Cave of Bones by Lee Berger & John Hawks

Author:Lee Berger & John Hawks [Berger, Lee & Hawks, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Disney Book Group
Published: 2023-08-08T00:00:00+00:00

“You really don’t,” I said.

“I know.” He smiled. “But I’m not missing the chance to take a camera down there with you.”

John Hawks

On the day of my attempt, I woke up at five in the morning and began getting ready. I pulled on the long hiking skinsuit I wore while caving, then my jumpsuit. I spent half an hour checking batteries for my helmet light and the other gear I would be taking in my backpack. I laid out the rest of my equipment and checked each device before packing it: a small humidity and temperature monitor, a powerful UV flashlight, two smartphones (wrapped in bubble packaging) to use as recording devices, a fully charged power bank, charging cords, a lightweight spotlight, my trusty Mickey Mouse watch, and a water bottle.

I sat down on the bed to lace up my calf-high British Army boots, given to me by a friend more than a decade ago. I had made hundreds of trips underground in them. Once I was done, I sat on the bed and looked about the room. I still had half an hour before I was supposed to meet John and Agustín for breakfast, so I stared at the walls of the B&B and tried to think positive thoughts.

My mind went to Jackie, probably just waking up to head to work at the hospital. I thought about Megan and Matthew. Megan would be in class in Gatton, Australia, where she was enrolled as a veterinary student, and Matt would likely be finishing up a production day on his latest movie—he was in a film program at the University of Southern California. I still hadn’t told any of them what I was about to do. We are an extremely close family, but I knew they would raise their eyebrows at the prospect of me making this attempt. I had enough doubts about my ability to get through the Chute. A small part of me knew that it probably wouldn’t take much for a close family member to talk me out of it.

For more than eight years I had been telling the world I would never get into Dinaledi. I had said that directly into the cameras recording the original expedition. And I had joked at almost every public lecture that my ego alone was too big to fit through the Chute, much less my body. In a way, it was how I treated my own disappointment with myself. The Dinaledi Chamber had changed my life, but I thought I would never go down there. Until now.

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