This Dog Was Lost for 45 Years in an Alabama Cave
**A Dog Lost for 45 Years Finally Comes Home | Winder’s Story** While exploring a pit cave in Alabama with a 30-foot entrance drop, our lights hit something resting quietly on the floor: a dog’s skull and a weathered leather collar. What began as an ordinary vertical caving trip quickly turned into an unexpected journey across nearly half a century. Stamped into the worn leather were the owners name, an old rural route address that no longer existed, and a phone number that h
A Landowner Invited Us to Explore Their Tennessee Cave!
A Tennessee landowner recently reached out and invited me to come check out their cave, and of course, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity! I rounded up a group of my lady caving friends… plus a few token males who decided to tag along. This is a spring cave, so timing our trip for low water was important. The cave has several water sections, including what we cavers affectionately call “ear dippers” , which are those low spots where you have no choice but to get your ears wet
Three Cavers. One Rope. 586 Feet Deep.
586 feet underground, three people on one rope, visiting the North & South Poles, and a cave I hadn’t visited in more than 10 years… this was going to be one heck of an adventure! Come along with Jason, me, and our good friends Chad, Kaley, Robby, Seth, and Chris as we set out to visit the deepest pit in the continental United States, a Fantastic 586 feet deep! I’ve been here twice before, but both trips were more than 10 years ago, so I was excited to return to this fantasti
We Keep Pushing Deeper Into This Alabama Cave
Come along as Jason, myself, Robby, and Leanne head back into our project cave in Jackson County, Alabama for another day of surveying! We pick up right where we left off on the previous trip at Station A52 and continue working our way deeper into the cave. Not long into the survey, we encounter an unexpected low, wet crawl that stretches for more than 100 feet. Had we known what was ahead, we probably would have dressed a little warmer for the day! Oh well. Once through the
I Can’t Believe It Took Me 20+ Years to Cave in Indiana!
Come along with me as I venture a little ways north into Indiana for a long weekend of caving, adventure, swimming, and good times at the annual Cave Capers event! Would you believe that after more than 20 years of caving, I had never actually caved in Indiana before?! Well, that was about to change! This trip was extra special because it was my first-ever Indiana caving adventure. Unfortunately, Jason wasn't able to make this trip with me, so this time it was just me heading
We Found INSANE Crystals Hidden Deep Inside this Cave!
After 7 years of searching, we finally made it happen! We rigged the pits, tackled a sketchy traverse, and pushed deep underground into the far reaches of Tennessee in search of something truly spectacular... massive, rare gypsum flowers hidden deep inside the cave. Join me, Jason, and our friend Ashley as we finally explore the incredible formations we’ve been hearing about for the past 7 years. Was the wait worth it? Absolutely! That's right, this cave has been on our list
This Cave is STUPID Pretty… But Getting There Was BRUTAL!
Come along with Jason, Ashley, and me for an adventure inside one of Tennessee’s most beautiful caves! This cave is so pretty, it’s almost ridiculous. But getting to those incredible formations is quite the adventure. Before reaching the main room, we had to crawl through long, low, muddy, and wet sections of cave. Once we finally made it through, we were rewarded with a huge main room with several branches, and every one of them had something unique to see. We found massive
We Caved Right Through this Mountain
Come along with Jason, me, and our good friends Kevin, Jamy, and Brody as we literally cave right through this mountain! From the moment we arrive at the entrance, we're greeted by a flowing waterfall—a pretty good indication that this is going to be a wet and sporty adventure! 💦 Once inside, we quickly reach our first pit, followed by a short nuisance drop before arriving at the second pit, where things really get wet. A waterfall is pouring directly down the pitch, poundin
We Explored a Vandalized Historic Saltpeter Cave with Hidden Beauty
Join me, Jason, our new friend Lindsay, and our good friends Kevin, Jamy, and Brody as we head to northeast Alabama to explore a cave near Arab with a fascinating and long history of human use and abuse. Our first stop is a cave once mined for saltpeter during the late 1800s. Listed at just over a mile long, we knew very little about it before arriving. Armed with nothing more than a map, we hiked across an open field in search of the entrance. After enjoying the refreshing b
TAG CAVER Goes White Water Rafting on the Ocoee River!
Facing your fears head-on usually comes with a splash, or in our case, getting completely rejected by the river! This was my very first time white water rafting down the legendary Middle Ocoee River in Tennessee, and it was an absolute wild ride from start to finish. I have experience on other rivers like the Nantahala and the Hiwassee but I have always had a fear of the Ocoee as it honestly terrifies me. But on this day, I decided to conquer those fears. We hit the river in
