15 minutes down US 31, I felt a sinking Oh Shit feeling. I pulled off and confirmed that I had indeed forgotten my helmet. It worked out; we were both about 10 minutes late. A couple hours later. we arrived in beautiful Wyandotte woods. I’d initiated plan B on the drive down. We soon found ourselves trekking up the ridge opposing our parking spot. We crested the ridge and dodged briars on our way to Little Wildcat Cave. The GPS said we were close so I got the entrance description out. Not 10 steps later, I saw springs emerging from the side of the ravine below us. We climbed and slid down to the scenic entrances of Little Wildcat Cave.
It was very strange to see a spring cave so high on the ridge. I really enjoyed the entrance area. Few caves that I know of in Indiana resemble a maze. The entrance to Little Wildcat was rather mazy. I entered the heavily fractured Beech Creek limestone entrance and crawled ahead though a clean limestone tube. I passed up a neat picture opportunity because it was difficult to turn once around inside the tube. The tube bent to the left and eventually we emerged in a parallel walking passage. The limestone walls were really neat and again very clean. We crawled through a hole in the opposing wall and eventually climbed through many intricately carved, protruding, limestone slices into larger passage. I photographed a bat covered in condensation here.
We joined the stream and the cave became much slicker and muddier. I often chimneyed between mud banks and had a fun time monkeying along. We occasionally climbed through and over breakdown, crawled, and stooped following the water upstream. Not far into the cave, the route became less obvious. I poked around in the breakdown and ducked under a rock shelf into the stream and squeezed through a dry slot to the right. I emerged into a small breakdown room and continued through a tight hole to the left. As I wormed through, I felt a slight weight on my legs and almost mindlessly passed a basketball size chunk of rock between my legs as if I was laying an egg. I’d reached the end though the Nate in me noticed digging potential. I retreated, finding an even tighter route back to the stream. I almost needed to try to remove the dry box from my side, but I managed to work my way through. The screech of scraping plastic was quite evident.
The map in my back pocket was still readable. I suspected we’d reached the end of the cave and quickly confirmed it on the map. It went by so fast! On the way out, I pointed out the bear wallow. As I was nearing the entrance, I slid into a side canyon wedging myself above the coon shit. I intended to let Justin and Joe pass so I could take a picture looking out the entrance but my curiosity got the better of me and I squeezed ahead through the tight canyon into a slightly larger perpendicular canyon parallel the entrance passage which led to a perpendicular horizontal stoop walk. I could see outside through a tiny hole. I took some pictures of what may have been a brown recluse spider and emerged out another entrance slightly higher up the hill. I felt a little air breezing by me as I was born into the daylight. To Wildcat Cave
Little Wildcat Cave
I really liked the ridge top spring entrances to Little Wildcat Cave. They really compliment the scenic hillside.
Justin and Joe get ready to enter the cave. According to the database, the fractured entrance rock is Beech Creek limestone.
Little Wildcat Cave
Joe emerges from the small mazy tube into walking passage. The limestone walls were quite beautiful in this area.
Little Wildcat Cave
Justin climbs through many blade-like projecting limestone arms into larger passage.
A close up of this small condensation covered bat.
Little Wildcat Cave
There were some neat passage profiles near the entrance of the cave.
Little Wildcat Cave
Joe and Justin chill while I take a couple pictures in the first walking area.