Plunging into darkness beneath the Oregon high desert

Ken Siegrist crawls on his belly through the dirt. His neck contorts as he pushes through a constriction of basalt that seems moments away from crushing his skull. There is no natural light. Best to not think about the scorpions spotted on the way in.

“You get in a cave and it seems the darkness eats the light immediately, right out of your lens,” Siegrist says.