By Mckenzie Vandevander
Sixth-grader at North Fork Elementary
Sixth- and fifth-grade students from North Fork Elementary School traveled Sept. 29 to Experience Learning on Spruce Knob to experience exploring a cave, Sinks of Gandy.
Classmates shared their favorite parts of the cave. One of the classmates said that sound of the calming water was her favorite part, and one of the fifth graders said that his favorite part was where they saw the sun reflect on the water near the creek.
Fifth-grade students only went half way through the cave. The sixth graders explored the entire cave twice, having gone through quickly the first time.
Students had many new experiences throughout the cave. They went through two holes, the Lemon Squeeze and the Wormhole. The students also saw many creatures throughout the cave like salamanders, fish, and crawdads. The sixth graders got to swim out both times and play in the creek.
Exploring the cave was a fun and learning experience. Students learned how the stalagmites and stalactites form in caves. It takes more than 190,000 years to form one of them, and they grow less than 10 cm every thousand years.
