Day 8 by Abby and Zoe

 Day 8 (4/3) -- By Abby and Zoe 

There’s something peaceful about darkness – true darkness, not the kind that we see every evening as the sun falls below the horizon, as we lay in bed trying to sleep at night, or even as we slept under the stars on the beach. There is a type of darkness that is all encompassing, a type that we rarely – if ever – experience in our normal lives. On our DIT (Down Island Trip) adventure, we were lucky enough to experience this rare form of peace.

Taking a much needed break from the scorching Bahamian sun, our group headed down into the comfortable coolness of a natural cave. After a brief introduction to various mineral formations (such as stalactites, stalagmites, columns, iron veining, and – our favorite – cave bacon), we ventured deeper into the mile-long tunnel. Scribbled across the cave walls and illuminated by our headlamps were the legacies of past explorers, dating as far back as 1810. In addition to the human writings on the walls, geological history surrounded us, each mineral formation taking over 100 years to grow a single centimeter. Some of the formations we passed reached from floor to ceiling, illustrating the deep history of the cave and capturing the stories of Earth’s drastic transformations through several millennia. Once enveloped in these layers of history, we sat down and took a moment to pause. Then, we turned off our lights.

Although sitting in an offshoot of a large, unfamiliar cave may seem scary, especially with complete, quiet darkness, we welcomed the absence of our senses and let the silence fill our minds. It was a loud silence; although we were deprived of our typical awareness, the weight of the past week and a half came into perspective. We were able to detach ourselves from our physicality and be present, to lean into the peace.

With a lack of huge caves underneath the city of Seattle, the opportunity for complete darkness is less achievable; however, we can still take the time to pause, reflect, and appreciate.



Dish Crew 




The very narrow strip of land separates the Atlantic Ocean and the Bahamas Banks  


The Atlantic Ocean

 A Titanic moment 









The Math teacher should be very pleased! 


Cave exploration 




Cave entrance 





Camping on the beach 











Dinner out 







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