incredible to think of the time needed to form stalactites, stalagtites, flow stone, cave popcorn, and others. We were able to listen to a ranger and his "Geek Speak" about how many of the formations occur, especially the popcorn. It's actually from the air blowing through the cave and drawing the water out of solution leaving the mineral behind. Most formations happen on the windward side, much like moss on the north side of trees. Man, I love Geek Speak.

We finished the Natural Entrance hike, and moved on to explore the Big Room with all its wondrous offerings such as the Hall of Giants, views of the Lower Cave, Top of the Cross, the Bottomless Pit, the Rock of Ages, and Painted Grotto. I for one was ready for break by the end: my feet, head, and heart were overwhelmed by everything. Not to mention my stomach was ready for some lunch!After a quick sandwich in the parking lot, our group struck out for home. The weekend had been an amazing adventure that I won't be able to duplicate. I saw God in so many ways: the awesomeness of his creation, people interacting selflessly toward one another, and relationships were formed and strengthened. I can't help but reflect on how great God is to have created a world with such heights and such depths, where everything intertwines in such amazing ways. It takes a whirlwind trip like this to realize that he is in control, and thankfully I'm along for the ride.