Caving in Minnesota. It's a thing!

Minnesota may be known for its lakes, but for geologist and author Greg Brick, the real action is taking place underground.  Greg has spent decades researching and exploring the hundreds of caves that have been discovered in our state, and he recently released the first major book on the topic in fifty years.

Greg's book lead us on an adventure of our own, exploring caves in Hastings and the St. Croix River Valley. Many of the caves are accessed through public lands, but it's essential to visit them with an experienced guide and the proper permissions.

As Greg showed us, caves in Minnesota are a place where geology and culture meet, and there is often tension between Minnesotans of European decent and Native Cultures stemming from how we name, talk about and interact with these caves.  This tension actually lead us to cancel plans to explore a St. Paul cave referred to as both Carver's Cave and Wakan Tipi. This cave, which was partially destroyed by railroad blasting in the 1880s, represents a spiritual center for native cultures, and as we learned, it would be disrespectful to enter the space with modern video gear.

Other caves feature less prominently in native creation stories, but have been notable in recent industrial efforts, from refrigerating beer and grain, to providing clean drinking water.

Mr. Brick encourages people to get out and do their own exploring.  Just be ready to meet some cave residents you might not expect.  (Spoiler alert: there are spiders.)