I was getting claustrophobic and tired, but there was no going back. There wasn’t even room to turn around.
I’ve always been fascinated by caves, mystical worlds that are the center of ours. But caving is a very closed sport. So I decided to get a taste of the action at the Lost Sea attraction near Sweetwater, Tenn., which offers a Wild Cave Tour in addition to its normal tour of the massive cavern chambers leading to the Lost Sea.
That 4.5-acre body of water, so clear you can see the bottom even though it’s 60 feet down at the deepest part, is the world’s second largest underground lake.
Anyone can take the Lost Sea tour; tens of thousands of people do each year. The people at the ticket counter will tell you anyone can also do the Wild Cave Tour, which is the regular tour followed by several hours of exploring small – both in size and distance – passages hundreds of feet below the Earth’s surface. I’m not sure I agree with them. Although my guide probably would have taken me on all of the 12 crawls, I threw in the towel after about eight, and I think of myself as being in decent, if not pretty good, shape.
I had learned from my guide that about half the people who take the Wild Cave Tour freak out a little; I was determined not to be one of them. But after trying to inch my way through an approximately 3-by-3-foot tunnel on my side and getting stuck, I had to rein back the tinge of fear that was creeping in. And I was in a controlled environment on more of a journey of discovering my limits than an uncharted exploration of the center of the Earth.
I had just enough room in that particular passage to literally push myself onto my belly, scraping my shoulder down the slick, compacted mud that was more like potter’s clay than any mud I’ve ever seen. My arms felt like jelly – except for the bruises I’d already gained on my elbows – but I managed to push myself out of the hole ineffectually using my arms and legs, my feet sliding all the while in a place just behind me that I couldn’t even look back to see. It wouldn’t have mattered; there was nothing there to give me traction. Just mud.
I had fun getting down and dirty that day, but the biggest adventure for me was exploring the cave itself, not necessarily its passageways, although I’m glad I did. The Craighead Caverns cave which houses the Lost Sea, is at least 6,000-8,000 years old. It has seen the likes of an unlucky Pleistocene jaguar, Confederate soldiers, the chiefs of the Cherokee Council, the inquisitive 13-year-old boy who discovered the lake it contains in 1905, turn-of-the-century explorers and God only knows who else. Caves themselves are awe-inspiring enough, with their intricate crystalline formations, alien-looking mineral buildups and quiet sense of reverence.
Feeling connected to all those people stretching back through the ages, still only a handful of the millions who have walked this Earth – mostly on the surface – is indescribable.
This month, Jennifer Bardoner crawls around under the Lost Sea as part of their Wild Cave Tour.Journey to the Center of the Earth
The regular tour lasts a little more than an hour. As they tour the cavern’s chambers while guides tell the stories of both the nature and traces of man found within, visitors pass countless examples of other-worldly cave formations, including one of the world’s rarest: anthodites. According to my guide, only 10 caves in the world are known to contain these crystalline flowers and the Lost Sea cavern holds 15-20 percent of all the known occurrences. Other artifacts include a wooden mining car used by Confederate soldiers to haul raw materials ultimately used in the hallmark struggle of our nation.
The Wild Cave Tour takes at least another two hours as participants slip, slither and crawl through narrow passages, sometimes on their bellies, sometimes on their feet. The only thing that’s provided is the guide. You’ll definitely need to bring a headlamp (not flashlight; you’ll need your hands) and change of clothes. A helmet might be a good idea but isn’t necessary. Wear pants and a long-sleeved shirt you don’t mind losing – I had to throw mine away – and sturdy, closed-toe shoes.
The caverns are open every day except Christmas; the Wild Cave Tour is only offered on Saturdays at 1 p.m.
Visit www.thelostsea.com for pricing, directions and more.