Many things go wrong when a human spends months alone in a dark cave. Time stills and the body’s rhythms go awry.
Sleep withers to a few hours a night, and menstruation may come to a halt. Enthralling stories, like that of Spanish climber and cave-dweller Beatrice Flamini's, shed light on what motivates someone to become a cave dweller.
On April 14, Flamini emerged from a cave in the country after spending a record 500 days isolated underground, save for a “technical problem” that forced her to bivouac for eight days on the surface, in a tent. Life underground had taken on its own rhythm of reading, drawing and knitting woolen hats, and taking care of her personal needs. She left her waste at a no-contact collection point and received food in return.
Released from her grotto, she first asked who would pay for a round of celebratory beers.
“I ...
