After many low ceilings, dangerously steep drops, and impossible climbs, with a running creek on both sides which eroded through millennia the many opened knife-like slices that weighed tons, rock crevices, steep drops, and stairs into a hole of 600 feet partly underneath the parking lot, I decided that the parking lot above the deep hole in the ground carved by constant running water, was much safer.
A lot of electrical wiring in the cavern was running along and underneath large rocks and boulders. The excellent female guide explained that the seismologists in the U.S. are monitoring from this cave any seismic activity caused by earthquakes or possibly North Koreans testing a nuclear bomb.
I must admit that her explanation gave me the creeps, almost as much fear as the guide in the Domitila’s Catacombs near Mount Vesuvius in Naples, Italy, when the guide said that the volcano is slated to erupt that year. Even the vicious mosquitos in the catacombs did not take my mind off the potential of being buried alive in that very instant. Yet my husband talked me into visiting the Catacombs a second time on a separate visit.
The dim light in the Tuckaleechee Caverns gave me vertigo and a feeling of slight nausea unlike any other I have had in a cave. I watched in horror every side, imagining how I might slip on the wet rocks, and slide on either side, should I pass out from the vertigo. The tiny handrails, just barely tall enough for children to hold on to, did not help much.
I was constantly unsure which part of my body I should watch for first, my feet, because the floor was trippy and slippery, or my head, that was constantly barely missing low hanging, slicy sharp rocks that could have knocked me out or decapitated me.
I am not scared of tight spaces, and I was not hyperventilating. The air was cool, 58-degree Fahrenheit, a welcome respite from the 97 F above ground with very high humidity.
I turned around from the group when they went to see the underground creek’s waterfall because the young guide said she was going to turn the lights off in the tight space after the group got situated, so we can see how pitch black it is in a cave. I have imagination, I did not need demonstration in such a perilous environment, so I turned halfway down the steep steps, I was not going any further.
I sat on a wet rock for 15 minutes and they did not come back. Nobody returned and I could not hear any human voices nor any echoes, just the water around me drip-dripping from stalactites onto the floor or stalagmites. It was quite lonely, and I felt abandoned, so I made the executive decision to return to the top by myself. How hard can it be to follow the same path that we took? There were lights everywhere but also pathways that we did not take where I could have gotten lost, I suppose.
My husband said that the group was not there for 15 minutes. The attendant above said the stay in that chamber with the waterfall lasts 20 minutes. Both could be right. I do know that I have the patience of a mosquito but to me it seemed like an eternity and my right hand was getting too cold for comfort in the 58-degree temperature underground. After the balmy 97 degree above ground, 58 F seemed like freezing now.
So, I decided to go back through the steep cave, a 600 ft. deep hole in the ground crisscrossed by the Silver Creek which formed a waterfall where the group was. I made it outside although I could have visited another part of the cave, but I did not feel like getting lost and having the cave rescue team look for a crochety lady missing in the damp and slippery cave. The guy at the top looked at me like I had emerged from the Twilight Zone since I was alone. Hubby was mad at me for an hour or so but got over it.
In my mind, I could see, hear, and sense your experience, in the cave! Thank you for sharing and for allowing comments. Tuckaleechee Caverns is about an hour, or 45 miles, south of where my wife and I live. I don't know why my wife and I haven't had the experience, since it's so close.
ReplyDeleteIn high school, the preacher, of the church, where we attended, and his adult son took several of us teenage boys, to explore various caves. The caves were definitely off the beaten path. The preacher found folks, who had caves on their properties. The owners gave him permission, to take us exploring!
I remember crawling and squeezing through tight rock formations, seeing bats, crawling through bat dung, and having to duck my head. The rock formations, however, were magnificent. I remember one huge cavern, with an stream running through it. We met Big Foot, in that cavern -- if you can believe me or not.
Once, while exploring, we found a funnel-shaped opening that spiraled downward. Being the most wiry guy, I volunteered to edge down that increasingly narrow spiral, to see what was below. As I edged, tighter and tighter, downward, I starting to hear water. Edging down as far as I could, thankfully, my elbows and hands held me. My legs and feet danged in the air, above the swiftly moving underground river! I managed my way back up the funnel. I told the rest of the group that we'd better not go down that way -- unless we wanted to go swimming!
If your husband and you venture near this neck of the woods, you may want to explore Norris Dam State Park or House Mountain (in Knox County, TN). My website and podcast channel include several articles and a few podcasts, about my hikes in both parks. If you'd like a local guide, please contact me. I'd be glad to be your tour guide! My wife could join us, for Norris Dam, but she won't hike House Mountain with me anymore. She fell five times, on her last hike on House Mountain with me. She got mad, but she got over it.
Thank you for the offer. I will sure let you know when we venture in those parts again. We liked the area very much even though I am a beach person. I can't say I blame your wife for not going again hiking House Mountain if she fell five times. It sounds like a challenging hike.
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