Tumbling Rock Cave: Beautiful Formations, Great Adventure

By Jessica

One of my favorite summer time adventures is caving. Escape the summer heat by going underground and enjoying the cool temperatures while exploring a new world. One of my favorite caves to escape the heat is Tumbling Rock!

Tumbling Rock Cave, located in Alabama, offers a great weekend adventure for experienced and beginner cavers. The huge rooms and unique formations are a treat for all you venture underground to explore this hidden treasure. The cave is open weekends and maps are available at a small office outside the cave. This is not a tourist cave. You must have your own equipment and should be experienced in caving to go with someone who is. That said, this a great first time cave. Most of the cave you can walk through comfortably, with some spots to scramble over breakdowns and some low ceilings. You can make it to the King’s shower, a MUST see, without low crawling or going through tight squeeze areas.

Along the way, you will come across expansive rooms with breathtaking formations.

When you reach the King’s Shower, you will find a small opening in the ceiling with water pouring through. You might think, like I did, “is this it?”

But don’t stop there. Follow the water up through the opening. This is your reward:

This picture was taken with high powered lights. In the cave, you will see the dome room and water falling from the ceiling, but unless you have a high powered head lamp or light with you, you won’t be able to see it this clearly. Nonetheless, you will find it amazing!

Remember caving etiquette while in the cave. Even though this cave is fairly easy to negotiate, caves can be confusing to find your way out of. Bring the map and remember to look behind you while you go through the cave. Above all, respect the cave, leave no trace, and have fun! This ranks as one of my favorite caves ever!

Check out more info.

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A Don’t Miss Adventure … Hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

By Jessica

Machu Picchu, nestled in the Andes in Peru, was built by the Incans in the 15th century as either a holy place or a royal retreat. It was rediscovered by American explorer HIram Bingham on July 24, 1911.

A mere 97 years later, I reached the gates of Machu Picchu.

It is much different today than the day Hiram discovered it. Nowadays, buses tote tourists from Aquas Calientes down the mountain from Machu Picchu. Walking it would take an hour.

The trek I took, by foot from KM 82 on the Inca Trail, was a four-day journey. While you can take a train from Cusco to Aquas Calientes and then a bus to Machu Picchu, I recommend booking in advance and taking the four-day trek.

Reaching Machu Picchu by foot after four days of hiking, including conquering Dead Woman’s Pass, creates a rich and fulfilling, even spiritual, experience. You will walk past and through many small villages and other Incan ruins along the way.

You bond with your hiking group and the porters that carry your heavy packs, make your meals, and so much more.

And maybe most of all, you will spend four days in the Andes, witnessing spectacular views first hand.

Be sure to book early. Tickets for the Inca Trail are limited and sell out quickly! Check out a panoramic view of Machu Picchu!

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Geocaching: A Real Life Treasure Hunt

By admin

This is a guest post by Bob Garbett.

Sometimes when I tell folks my wife and I are going “geocaching,” I get a blank stare in return or they say, “geo-huh?”

My wife has a t-shirt which describes it best – “I use multi-billion dollar military technology to look for tupperware hidden in the woods.” Essentially that’s it. A “cacher” will hide a container (hopefully watertight) and then post the GPS coordinates on the geocaching web site. Usually a theme or a story goes along with the cache and many are placed in beautiful or interesting places you may not otherwise visit. Once published, other cachers proceed to look for it, posting their “finds” online.

The only tools you need are a handheld GPS device, which can locate caches based on latitude and longitude, maybe some hiking boots and bug spray depending on when and where you “hunt.”

Caches are rated on difficulty and terrain using a scale of 1 to 5. Generally, 1 ratings are handicap accessible and 5 ratings require some extraordinary means or effort to reach. We have had to canoe after some, solve puzzles to get coordinates, etc.

If you want to rack up numbers, there are “park and grabs” in just about every town, from 35 mm film canisters in the base of lamp posts to small metal tubes hanging in trees in city parks. If you are more adventuresome, you can hike over a mile to get to one ammo can or lock-n-lock box (these are our favorites). We have cached from the coast to the mountains and many places along the way.

