Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
rain. It is here that you come to the standout feature of the trip and the one that
everyone wants to see, the cave itself.
Trust me, you won't have to search for the cave. It's right next to the trail and
has the quintessential cave entrance: a semicircle opening with a flat floor. It's sad
that people have to ruin the image by painting graffiti on the entrance wall.
The cave was once a water channel, which created the opening over the centur-
ies. Prior to the Civil War, the cave had an enormous bat population, which turned
out to be their own undoing. Bat droppings, or guano, contain traces of potassium
nitrate, better known as saltpeter, which is a prime ingredient in gun powder. Dur-
ing the war the Long Hollow Nitre Works came in and began mining the cave for
the crystallized chemical. The mine operated twenty-four hours a day, bringing
over 1,000 pounds of the mineral per day, but the human presence drove the bats
out and they never returned.
The most important thing to remember when visiting the cave is that it goes
straight into the mountain 300 feet or so, then after that there is a vertical drop that
should only be attempted by trained cavers (spelunkers) and climbers. It is very
dangerous! Also keep in mind that the floor can be very slippery during wet
weather, so use caution when entering. There is adequate daylight for you to see
for the first 100 to 150 feet or so, but after that a flashlight is required.
Search WWH ::
Custom Search