Explorer Fixes Headlamp, Forgets To Look At Ground

Alone In The Dark

He reached the deepest, darkest pit of the cave and knew he’d finally discovered something that had never been seen by human eyes. When he realized the creatures breathed toxic gas, he started to panic.

But when he tugged on the rope and found it was slack, he was terrified.

Packed And Ready

Dr. Christian Lascu had waited his whole career for an expedition like this. The Movile cave in Romania was a rare find for a speleologist (cave expert) because it quickly became apparent that it had been sealed for a very long time.

Armed only with theories of what he might find inside, Christian packed for every eventuality. But with his backpack now full to the brim, Christian had to make some difficult choices. He decided to leave the spare rope behind.

Cave Of Wonders

When he arrived at the cave with his team, Christian dreamed of what he might discover. Similar expeditions into the depths of the ocean had yielded incredible discoveries of bizarre creatures that had evolved to survive near hydrothermal vents.

And today, he might encounter more uniquely-evolved ancient creatures on dry land. But if he knew what would happen once he got inside the cave, his excitement would have soon turned to dread.

Weather Warning

The excursion was almost called off due to the terrible storm the night before, but as the skies started to clear, Christian was relieved that he and his team would be able to rise early and head to the Movile cave – as long as they took care across the slippery rocks.

At the mouth of the cave, Christian took a long, deep breath of the fresh mountain air and smelled the rainwater. Excited, the explorers entered the pitch-black cave.

Lost World

Estimates suggested the cave had been sealed for 5 million years, meaning that if they did discover life inside, they could be looking at prehistoric creatures that wouldn’t seem out of place in a “Jurrasic Park” movie.

As he shuffled deeper into the narrow cave, his headlamp flickered. Christian had packed his old one because it was smaller than his more reliable new one. “Never mind,” he thought, knowing the rest of his team had better quality lighting.

“There’s no way I’m turning back now.”