Lydia Poppen (left) is Lead Park Ranger at Jewel Cave National Monument, and she provided our group with a nice summary of how the 100 caves throughout the Black Hills were etched into the limestone layers. "Water is the primary artist of caves in the Black Hills," she said, adding that people who have an interest in caving can visit the local cave grotto on the web at: http://www.pahasapagrotto.org.

This is a close-up of a bats diagnosed with White Nose Syndrome. It's a fungus that has afflicted hundreds of thousands of bats in the eastern United States. The problem was first discovered about two years ago, but it has grown like topsy, necessitating the closure of hundreds of caves in 33 states. While the fungus is not thought to be a problem for humans, it is believed that humans may be contributing to the spread of the disease as cavers travel from cave to cave. More information is available from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region.

About 45 minutes after we departed the parking area, we arrived at Ice Cave. We've since discovered that there are many Ice Caves across the country. As caves go, this is a small one -- but very interesting. We understand this cave has been a popular destination for Custer area residents for decades. One of our group said the cave was a favorite getaway for teenagers -- and he also recalled that many Fourth of July celebrants would picnic at Ice Cave -- making ice cream on site!

After a good long hike, the cool cave felt pretty good, and one could feel the chill and dampness as you stepped down toward the cave. Although we probably could all have fit in the cave at once, the slippery rocks on the floor of the cave made it a bit hazardous -- requiring a bit of caution. Only about a third of the group was in the cave at any one time.

I used the flash of my Canon Rebel to illuminate as much of the cave as I could, but -- as you can see -- the cavern readily swallowed up the light. We've not explored a South Dakota cave since touring Wind Cave nearly 50 years ago. This was a great experience, and I do believe I'm sufficiently pumped to start planning a trip to Jewel Cave one day soon!

If you look closely, you can see the trace of ice that covers a low-lying spot on the cave floor.

My granddaughter, Tessa, discovered these water droplets on an overhead rock. I'm not certain if it's condensation or -- indeed -- a bit of water seepage into the cave.

Alas, this is not an image from our foray into the cave -- but it's reputedly a solid column of ice that grew from the floor to the roof of Ice Cave at a cooler time of the year. This is a sight that would justify a late fall or winter expedition back to the cave.

This hole in the bottom of the cave may well be where the base of an ice column has stood. We didn't ask Ranger Phillips about it, but we hope to get some explanation in the near future.

After about 10 minutes in the cave, one -- at least this one -- can get to feel just a little claustrophobic. And it was damp. And it was cool. Next time I'll wear waterproof boots and a lined jacket -- particularly if visiting in the fall. I had left the jacket in the car, since -- as you can see by the attire of many hikers -- it was a fairly warm evening. Time to start winding our way out of the cave.