Alan Cressler, Matt Kalch, Doug Strait

I really enjoyed this cave even though my light was barely emitting light due to dead batteries (my good set of batteries were left in Ryan’s truck and now on their way to Indiana).  The pit was really nice and the canyon passage at the bottom was quite spectacular.  This cave has been closed for a very long time but the land is currently for sale so we got special permission from the realtor through Tom Gilliland to visit the cave and check to see if there potential for commercialization  (which was mainly an excuse just to visit since we already knew it had little commercial potential :).  It’s laughable that the owners are trying to use to cave to increase their sale.  They’ve even made a very rough trail up to the cave entrance.  If anything, the cave is a liability.  It certainly doesn’t make the land more valuable for sale. 

E1 is located in a large, 35’ diameter sinkhole which slopes down 25’ to the exposed Bangor limestone wall 15’ high x 35’ wide.  E1 is located at the bottom right of the sink (when facing the Bangor wall).  E1 is 9’wide x 6’ high, elevation 880.  Inside the cave, descend down a breakdown slope for 45’ where the passage is 15’ wide and 8’ high.  Descend further down the slope through a 4’ wide rock canyon.  The canyon widens 10’ further.  Go down through the hole to the left descending a 4’ climbdown immediately followed by another 4’ climbdown through a narrow rock slot.  Briefly crawl 8’ and the passage opens to 8’ wide x 6’ high.  Climb over the top of a large breakdown slab to the back of the room and climb down 4’ into a crawlway to the left toward the main stream. 

The stream passage is 12’ wide and ~18’ high.  Continue ahead 24’ to a stoop walk.  In another 32’, water enters on the left from a hole 4’ above the stream.  Stoop 30’ entering a keyhole shaped slot where water has increased the passage dimension to 7’ high x 9’ wide.  Stay high and to the left as you chimney 15’ ahead above the forming canyon until a dirt ledge on the left widens.  Now 10 feet away from a formation column, you are crawling along a 4’ wide dirt ledge above the pit.  Rig to the large stalagmite column on the flowstone slope.  Crawl through a 2.5’ h x 3.5’ wide space around the left side of the column.  The flowstone ends and the floor drops to a 4.5’ wide ledge creating a ceiling height of 4’.  The passage continues ahead for another 30-40’ but continuation in that direction would require a scary chimney above the pit; it could be done. 

While waiting to get on rope, look at the shale layer on the left wall.  This looks just like the Hartzel (though it’s not because we’re too high for the Hartzel).  This passage is a good example of how the Harzel shale breaks away creating an undercut ledge below the bangor limestone.  Often, this will cause the bangor limestone to collapse but that’s not the case here. 

Once on rope, you descend down a narrow 3’ wide canyon for 10 feet before the pit bells out to 8’ and soon after enlarges to 18’ feet wide.  Looking upstream, you see that you parallel a waterfall all the way down the pit which can make the drop much wetter in higher water (the drop was completely dry during our visit).  At the bottom of the drop, you find yourself in a large room 30’ wide x 45’ long.  Walk away from the waterfall and ascend a 30 mud slope into majestic canyon passage which quickly bells into a tall ~100’ tall dome.  This large section of canyon passage measures about 55’ wide x 30’ across.  To the right, the dome extends the room another 20.  To the left, you encounter a 30’ pit and a very sketchy traverse to the other side. 

Back at the top of the slope, go right into a more majestic canyon.  Look up and you’ll see an enormous breakdown slice separating from the bottom-left canyon wall and spanning nearly the entire height of the canyon where it’s pointed tip leans against the opposite wall.  Ascend a fluted mud slope and the passage turns to the right.  Straight ahead, you can climb up to a terminus?  20’ to the right, a slope drops down 30’ to the floor of another tall dome.  

It was dark when we exited the cave.  After exiting the cave, we drove back to Scottsboro and ate at the Number 1 China Buffet which was delicious.  Then we drove up to Scottsboro mountain and camped.  It was 67.5 degrees Fahrenheit when I went to bed at 11:30 PM EDT.