Paul Burger began caving in 1985 as a high school student involved in the Colorado Springs Parks and Recreation Department. Most of his early caving involved exploring and mapping caves in Colorado and New Mexico, most notably Lechuguilla Cave in Carlsbad Caverns National Park. His continued mapping and exploration in Lechuguilla Cave helped make it the one of the longest caves in the world at over 115 miles and the deepest limestone cave in the United States.
Paul was instrumental in the discovery of Southern Comfort, a major extension to Wind Cave, South Dakota, and has been involved in the exploration of a major extension to Jewel Cave, South Dakota.
After finishing both his bachelor’s and master’s degree in geology at the Colorado School of Mines, Paul went to work for Carlsbad Caverns National Park where he served as the park geologist-hydrologist for more than ten years. He is now the Regional Hydrologist for the Alaska Region of the National Park Service. He continues to be involved in Lechuguilla exploration and has recently been part of several international caving expeditions to Mexico and China. Paul also co-authored Deep Secrets, a book on the discovery and exploration of Lechuguilla Cave.
Books by Paul Burger
Cave Exploring – the Definitive Guide to Caving Technique, Safety, Gear, and Trip Leadership. A great beginner’s guide to caves, caving, and safety that will help you get started in this fantastic activity.
Deep Secrets: The Discovery and Exploration of Lechuguilla Cave is the story of how a small, dusty cave in the desert of New Mexico became one of the most heralded cave discoveries of the 20th century. This narrative tale, written for the caver and non-caver alike, describes in detail the struggle to explore the first fifty miles of what is now the fifth longest cave in the world and the second deepest limestone cave in the United States.