The containers range in size from a micro, which is just a little larger than the eraser on the end of a pencil to an ammo can the size of a suitcase. (There may even be larger ones, but that’s the biggest we’ve found.)

Our favorite so far was one called “Bradley’s Rock Collection.” It was placed by a stream in the Bent Creek Recreational Area of the Pisgah National Forest in the mountains of North Carolina where we camped, hiked and hunted for caches last summer. The container was full of various rocks, minerals and fossils – each with a description.

Kids love the hobby because it is a real life treasure hunt. You want to keep the locations “secret” so they remain hidden and the kids get to be “sneaky” along the way. Geocaching is a great way to have fun, get out there and enjoy the adventure along the way.

Bob is a bi-vocational pastor serving New Hope Baptist Church, Beulaville, NC. He also is the coordinator for the NC Justice Academy’s Management Development Program. Among the topics he teaches are leadership, critical incident management and communication.  He and his wife, Eileen, have been married for over 27 years. They enjoy camping, hiking, canoeing, geocaching, running and other outdoor activities where they are able to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation. They have one son, Jared, who is a rising senior at Campbell University. Check out his blog. 

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Last Minute Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

By Jessica

Looking for a gift for your outdoorsy or adventurous mom? Here are a few deals and options to consider.

1. Order from Moosejaw and get two day shipping free. Or buy a gift card with a little extra boost.

Free 2-day Shipping on orders over $99 with code 823
Free $21 promotion e-Gift card with the purchase of the $100 e-gift card through Mother’s Day with code 314.


2. Shop REI now. REI is celebrating its anniversary, touting its biggest sale of the year. Check out the deals online or visit a store. But hurry! Their sale ends May 10. REI Online
3. Rock Climbing Gym Membership. Is your mom an avid climber? Is she looking to try a new sport? Many rock climbing gyms offer deals on summer memberships. Check out your local rock climbing gym. Live in Atlanta-metro area? Ask Escalade about their summer membership.
4. Weekend getaway. Plan your mom’s favorite getaway this Mother’s Day weekend. Surprise her by taking care of all the planning and packing, so all mom has to do is relax and enjoy.
5. Plan a big adventure. Each year my dad and I have a father-daughter big adventure. We’ve been hang gliding and skydiving. Start a tradition with you mom for a annual Mom’s Day adventure.

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National Geographic’s Top 10 American Adventures

By Jessica

What better source to find adventures than National Geographic. I recently posted my Top 1o Georgia Adventures but here’s something for everyone. National Geographic lists the following Top 10 Best American Adventures:

1. Biking the Continental Divide Trail: Multistate
2. Kayaking Lake Yellowstone: Wyoming
3. Rowing Down the Grand Canyon: Arizona
4. Climbing Mount Rainier: Washington
5. Canoeing the Adirondacks: New York
6. Exploring ANWR: Alaska
7. Biking RAGBRAI: Iowa
8. Surfing the Lost Coast: California
9. Hiking the Sierra High Route: California 10. Wreck Diving Lake Superior: Minnesota
For more info on each adventure, read the entire article on the Top 50 Best American Adventures.

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Tribute to First American Everest Climb

By Jessica

May 1, May Day, is an historical day in the climbing world. On May 1, 1963, Jim Whittaker and a team of American climbers became the first Americans to summit Mount Everest. As a tribute to his climb, Jim’s nephew with another team of Americans shot this video 46 years later on May 1, 2009. Check out more about Jim Whittaker and his Everest climb.

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Extreme Skiing Avalanche

By Jessica

Remarkably and thankfully, all three skiers survive this avalanche. Can you image being the one (or ones) to trigger the avalanche that you end up getting stuck in? Scary stuff.

