The Little Trailer Project: Mystery Cave

By: Zoe

Friday night we stayed at an adorable little camp ground in Minnesota. It was small, quiet, family owned, and we got a spot right on the creek! That evening I sat down on a moss covered rock and watched the fireflies waltz with their reflections over the gurgling moonlit creek. My only problem with having a spot right next to the creek is that you wake up at least four times a night having to pee. After the mostly peaceful sleep at Maple Springs Campground we headed over to Forestville Mystery Cave State Park to check out the cave and stuff. I honestly expected the cave to be much more boring than it actually was, it turned out of be pretty exciting. Before the official start of the tour our guide explained to us about White Nose Syndrome which is currently affecting the bats. The disease is spread from bat to bat or by soil, which is why we had to walk across the “Mats of Cleanliness” which were big pads soaked in Woolite. On the way down to the cave there were red lines painted on the cement with dates of floods. The lines showed different heights of the flood waters. We entered the first room of the cave through a big heavy steel flood door into a corridor that had smooth walls and floors of cement. Once inside the guide gave us the expected lecture about not touching anything and whatnot. After the little speech she answered a couple of questions and we headed into the actual thing. Inside the cave the temperature dropped dramatically and so did my jaw. I expected it to be hotter than normal considering the fact that we were 135 ft. closer to the earth’s center than normal, however, the temperature was around 46°! I couldn’t believe all of the amazing variety of rock structures. Some looked smooth and silky, while others looked bumpy. At one part of the tour we got to see what the cave looked like without any lights. It was so dark you couldn’t tell whether your eyes were open or closed. At the very end we got to see the Turquoise Lake. At 10 ft. deep it was small for a lake but big for a puddle. Something about the way the glossy surface reflected it’s surroundings, the magical lighting from below, and a greenish blue tinge gave the lake a hypnotizing appearance. The amazing feeling of being 135 ft. underground is one I will never forget!