This is an incredible National Geographic piece on the exploration of the Priest’s Grotto, a cave system in the Ukraine where 38 Jews hid from the Nazis for nearly a year.
Once inside, Nicola marveled at not only the remarkable natural features of the cave but signs of human presence, including walls and old shoes and walls made of stones…
“It’s amazing,” Nicola told National Geographic News. “When I go into a cave I have special boots, because an ankle sprain deep in a cave could be serious business. I have special wicking underwear, so I don’t get hypothermia, a special suit, special gloves for gripping things. I have three independent light sources—that’s a standard rule. This is all for a day trip into a cave, and yet this is a situation where average people lived here for nearly a year.”…
(via Ambiguous)