If you made an amazing discovery, would you be able to keep it a secret for 14 years. And, would you be able to wait 25 years before your discovery was available for the world to see? It would certainly take a lot of discipline and patience and that is exactly what a couple of cavers had when they discovered one of the most amazing natural discoveries of the (last) century.
left: Tenen and Tufts equipment used during the discovery.
In 1974,Gary Tenen and Randy Tufts entered a small sinkhole in Arizona to find a cave full of just about every kind cave formation possible. Realizing the value of their find and worried about vandalism and exploitation, they kept it a secret from even the owners of the land it was on for four years. It would then be another ten years before they approached the State of Arizona (in secrecy) about developing the cave into a state park. Worried about the news getting out, they even blindfolded the head of the state parks and drove a circuitous route to the site to show him what they had found.
above: Diagram of the cave system.
Tenen and Tufts felt such a responsibility to keep the site pristine, that they endured the time it took to do the extensive research and legal finagling needed to develop the site for the public to enjoy. 25 years and 35 million dollars later, it is really something to see.
Because of the changes in airflow, the addition of lights and traffic though the space when caves are opened to the public, the natural process of limestone formation is often disrupted and the formations die or cease to grow. That is exactly what the cavers were afraid of and why they spent so much of their lives working to avoid that outcome.
When we arrived, I was disappointed to find out that no photography was allowed. No bags, no extra clothing, no food, no, no, no, no… to everything. Even children under the age of 7 were not allowed to do the 1.5 hour tour. They limit the tours to small groups on a strict schedule and some areas of the cave are closed during part of the year for bats to give birth to their young.
Our small group was accompanied by a guide and two additional escorts. We would find out later why so many escorts were needed. We then went by tram from the visitors center to the entrance. We entered though an airlock door, resembling a bank vault door, to a chamber. Once in the chamber, we were instructed to remove our outer clothing (it was 35 degrees outside and 72 degrees inside with 99% humidity) and wrap the clothing around our waists securely with no parts flapping or hanging loose.
We then went through another airlock door to a misting room. We were then covered in a fine mist to keep lint from leaving our clothing and contaminating the cave. We encountered two more airlock doors before entering the cave.
The walkway was slightly elevated from the cave floor with curved edges to catch any dirt, lint and debris from the tourists and made for easy cleaning. Railings were available but we were instructed to keep all of our body parts on the inside of them.
Once the guide reviewed all of the rules and regulations, he took us through each part of the cave explaining how the flowing, seeping and dripping of water in combination with limestone, gypsum and other minerals develop the amazing formations we were seeing. The stalactites, stalagmites, fried eggs, soda straws, shields, flow stones, columns and helictites were magnificent. Many of the formations took thousands of years to form. One soda straw (pinky finger in diameter) hanging from the ceiling reached a length of 21 feet long! We oohed and aahed all the way through and could see why they were so meticulous about maintaining the fragile cave.
left: Soda Straws
The guide would turn on special lights in each area and turn them off immediately as we passed so the lights would not produce heat or promote the development of algae. One woman sneezed during the tour and the Hippygeek noticed one of the escorts marking the area with a red tag, we guessed, for special cleaning later.
Knowing the stringent rules, the Hippygeek had kept a hand on the Lil’ Dude the whole time so that he wouldn’t accidentally get into trouble. Then, close to the end of the tour, it happened. I heard the Hippygeek fussing at the Lil’ Dude for hanging on the railing. In the dim lighting, I could just barely make out the Lil’ Dude slumping to the floor, completely out cold!
right: A hologram of a “fried egg” formation.
He had left his sweater on and evidently had gotten overheated in the balmy cave. Realizing what was happening, one of the escorts ran from the back of the group pulling a one gallon zip lock bag from her fanny pack and thrust it toward his face just in time to catch his projectile vomit. While he continued to fill the bag, we were quickly (and kindly) escorted from the cave.
left: “Turnip” formation.
Once outside, he began to revive, an incident report was filled out and we were driven by tram back to the visitors center. The staff were all very kind and helpful but I imagine they were all FREAKING OUT! They probably even quarantined the area and brought in a special “hazmat” (hazardous materials) team after our visit to be sure that the area was free of contaminants.
All I could think of was the 25 years worth of effort that Tenen and Tufts put into this amazing place and how one small boy almost changed it forever. But, thanks to their careful planning and well trained staff, the cave will carry on in it’s pristine state for a while longer.
above: Helictites
“… the water and stone continue their artistry. Ninety perent of the cave is alive and it’s formations are still growing.” Randy Tufts
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