caving!
well, not an official caving outing, but we were in one so that counts, right?! granted i was in new running tights and vest (not the onesie official suits my crazy friend e.bee sports) so i wasn't eager to slide through the tight spots, but i did get sufficiently muddy and had a ton of fun.
the caves - or really cave, as i believe it was one long one with a few entrances - was on top of montlake, near the town of sewanee. officially, it is called Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lee Carter Natural Area. there was a 2 mile hike to the caves and with the rainy conditions as of late, it was a bit treacherous (and tiresome after racing wauhatchie this morning), with lots of rocks surrounded by clay-like mud. the caves themselves were awesome! i'm not sure i've ever really been in one. maybe a small one that you peer into, but this was huge - the entrance (of Peter I believe) was apparently 80ft high and 100ft wide. we climbed down and once over a lip, headlamps were on as it was completely dark. not 1 fleck of natural light anywhere.
middle cave entrance
the creek is right behind me... hard to see though
what's supercool about this cave is that a river runs right through it! it was flowing fast too - definitely some class 2 stuff inside, and 3+ outside. i did get a bit nervous at times. ever since the race at fall creek falls (and that damn canyoneering section), i don't trust myself enough on slick rocks and the last thing i wanted to do was have an impromptu swim. we must have been inside 1-1.5 hrs exploring. unfortunately the high water levels forced us to make it a there & back trek. would be cool to go back and hike the whole thing when the creek is lower.
above: the end of today's trek
the caves - or really cave, as i believe it was one long one with a few entrances - was on top of montlake, near the town of sewanee. officially, it is called Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lee Carter Natural Area. there was a 2 mile hike to the caves and with the rainy conditions as of late, it was a bit treacherous (and tiresome after racing wauhatchie this morning), with lots of rocks surrounded by clay-like mud. the caves themselves were awesome! i'm not sure i've ever really been in one. maybe a small one that you peer into, but this was huge - the entrance (of Peter I believe) was apparently 80ft high and 100ft wide. we climbed down and once over a lip, headlamps were on as it was completely dark. not 1 fleck of natural light anywhere.
middle cave entrance
the creek is right behind me... hard to see thoughwhat's supercool about this cave is that a river runs right through it! it was flowing fast too - definitely some class 2 stuff inside, and 3+ outside. i did get a bit nervous at times. ever since the race at fall creek falls (and that damn canyoneering section), i don't trust myself enough on slick rocks and the last thing i wanted to do was have an impromptu swim. we must have been inside 1-1.5 hrs exploring. unfortunately the high water levels forced us to make it a there & back trek. would be cool to go back and hike the whole thing when the creek is lower.
above: the end of today's trek
the next 3 pics are standing in 1 spot.... creek exiting buggytop,
churning rapids, then the creek raging onward.
churning rapids, then the creek raging onward.
Labels: tn
posted by cathi at 11:41 PM
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