Contributing editor Jim Richardson is a photojournalist recognized for his explorations of small-town ... the cave before and always run into the same problem: it's dark inside.

Thick stands of stalagmites rise from moon-pale banks of sediment in the Drunken Forest ... a small speck in Deer Cave’s gaping mouth—nearly 500 feet high. Sunlight penetrates deep inside ...

Not from any beast or poisonous plants, snakes, or spiders, but instead by toxic air — something researchers in 2022 warned of in caves across the world. “This is a very small cave ...