On Saturday, November 20, 2021 – a time when the world was still in the grip of the Covid pandemic and three months before Russia invaded Ukraine – elite sportswoman and extreme mountaineer Beatriz Flamin entered a cave outside Granada. She was determined to learn more about how the human mind and body can deal with extreme solitude and deprivation through her extended solitude in the cave, a part of the “Timecave” project.
Monitored by a team of scientists from universities across Spain who kept in touch with her through special, limited messaging technology, the 50-year-old athlete is now thought to have broken the world record for the longest time a person has spent alone in a cave. (However, there has not yet been confirmation from Guinness World Records as to whether there actually is a record for a voluntary time living in a cave.)
After spending these 500 days alone in a dark cave over 70 meters below ground without knowledge of the world above ground, she finally reentered the world on April 14. Flamini said she passed the time calmly and purposefully by exercising, reading, drawing, painting, and knitting. She stated, “I was where I wanted to be, and so I dedicated myself to it.” For her, the trick was living and focusing on the present: “I’m cooking; I’m drawing … You have to be focused. If I get distracted, I’ll twist my ankle. I’ll get hurt. It’ll be over and they’ll have to get me out. And I don’t want that.” During her prolonged stay in the cave, she managed to keep fit, read over 60 books, and use two of her cameras to record her experiences for a prospective documentary.
Despite the extended solitude, Flamini said she was never tempted to hit the panic button she was given. She even persevered through a fly invasion, which left her covered in bugs. While in the cave, the extreme athlete also experienced “auditory hallucinations” and during her post-isolation press conference, she needed assistance standing up while speaking with reporters due to balance issues.
Despite this, Flamini was thrilled by the experience, calling it “excellent” and “unbeatable.”
“You have to remain conscious of your feelings,” Flamini said. “If you’re afraid, that’s something natural but never let panic in or you get paralyzed.”
Bibliography:
Jones, Sam. “Spanish woman emerges after spending 500 days living alone in cave.” The Guardian, 14 April 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/14/spanish-woman-emerges-after-spending-500-days-living-alone-in-cave. Accessed 16 April 2023.
Wright, George. “Beatriz Flamini: Athlete emerges after 500 days living in cave.” BBC, 14 April 2023, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65276888. Accessed 16 April 2023.