The feeling of thousands of pounds of rock bearing down upon me took away my sense of openness. The air was warm and thick. It smelled as salty as the ocean tastes. Everything would have been pitch black if it wasn’t for a few built in lights along the walkway. Echoes could be heard over all the hushed voices. This was my initial impression of Kartchner Caverns, a cave in southern Arizona.

Looking all around me I could see parts of the cave stretching to the floor and reaching towards the ceiling. I found myself thinking of the sudden silence. As if the cave could read my thoughts, loud echoes roared throughout the cave. I heard low voices murmuring, but the their words were slurred and barley audible, as I drifted slowly into my own little world. I stared around in awe. Throughout the cave I had seen many cave formations such as stalagmites, stalactites, and straws. My favorite formation was the fifty-eight foot tall column at the end of the tour. A column is the result of a stalagmite and a stalactite forming together. There was a light show too and that helped us see more of the cave. After the light show the tour was over and we were headed out. My eyes were misty and damp as everybody was heading back the other way, but I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to stay forever and watch the beauty, but I rejoined the group and silently said my valediction.