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!

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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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