DAY 78 FRIDAY 23rd NOVEMBER 2007

Mammoth Caves and Knoxville (Miles to date: 9350)

After the peaceful time of Thanksgiving we needed some exercise to work of the previous days feast. We had booked a cave tour some time ago, expecting it would be popular the day after Thanksgiving and we were right as the tours had sold out.

The tour we had chosen was the longest tour the Ranger service runs, covering 4 ½ miles and lasting for 4 hours. We are taken on a bus to the entrance to the cave and dropped with the other 80 people and our 2 Ranger guides. The initial part of the tour is through some high caverns showing the effects of earlier erosion by the waters that once flowed through the caves. This leads through to a long wide section cut out by an underground river. There are occasional stops for the Rangers to give a talk about the geology and the history of the caves, but apart from that it is a real hike. After about an hour and half we reach and underground eating area where you can sit down and partake of the food packs on offer, soup and coffee. Being intrepid independent explorers we had bought our own lunch.

The Mammoth Cave system is the world’s largest with about 367 miles of known and explored packages (and probably many more undiscovered). They have been carved out by underground rivers over the years which flowed through the limestone rock formations through to the Green River. As the level of the Green River has cut lower into its gorge the under ground rivers have moved to lower levels, therefore the areas of the cave system we are walking through are dry (hence no interesting formations of stalactites and stalagmites).

The first section we had passed through was wide and open the next sections are very much narrower – some no wider than your shoulders. For people like Karen who are claustrophobic these sections are challenging. Other areas open up into vast open caverns with names like “Grand Canyon” and ”Grand Central”. The pathways themselves are well maintained and are free of rocks and other obstacles, but they do undulate significantly. There are some long steep climbs – with some slopes reaching angles of 60 degrees. Certainly got the pulses racing.

The final section of the caves changes are this is section where water has been able to permeate the top of the cave allowing formations to develop, the main feature being the “Frozen Niagara” a hundred foot plus limestone pillar.

After four hours we finally reach the end of tour and a welcome return to sunlight. We are tired from this hike and still have nearly 200 miles to travel this day – it was certainly a wonderful experience.