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Top 10 Adventures in Georgia

By Jessica

Finding adventure doesn’t have to send you traveling across the world or even across the country. Georgia residents are fortunate enough to have many adventures waiting just around the corner. Here are my top 10 adventure spots in Georgia (in no particular order). Some are free and others cost a chunk of change. No matter what type of adventure you’re interested in, you’ll find something on this list.

1. Rocktown: Located at the top of Pigeon Mountain on the border of Georgia and Tennessee, this is a playground for kids and adults alike. Whether a serious rock climber or just like playin’ around, Rocktown is a great place to spend a day or weekend adventure. Read more about Rocktown. Cost: free!
2. Skydive the Farm: In Rockmart, Georgia, there isn’t much going on … except for your run of the mill jumping out of an airplane! Choose tandem or the Accelerated Free Fall (AFF) program. Both offer a huge thrill and an unforgettable experience. The jump masters at The Farm are professional, personable, and a hoot! You’ll have a blast! My fav jump master is Edvaldo, the Brazilian. Cost: Tandem $159 on special and AFF $269. If you have a group of friends interested in jumping, ask about their group discounts. You can even camp out at the farm.
3. Lookout Mountain Hang Gliding: Head to Lookout Mountain and get a great view from the air. Take hang gliding lessons and start the day on the baby slope (if you are physically active and can tote a glider on your shoulders) or just hang on for the ride and do the tandem flight. If you’ve never hang glided, it is a serene and peaceful experience (the tandem flight, that is). The Introductory Experience is much more labor intensive but an awesome time. Flying on your own, even only a foot off the ground, is an exilerating experience! Camping is also available near this area. If you’d rather, plenty of cabins are available for rent in the nearby town. Cost: Introductory Experience $199 (which includes the tandem) and tandem only $149. Also ask about group rates. Read more about hang gliding at Lookout Mountain.
4. Petty John’s Cave: Great cave for new or non-cavers, this cave is located on Pigeon Mountain. In fact, if you’ve been to Rocktown, you will pass by the sign for Petty John’s. Be sure you know SOMETHING about caving before heading here and at the very least bring three sources of light, food, and water. This cave goes about 6 miles in, so there is a potential to get lost in the cave. And if you enjoy yourself, consider doing more caving. The Dogwood City Grotto is a local cavers organization that hosts trips each month. Cost: free.
5. Tallulah Gorge: Take a hike, literally! Head to north Georgia and hike the Hurricane Falls staircase trail to the bottom of the gorge. It’s a strenuous hike so be sure you are up for it. Obtain a permit (free) before hiking to the bottom of the gorge. Rock climbing and repelling are also allowed, with a permit. Leave the pups at home for this hike. Pets are not allowed down to the gorge (but are permitted on the rim trails). Cost: $4 for parking. Camping, biking and fishing are also available. Also check out the suspension bridge (check out the monthly full moon hikes over the bridge).
6. “Little Grand Canyon”: Providence Canyon, known as the “Little Grand Canyon,” is located near Lumpkin, Georgia. The views are spectacular and although the name implies small, it is not (it is little compared to the Grand Canyon). Take a hike on the trails or reserve a backcountry backpacking site. Either way, be sure to bring your camera! Cost: $3 for parking and $6 for backcountry camping sites.
7. Brasstown Bald: At 4, 784 feet above sea level, this is the highest peak in Georgia. From the top, you can see four states. To make this an adventure, don’t drive to the top, hike it. Better yet, plan a backpacking trip to include Jack’s Knob. Cost: $3 if you drive to the parking lot and free if you take a longer hike to get there.
8. Sea Kayaking: Head to Tybee Island area and take a trip on the water. For a laid back adventure, choose the Salt Marsh Paddle. For more excitement, surf the Triangle and choose the rough water kayaking package. Cost: $55 for Salt Marsh Paddle (half day) and rough water kayaking starts at $135.
9. Raft the Chattooga: Sections III and IV of this river offer adventurous white water rafting. Rapids are rated from class IIs to IVs. Section IV is more intense and requires experienced guides. Check out overnight trips. This is a great way to cool off and get adventurous on those hot Georgia summer days. Cost: Varies during season and outfitter but ranges from $80 to $130 for day trips.
10. Wilderness Canoeing: Head south to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge for canoeing and camping. Paddle through the “Land of the Trembling Earth” and witness the alligators and herrings firsthand. The swampland touts 120 miles of canoe trails with seven designated camping areas along the trail. Cost: To camp along trail is $10 a night.

