Photo by @renan_ozturk // words by @m_synnott as part of the July 2017 issue @natgeo article called #TheLastHoneyHunter. Search "honey hunter ng" to read the whole thing. ~ Three hundred feet in the air, Mauli Dhan dangles on a bamboo rope ladder, surveying the section of granite he must climb to reach his goal: a pulsing mass of thousands of Himalayan giant honeybees. They carpet a crescent-shaped hive stretching almost six feet below a granite overhang. The bees are guarding gallons of a sticky, reddish fluid known as mad honey, which, thanks to its hallucinogenic properties, sells on Asian black markets for $60 to $80 a pound—roughly six times the price of regular Nepali honey. ~ @jetbutterflies @ben_knight @sadiequarrier @taylorfreesolo @climber.abiral @irving_matthew A post shared by National Geographic (@natgeo) on Aug 4, 2017 at 5:35pm PDT
Photo by @salvarezphoto It's called Fantastic Pit. An almost 600 foot deep shaft, it bores through the heart of Pigeon Mountain in North Georgia. Descending into the darkness you watch the walls go by and hear the zing of rope as you head deeper. The ceiling and walls far out of reach of your headlamp. It's an experience like no other I've ever had. Follow @salvarezphoto for more. Shot on assignment for @natgeo #cave A post shared by National Geographic (@natgeo) on Aug 5, 2017 at 5:27am PDT
