This trip actually started three weeks earlier when I accepted Mark Turner's
invitation to accompany him and a "few" others to what was refered
to as a Xanadu class cave. Having seen Xanadu Cave in Fentress county, Tennessee,
I was eager to jump on board. There would, however, be dues to pay but not in
monetary terms. What I'm referring to is skin, from the knees that is. It seems
that mother nature has protected the lovely pretties in this cave with a 1500
ft long crawl which serves as a nerd filter.
Preparation immediately begun with the construction of a custom pack suited
for carrying all my gear including photography equipment. My conventional cave
pack would not permit efficient hauling through a 1500 ft crawl so I fashioned
a new experimental design in which the gear could be strapped to my chest not
unlike how a backup parachute is carried. This would permit use of both hands
for crawling. With that complete in addition to the usual considerations, all
that was required was the five hour plus drive to meet with the other cavers.
We all met at Mike Mosers home near Nashville on Friday evening, February 23,
1996. The weather that day was fabulous. This day was sunny with temperatures
in the mid seventy's. That evening we partied, showed cave slides and told big
cave tales. By the next morning most had arrived. A total of fourteen people
in all would be entering the cave on this day, truly a herd.
Gearing up at the car near noon, all of us enjoyed a warm sunny vista of the
beautiful Tennessee countryside. This day was as fine as the previous, almost
too good to go underground. Yet, the dark unknown of an unforgiving wilderness
beckoned our call. For, the only cure to boredom is ADVENTURE!
We file in thorough the fortified concrete bunker which was the gate, in a random
array, some having took longer to tie their shoes and perhaps catch a last swig
of water. Once inside the gate I stumbled around partially blind waiting for
the pupils to dilate. Others before me we out of sight down the passage. Hmmm,
wonder which way the went. My nose caught a familiar aroma. Ah, I know what
that is. I had better hurry. As I made my way down low wide passage I lost the
scent. I backed up and got back on the trail. On a small side lead off to the
left was a second gate. I squeezed through the tight meandering canyon following
it down a gradient to a hanging handline above the top of a ladder poking up
though a hole in the floor. Shakily, I made my way down the ladder to find a
large gathering of people chatting and passing around a register. Once all fourteen
had signed in, we were on our way.
We were all experienced cavers but some doubted we could make it to the good
stuff before we would have to head back. The land owner had expressed a desire
for us to be out by 9:00 p.m. and cavers universally desire to keep land owners
happy. I had experienced caving with a group this large only one other time.
It happened back, before I was a caver, on one of those Mammoth Cave "Wild"
tours. Seeing fourteen people strung down the long linear elliptical sections
of this cave was a sight to behold. Some times, however, we got too strung out.
Few of us knew the cave and there was concern that someone might become lost
in this thirty plus mile long system. John Cole reamed out Mark Turner on several
occasions because of the dizzying pace that we were maintaining. I know that
my heart was beating at it's 80 % max. rate for two hours straight. So much
for the twenty minuet aerobic workout. It felt good, though.
We did make it to the good stuff and it was worth it. We all oo'ed an ahh'ed
over snow white gypsum formations, some forming helical rope, others forming
long glistening ribbons. Other formations commanded such names as "The
Shepherds Beard". Near the end of a long enormous section of the cave were
piles of wispy cotton candy like gypsum formations unlike anything I have ever
seen. In order to get to these gems we were forced to walk down a narrow strip
splitting a forty foot wide passage which was completely covered with gypsum
formations. Formations within this passage are so dense that there are undoubtedly
ones that no-one will ever see. This being so because to get to them would destroy
many others.
We paused in a sandy area surrounded by gypsum flowers. Some snacked on cave
food while others took pictures. It wasn't long however before we had to head
out. We did manage to make it out on time. A clear starry night greeted us as
we emerged from this underground wilderness. Wealthier for the experience, I
consider the quarter size patch of knee skin a good trade for this adventure.
This Yankee would like to extend a heartfilled thanks to the Tennessee cavers
who showed us this really cool cave. I look forward to caving with those guys
again, hopefully real soon.
Steve