While these adventures made my top 10 list, many came in close. Georgia is full of adventure, if you take the time to look for it. Have recommendations for other top 10 adventures in Georgia? Leave a comment and let me know!

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First Vertical Caving Trip

By Jessica

Repelling into Horse Skull Cave

Last weekend I spent the day with the Dogwood City Grotto on my first (of more to come, I hope) vertical caving trip! It was a blast, and a great workout. We met at a Wal-Mart parking lot in Tennessee before carpooling to our first cave of the day, Waterworks. Appropriately named, this cave was located next to a waterfall. In fact, some of the water from the falls ran into the first pit of the cave (a nice warm-up 15-foot pit).  

First pit at Waterworks Cave

Our group of seven quickly repelled into the cave, all getting slightly wet from the incoming water. We followed the serpentine narrow pathway to the next pit. This one was a 45-foot drop into a large open room. Though I had been through vertical training, and easily repelled the first pit, I was a little nervous stepping off the 45-foot drop. But I overcame my slight fear and slowly made my way down the pit. From here, we dropped our vertical gear and explored two separate horizontal passageways, one leading to a mini cave waterfall. We then climbed out of the two pits (much more work than repelling down them!).

After a quick bite to eat, we headed for the next caves. Horse Skull Cave came next. A nice 30-foot pit into this cave. The cave had writings on the wall, some new with spray paint, others older and carved into the cave or written in carbon. (Some dated back to the 1800s and relayed names of Civil War infantry units.) One large boulder touted Cody’s Party Cave in white spray paint. This cave spurred an interesting discussion about graffiti in caves. While we hated to see the spray paint, it was interesting to see the older writings. Could the spray painted graffiti of today one day be an interesting part of history to future cavers? And were these spray-painting party “cavers” causing real damage to the cave? No real answers were completely agreed on, nor solutions rendered, but it was an interesting conversation.

Climbing out of Horse Skull Cave

After the laboreous climb out of Horse Skull Cave– the rocks jutted out a bit making the climb more challenging– we headed uphill to High Hole Cave. This cave was really a hole in the ground. The 45-foot pit lead down a fairly small drop. While there was some exploring possible in this cave, I decided to rest up for the climb out and opted out of the horizontal exploration. After this climb, my arms and legs were sore, and I was done. I rested while a couple of experienced cavers took on Jack’s Hole. This cave had a 50-something foot pit and since the rope wasn’t long enough to reach the bottom, required a change over. Maybe next time.

And that was the end of my vertical caving trip. We saw some great caves and I had an awesome time repelling and climbing. My muscles sore and my boots filled with cave mud, I headed home. If you ever have the chance to go vertical caving, do it! I definitely advise going to a training class beforehand, and try borrowing gear before you make the investment for yourself. Thanks to the Dogwood City Grotto for the training and great experience. And a special thanks to Andy for leading the trip!

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Soaring High Over Lookout Mountain

By Jessica

(And My Experience Being a Human Tick Drag)

Lookout mountain offers great views, but the best views can be seen from the sky. I’m not talking about a helicopter ride or airplane—I’m talking about hang gliding. If you’ve never been, this is an experience you don’t want to miss out on. Hang gliding is absolutely amazing. It’s not scary or thrilling (in case you were scared of that or seeking it). Being in the air, soaring above the trees, is a serene, peaceful feeling. You really feel like you are gliding through the air like a bird. Everything is quiet and you can connect with the world in a way you never have before.

