LIVING UNDER A ROCK

Spanish Climber Emerges From 500 Days of Isolation in a Cave

Beatriz Flamini called the experience “excellent, unbeatable.”

From time to time, all of us try to get some peace and quiet by putting our phones away or going out in nature, but one Spanish climber has taken detox to a whole new level. Beatriz Flamini returned to civilization Friday after potentially setting a world record by spending 500 days living alone in a cave in southern Spain, according to the Associated Press. Flamini, who was participating in a project meant to test human responses to living alone underground, made recordings of all of her experiences, which she periodically exchanged for food at a designated point. While in the cave, the intrepid Spaniard experienced something of a Rip van Winkle effect, saying she completely lost track of time and missed major world events such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Yet Flamini was in high spirits on leaving her underground home, calling the experience “excellent, unbeatable” and then asking to be excused so she could take her first shower in nearly a year and a half.