From my camp journal

Today we got to explore a cave at camp. It was wonderful and fun. We started hiking through an oak and hickory forest with redbuds and pawpaws in the understory. We crossed a small stream running on tiered layers of ancient limestone. As we ascended through the forest on the other side of the stream, suddenly an impressive cavern yawned out of the green hill in front of us. A smaller rivulet, home to some black and gray salamanders, trickled out of the cave. We saw deer hoof prints and knew we weren't the only ones who visited that cave. We strapped on helmets and headlights and squelch-squirted into the muddy entrance.

As we started, we went through wide rooms and ample hallways, led by the lights we all held tight in our hands and on our heads. Soon, there were significant narrows. We had to kneel, and then belly-crawl to get through. At one point, our leader (Brother Victor Smith) had us turn off all our lights and try to see our hands in front of our faces. We were amazed at the total darkness. I kept seeing phantom light--memories of the cavern we had paused in--and noticed when we turned the lights on how little of the actual terrain I could recreate in my head. I had the general idea, but would have been soon lost if I had tried to strike out on my own with the lights withdrawn.

Brother Smith told us we should think of the cave as the world and the light as the gospel. How much harder would it be to navigate the cave/world without the light from our flashlight/Savior? We are so blessed to have that light and to be able to call upon it whenever we need!

We turned our lights back on and helped each other through several more climbs and crawls before reaching a small "mud room" that had been flooded by this spring's rains. Then we turned around and wound our way back out the way we had come--finding ourselves covered with mud, but happy to have made the trip in and out safely and all together.