Summer of 2007, my dad and I decided to try hang gliding out. We both imagined it would be scary (especially since he is scared of heights) and thrilling. It was neither. But it was an experience we haven’t soon forgotten. Since we figured this was going to be a once in a lifetime experience, we decide to go all out and opted for the “full package” service. While you can decide to just go for a tandem hang gliding “ride” with no previous experience (after watching a short safety video), we decided to try hang gliding on our own first. Well, sort of on our own. We had a group lesson put we were “flying” our own hang glides. OK, so we were on the bunny slopes, and yeah, I didn’t get air many times—OK, OK, only once!—but still, it was way cool.

Our instructor taught us the aerodynamics of the hang glide. He said the glider was “meant to fly”—like that was it’s one and only mission in life. Our job was to let the glide fulfill it’s mission, which is easier said than done. We started by running with the glider on flat ground, and behold, the glide started to lift off. It didn’t have enough momentum to take flight on flat ground, so we moved up to the bunny slope. Running off the bunny slope with a glider on your shoulder is not the easiest task. It’s cumbersome, to say the least, and can easily cause tip-overs. As you try to take flight, you are supposed to keep you head up (toward where you want to go) and your grip loose (to let the glider fly). Well, that goes against all natural tendencies. As you begin to feel yourself lifting off the ground, two things happen—you look down to see how high you are and you grab tightly onto the glider to make sure the glider takes you with it (even though you are attached with a harness). As soon as you look down and grip tighter, the nose of the glider points down, and you and the glider follow. Soon you are sliding down the hill on your belly with a glider on your back. I seriously felt like a human tick drag, constantly swept down the hill picking up grass and whatever else came in my path.

Oh, but the time I got air,

that I let my grip of the glider go and kept my head up—WOW! It was amazing! The group cheered wildly each time anyone got even the slightest bit of air. My dad was much more successful at this than I. He even landed on his feet once! Speaking of landing, they never really taught us how to do that. I asked once, “so, how do we land?” The instructor replied, “Don’t worry about that part.” I guess because it usually takes care of itself. Most of us barely got off the ground in the first place. And those that got air, were soon enough skidding to a stop on their bellies (the harness you were is padded in the front, so you don’t get banged up TOO badly when you crash, I mean land).

NOTE: If you choose to do the Introductory Experience , which is what my dad and I did, wear old clothes, pants and take the knee pad when they offer them to you! Be prepared to come away with a few bruises and grass stained clothing. Bring sunscreen and water too, as you are outside for training the whole morning.

After an exhausting day of attempting to hang glide on our own, we all went to lunch and waited for our tandem flight that afternoon. Our excitement built as we watched others suit up and soar off for their tandem hang gliding flight. Everyone loved it! I was soon on deck for my first true flight experience. I was suited up with a harness and helmet and strapped to my instructor. We were pulled behind and ultra-light (experimental) aircraft to 2,000 feet. The ride up was load (being behind the motor of the aircraft) and bumpy.

At 2,000 feet, my tandem instruction released us from the aircraft and we started gliding. The ride instantly became smooth and as the aircraft circled around to land, the noise subsided. Soon it was quiet, serene and beautiful. I took control of the glider as my instructor taught me how to turn left and right, how to go faster and slower. We glided over a lake and could see the reflection of our glider in the lake. It was amazing.

I gave the reigns back to my instructor as we came in for a landing. It was as smooth a landing as the ride itself (and this time I wasn’t landing on my belly!). We all shared stories about our flights and talked about when we could go again! It was truly an amazing experience.

Interested in hang gliding, check out where I went: Lookout Mountain Hang Gliding. If you have a group of friend interested in hang gliding (or that you could convince), ask about group discounts. You can also camp out near the site the night before your hang gliding experience. If you don’t live near Atlanta/Tennessee area, look for a hang gliding place nearby. Ask around for suggestions of good places or look for an outdoor/adventure club in your area that might be leading hang gliding trips. The Atlanta Outdoor Club leads an annual (usually) hang gliding trip to Lookout Mountain.

Want more of a thrill than hang glide, SKY DIVE! It’s a rush like no other! Check out my blog on skydiving coming soon.

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