September 28, 2020 - Colossal Cave
Today we visited Colossal Cave, which is about 22 miles southeast of Tucson.
The Cave was discovered in January 1879 by Solomon Lick -- owner of the Mountain Springs Ranch upon which the cave was located -- while searching for stray cattle. Lick and a few companions came across what was believed to be either an old mine or cave. They explored this large cavity for about 500 feet from the entrance. At that time the entrance was filled with bat guano.
In 1884 it was belived train robbers used the cave as a hideout.
By 1890, William Shaw had taken over the Mountain Springs Ranch and that year, along with soldiers from Fort Lowell explored the cavern for five hours utilizing candles and magnesium wire to illuminate their path through the underground chambers. They were awed by the finger-shaped and kidney-shaped stalactites and stalagmites that occurred in large quantities and the holes that were so deep they could barely hear the rock dropped down when it hit the bottom.
In 1905 a tunnel was excavated to mine the guano which was valuable as fertizlizer until it ran out.
We did the Classic Cave Tour. We had a guide -- very interesting -- and a loud talker. We walked about half a mile in 40 minutes We descended approximately six stories deep (363 stair steps. But we only saw a small part; there is a lot we didn't see. This is a big cave.
They also offer the "Ladder Tour" where for an hour and a half you climb ladders, squeeze through narrow passages, and clamber across rock bridges. You explore crazy, seldom seen sections of the Cave that have been limited to the public since the 1950s.
Finally, for the hard-core spleuker, there is the "Wild Cave Tour"! You follow in the footsteps of the early 19th century explorers and outlaws through rugged, unlit, unmarked, and rarely seen passageways that extend into the deepest, darkest corners of the Cave. This 3.5-hour full blast exploration is absolutely down-and-dirty caving!
