Down And Dirty In Mamonth Cave

Down & Dirty In Mamonth Cave

by Erin Elmore

Publication Date: July 1998

I thought it was odd that they would pack us on a bus to travel to the cave entrance. That feeling worsened when our guide unlocked a huge metal door to enter the cave. This was, after all, a Wild Cave Adventure at Mammoth Cave National Park in Cave City, KY. We had been outfitted with kneepads, helmets and headlamps. Pete, my partner, and I were enthusiastic with the promise of adventure as we were warned of the inherent danger in crawling, climbing, squeezing, and crossing chasms. As avid rock climbers we were excited to find a new adventure that involved those elements we loved.

Groups were limited to twelve to ensure group safety and quick travel time. We had six and one half-hours including time for lunch to travel five miles underground. We entered the cave at 9:00 a.m. and wouldn't see daylight again until 2:30 that afternoon.

The adventure started out harmless enough. As soon as Greg, our guide, shut the door behind him, we were met with our first taste of darkness. We turned on our headlamps and headed down the tunnel until we reached a fork. Greg asked us to decide which way to go. As half the group suggested right and the other headed left, Greg pointed to a small hole in the wall behind him and said "This way." How could I fit through a twelve-inch hole in the wall? Pete and I looked at each other and squeezed our way through the tiny hole. When we got to the other side we were met with a room the size of a two-story house. We were in disbelief that this room existed in the other side of such a small tunnel, but the size of the room was only the first wonder of the day.

We met in a circle once everyone was through to discuss how we felt about the squeeze. Greg assured us it would only get harder. We had been warned of the physical dangers and tight squeezes of the trip (no adventurer could be larger than forty-two inches in diameter anywhere on their body). The dangers of asthma, heart problems, and claustrophobia were also discussed. If one person freaked half way through the trip and refused to continue, the entire group had to surface.

Of the twelve members of our group only four were female. I was as guilty as the men were in looking hard at the other women to drive home my intent to finish this tour. Once we sized each other up, we agreed we could continue.

After introductions we were on our way again. Greg kept a steady pace to make good time. If we didn't meet certain checkpoints on time, park authorities were alerted. I was glad I had worn jeans and heavy gloves as we shimmied our way across jagged rock on our bellies. At times the squeeze was so tight I was forced to turn my head sideways to fit through the tunnel. Some tunnels were wide, up to five feet, but were only six to seven inches tall. Although I don't suffer from claustrophobia, I felt fear as I realized I was the length of several football fields under ground. If you think about the squeeze you will lose courage. It's best to expel those thoughts from your mind as they enter.

Each new room presented wonders better than the last. We saw stalactites and stalagmites - formations formed by years of mineral deposits from dripping water. One especially strenuous crawl led to an enormous room that held a magnificent waterfall. Still another held an underground river.

We emerged into the snowball dining room for lunch. The room looked as if thousands of snowballs were stuck to the ceiling. Walking tours dined here in the full service cafeteria, but we had been encouraged to pack a small, light lunch and water in a fanny pack. Water is crucial, but keep your pack light. Remember that what you take in leaves with you, and as things get tighter, extra baggage gets tough to carry. Here we were asked again if we wanted to continue. This was the point of no return. Once past this point, the only way out was the way we were headed. Everyone agreed to continue and we went on.

The last part of the trip proved the most strenuous. We investigated a series of canyons that included Cathedral Domes - a series of beautiful, vertical shafts. These canyons led to chasms several feet wide. We crossed by resting our feet on a small ledge and leaning across with our hands pushing against the wall. They were so deep my lantern's light couldn't reach the bottom. As we moved sideways across the chasm, we knocked small stones into the darkness and listened for what seemed an eternity to hear them hit bottom.

Once across the chasms we were again forced to use our ability to flatten ourselves to the thickness of a pancake. I felt the guide was wrong in telling us extensive crawling would be involved on the trip. A more appropriate word would be "slither." I used muscles I didn't even know I had. The normal world doesn't often call for slither muscles.

We ended the trip by climbing about fifteen feet into a part of the cave called Frozen Niagara. Thousands of years of dripping water have formed this breathtaking phenomenon that looks like a frozen waterfall. Our emergence from a small hole in the ground startled a group of about thirty members of a walking tour. It was the first time we had seen handrails and lighted paths all day. We were covered in dirt from a day of crawling, wearing helmets and headlamps, and looked as if we hadn't showered in days. They stopped moving and starred at us. Not only were we dirty, but we were on the forbidden side of the handrail.

The adventure was exciting, memorable, and well worth the trip. I learned safe cave techniques, cave geology, cave mapping and the history of Mammoth Cave. The park is accessible via I-65 and is approximately 100 miles south of Louisville and 100 miles north of Nashville. The Wild Cave Tour is offered on weekends year-round with weekdays added during summer months.