Last year I surprised myself by reading a book about ultramarathoning (Born to Run by Christopher MacDougall) and now I find I am equally surprised to have read a book which gives me shivers to even think about, Blind Descent by James M. Tabor.

Apparently, for the last couple of decades there has been a race to discover the deepest place on our planet. Bill Stone, a driven and brilliant American; and Alexander Klimchouk, another brilliant man though seemingly without the power-driven ego, from the Ukraine lead teams into supercaves more than 5,000 feet deep. Again, these men are not stupid; they both have doctorates in fields which support their drive to explore these vast and treacherous caves. They face dangers such as drowning (these caves are created by rivers pounding away at stone), burial from slides, asphyxiation, hypothermia, fatal falls, and poisonous gases. They may also have to contend with snakes, scorpions and rabid bates. And did you know that “Kitum Cave in Uganda is believed to be the birthplace of the ultragerm, the Ebola virus”? And let’s not forget the psychological toll; these cavers spend days and weeks, deep underground, without any light except the lamps they carry in with them.

As fascinating as this book was, I have to admit I never quite got to the point where I understood the “Why?” part of the equation. Stone feels that exploring supercaves for the deepest place on earth is akin to the first explorations of the ocean floor, climbing Mt. Everest or standing on the moon -- it is “exploration on the last great terrestrial frontier.” But the hazards Stone and Klimchouk faced and the deaths of their colleagues in cave exploration, do not quite balance the scale for me. And though I would never consider caving as a recreational hobby, I had a tough time putting this book down. ~Patti