Hiking a Cave - September 2025

• Slovenia's Škocjan Cave

• How the Cave Formed

• Charlie Kirk

• Writer's Corner - Lady Lit Releases New Book

• Genesis Contest Update

  
  

Photos Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRzWDxGRIrw Map Credit: Earthstar Geographics

Slovenia's Škocjan Cave

We recently toured many of the countries that made up the former Yugoslavia under Josep Broz, better known as Tito. Slovenia was one of those countries, which became independent in 1991.

Slovenia shares a border with Austria and Italy. It’s a green, very prosperous country, that looks a lot like Switzerland. Small Alpine villages, all with a church, dot the mountain landscape.

In Slovenia we toured the breath-taking, Škocjan Cave. (Closest pronunciation: Scot-jan).

If you’re claustrophobic, or have visions of crawling around on your belly through narrow spaces with a headlamp, Škocjan Cave is nothing like that. It’s one of the largest caves in the world.

The underground Reka River flows through the cave, crashing with explosive force inside the underground canyon where it narrows. The river has reached heights of 430 feet during torrential rains, completely flooding the cave, which has a 330-foot-high ceiling.

Stunning formations in the cave glisten from the constant drip of water. Stalagmites (“g” for, up from the ground), and stalactites (“c” for, down from the ceiling), pillars, curtains, and waterfalls, all of them forever frozen in stone, as you make your way up and down the two-mile long trek with a guide.

Photos credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRzWDxGRIrw

HOW DID A CAVE LIKE ŠKOCJAN FORM?

Limestone forms in marine environments, mainly from corals and shells. That means there was a time when Slovenia was not only underwater, but part of an ocean. Since, I believe a universal flash flood once covered the Earth, the limestone probably formed during Noah's Flood.

If Noah's Flood makes you think about a bunch of cute animals floating around in a boat with a little gentle rain, think again. Even a small flood changes the landscape and can be horrific. Earlier this year, a single river, the Guadalupe, caused a flash flood in Texas that killed 136 people.

On a universal scale, Noah's Flood happened so fast and was so catastrophic that it changed the face of our planet in almost indescribable ways. "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life . . . all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. (Genesis 7:11 ESV). That sounds like a flash flood to end all flash floods!

The limestone that formed under Slovenia during the Flood, was then folded and uplifted to a height of 6000 feet. From the bottom of an ocean to 6000 feet! I don't know what kind of forces were required to lift a mountain range up 6000 feet, but they had to have been huge. The Earth must have literally trembled from forces like that. The Lord, "who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke! The waters stood above the mountains. The mountains rose, the valleys sank down . . ." (Psalm 104:32, 6, 8 ESV)

Today, mostly coniferous forest covers the uplifted limestone. The thick needle layer dropped by the trees retains water. This moisture combines with carbon dioxide from the air to create a weak acid. The acid dissolves the limestone and widens fractures in the rock. When enlarged, these areas become caves. The limestone also releases calcium carbonate which percolates into the enlarged areas creating the staggering formations found in the cave. If you ever visit Slovenia, Škocjan Cave is a must see.

CHARLIE KIRK

We were in Europe when we heard the news Charlie had been shot and killed. For us, it will forever be on September 11th, since we were 10 hours ahead of California. So many wonderful tributes have been written about this phenomenal young warrior for the Lord that I don't feel the need to say more.

For me, the loss of Charlie is a stand up call for believers: that Jesus Christ offers the only true peace in this world as well as answers to life's questions. Charlie's voice has not been silenced. It's louder now than ever.

WRITER'S CORNER

Linda Sammaritan is releasing, “The Song Awakens,” on October 8. It’s the first in a series of four about friends known as the, Cracked Quartet.

"The Song Awakens" is a fast read. It has lots and lots of dialogue, which we all love.

That aside, it explores real issues of a mother separated from her children, unresolved anger in marriage, and forgiveness. If those sound like heavy topics, they are. Yet, Linda handles them deftly, with humor and insight.

If you're looking for a popcorn read, this isn't it. If you want a story that will stay with you long after, make you think, and wonder what you would have done, this is for you. Highly recommended.

ACFW - GENESIS CONTEST

The top three finalists in the American Christian Fiction Writer's, Genesis Contest, Speculative Category were announced while we were in Europe. While I was not one of them, that I made it to the final eight was a blessing. It means industry professionals read, scored my work (80%), and offered comments to improve it. That made it more than worth entering.

Cynthia Zager Godwin - Copyright 2025