Have you ever been in a place that is utterly and completely dark?
Asked by
Jeruba (
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September 14th, 2021
You don’t know dark until you’ve been in a place that truly has no light at all.
I visited the Lackawanna Coal Mine in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The mine is no longer worked for coal. Instead they take visitors down. After the guide took us through the features of the place—really pretty hard to believe in their own right—she cut the switch, and we were in total, absolute, suffocating darkness.
It’s not something I’ll forget.
Have you ever had an experience like that? What did you think? Tell us.
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16 Answers
Yes. In a cave. Same thing.
Merame Caverns
This is where I learned how to know and spell stalagmites (g in the word tells me it is from the ground) and stalactites (c in the word tells me it is from the ceiling).
I napped in the church sanctuary. Was awesome.
Like @Dutchess_III we were caving and when you turned off your helmet light the darkness was incredible .
Inside a old zinc mine in Nevada.
Once inside an Ore mine in Northern Minnesota
Once in Lubec Maine when there was a New Moon on a cloud covered night. It was pitch black like the black hole of calcutta
Yes, part of a local cave tour they take you to a part and shut off the lights so you can experience complete darkness. Years ago it was no joke. I bet now with everyone’s smart watches and stuff it’s not so dramatic.
Yes. When I was a kid my grandparents took my sister and I to Moaning Caverns in Vallecito, CA. There was a long staircase that depended down a deep vertical shaft. at one point they announced they would turn out the lights and I experienced true pitch blackness. It’s very eerie not to see your hand in front of your face.
I guess this only happens in caves and mines. I experienced it in Mercer Caverns.
I had to deliver newspapers once in the early morning when there was no moon, the power was out, and the sky was overcast. Riding my bike down the street, I had to really concentrate to see power poles and trees along the streets, which I could barely make out. And I had to remember correctly the layout of the street so that I wouldn’t crash into anything, like sidewalks, cars, fences, etc., because I could not make out A THING below the skyline. Any objects silhouetted against what sky I could make out, could only be seen if I was within 20–30 feet of the top of that object.
It was harrowing to ride along not knowing if anything was in front of me, always waiting for the next recognizable object to loom out of the night. And then make all the correct turns!
There was a time when I went blind for several minutes. It was frightening.
I used to go wild caving. We always turned out the lights for a minute to give newbies the experience of sitting in a completely dark environment. I have also been in many tourist caves and mines. in the tours, they always turn off the lights for a minute to give people a chance to experience total darkness.
i’ve been in a totally dark place many times.
Prior military (US Navy). The destroyers I used to serve on used minimal exterior lighting at night, at sea. From the decks the only thing seen was pitch blackness.
The average Rep/con mind set.
A firm I worked at a few years ago. Dark and Toxic
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