Off The Driving Path: Caving

Two fascinating caves in the Black Hills of South Dakota are the Jewel Cave (which is around 5 minutes from Custer City proper) and the Wind Cave (to the NorthEast of Custer and in the direction of Mammoth Site).

The jewel cave is the more popular one because it has stactites and stalacmides. Unfortunately, I and Emma arrived too late for the 'scenic tour', where you actually go down and enjoy the cave's 'inner beauty'. We only caught the Discovery Tour, which is $4 but it basically just takes you to the base of the cave and the Park Ranger will talk about the cave's history and characteristic.

The Wind Cave is interesting for its length and its maze. It is said that the Wind Cave is the 2nd longest cave (covering a very small 2sqm diameter in land area) in the world. It has been called the Wind Cave because it was discovered when 2 brothers were intrigued by a very loud howl coming from a small opening. The wind was so strong that when one of them peeped into it, the wind blew his hat away.

I enjoyed the tour because the Park Ranger turned off the light so we could experience the cave in its natural state. It was freaky and awesome at the same time! But for people who like to see crystal formations, there's nothing much to see here and in the jewel cave. South Dakota is pretty much dry so glistening crystal formations will not grow in these caves, as there is no water to crystalize them (I'm beginning to sound very scientific. But wait til I get to the Mammoth Site post!). The charm of these caves I think, for spelunking enthusiasts like me, is during the summer times when you can join spelunking tours. Both caves are not yet fully explored and explorations take place during the warmer seasons so for those who think they can pull an Indiana Jones stunt, SD caves come highly recommended !