Forty years of caving keeps me thinking a lot about the sport. In this book, I share not only what I have learned and experienced, but also what a few others have shared about caves and how they also became interested in the sport. Most of the caves discussed in this book are in the Southeast with a few elsewhere. Detail exploration and mapping are given for Pettyjohn Cave in Georgia and Pumphouse Cave in Tennessee.
Caves have been used for everything from fallout shelters to mushroom farms. However, I really believe that it is the mystery of caves that draws us back. Not knowing what lies below and that curiosity that we all have within us.
We find all kinds of excuses to enter a cave. Some study the rocks and formations, others like to make maps or study the cave life, but in the end, it is the mystery that holds us in its grip.
I remember playing on the hillside behind my Grandparents home and finding holes in the gullies that were dug by my father and his brothers, or possibly one of my older cousins. I even dug a few myself, more like ditches covered with boards and dirt for a hid-out.
There is a strange pleasure in getting dirty, and covered with mud, not having to worry about staying clean. A good friend of mine loved to wear white overalls, which of course did not remain white very long in the cave. There is also something about crawling around that seems enjoyable.
Getting to know a cave can be quite a reward. When you are able to find your way and even share with others about where, and how you got to a special place.