An Amazing Pull Down Trip: Descending a 510' Deep Cave & Walking Out the Bottom

Рет қаралды 2,059

Күн бұрын

Come along with us as we visit a cave here in Alabama where we enter at the top of the mountain and descend our way down over 500 feet in depth via 10 vertical drops and then walk out the bottom. This cave was discovered and first explored by cavers during the 1970's and is considered to be one of the best sporty wet multi drop caves in the TAG region. Most cavers will visit when the water is up as it makes for a lot more adrenaline, however today we have 12 year old Brody with us and we want him to be able to do the cave in a more safer, dryer condition.
Jason and I are both experienced cavers as we have been caving in this region known as TAG for 21 years. We have both visited this cave numerous times as well as Jason helping install the current stainless steel bolts, rigging chains, and rings in the cave almost 15 years ago. Also both of Brody's parents, Kevin & Jamy who are also experienced cavers were along on the trip.
Once you enter this cave you start by a short climbdown and are quickly at the first pit. This is where you truly begin committing yourself to the cave as once you are down the first drop, you pull down your ropes behind you and there is no going back up. Each drop we descend, we then pull the rope and continue on our journey to the bottom of the cave. For our rigging, we are using 9mm ropes and a carabiner block. This is a very popular style of rigging pull down trips for cavers as well as for canyoneering. Before cavers were using carabiner blocks, they would use the double rope technique.
After talking with the landowners, they confirmed to their knowledge that Brody is the youngest to have ever completed this pull down trip. What a great and excited trip this was for him and will be a lifelong memory as well.
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Пікірлер: 42

@ourmeltedreality8731 3 ай бұрын

The 90 ft drop was killer. Especially with the young one. Good stuff.

@tag_caver 3 ай бұрын

Thanks

@kensmith8832 Ай бұрын

People on the West Coast never can figure out what we do to pass time in the South! It is so much fun training a kid early to enjoy the thrills of underground adventures. The sandstone deposits are amazing with all the fossils. I'm in Upper East TN. I spent much of my teenage years in a cave. It has been many years since I went down. It is so nice to enjoy the experience with ya.

@tag_caver Ай бұрын

Thank you! And oh yes, we love to take the youngins caving. I started caving when I was 26 and love to share my joy of the underground.

@brooklyngraham1151 3 ай бұрын

That was fun. To be honest though, pull down trips always make me a little nervous. I’ve never been through one with so many drops. You guys certainly have the system down though. I was thirteen the first time I did a vertical cave. Congrats to Brodie on this. It always helps to have good teachers, and I was lucky there. Great video.

@tag_caver 3 ай бұрын

Thank you. I appreciate the comments and you watching along. It was an exciting trip for Brody for sure! I love how he handled it but still kept his 12 year old kid spirit by singing in the cave, and then doing the polar plunge for a lego set! Jason and I have been visiting this cave for over 15 years and he knows it really well. Some folks can get lost in this cave in between drop #3 and #4. We survey a lot so Jason is like a natural compass underground. Honestly, I never worry with him.

@caver9999 3 ай бұрын

My favorite cave of all time!

@tag_caver 3 ай бұрын

It is a good one!!

@chrismccampbell9257 3 ай бұрын

It never gets old, does it...Amazing through trip team! Keep em coming.

@tag_caver 3 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@garybeasley4885 3 ай бұрын

Rigging has advanced a bit since the first On Rope book was written! I like the simplicity of that biner lock setup.

@tag_caver 3 ай бұрын

Yea no more double ropes!

@Doxymeister 3 ай бұрын

What an awesome cave, I bet that was fun! I love all the fossils--can you just imagine how deep those corals and shells had to have been buried to be that deep? Question about all that chert--is that the same kind of chert used to make arrowheads? Anyway, thanks for letting us "TAG" along!

@tag_caver 3 ай бұрын

Yes, it's the same type of chert but Jason says the stuff you find on the surface is better for making arrowheads. Thank you for watching and for the comments too 😊

@josephkerley363 3 ай бұрын

That was a cool cave. I imagine parts of it can be a bit miserable during high water. Brodie however, I can just imagine when he goes back to school and the teacher says, "Gosh kids what did you do this summer?" ROFL The kid has moxie!

@tag_caver 3 ай бұрын

Can't wait to take him back during higher water when he's a bit older too!

@Wootangtw 3 ай бұрын

Wow… awesome cave.. can you imagine the first person that went in that cave not knowing it came out somewhere… they would have to have a bunch of ropes… they couldn’t pull their rope down’ not knowing they might have to climb back out… I miss caving… thanks for the video…

@tag_caver 3 ай бұрын

Right. I can only imagine how exciting and scary that was for them. And climbing back out of all that sure would be a chore! Thank you for watching and I appreciate the comments too :)

@salbanmanda 3 ай бұрын

Wow that's a very good cave I am also interested for cave we are also doing expedition

@SpareTimeShow 3 ай бұрын

I bet you would have a really bad day if you were to fall on that climbdown above the 90' pit :P

@tag_caver 3 ай бұрын

There has been at least one broken ankle there that I know of but that was before it was hard rigged.

@SpareTimeShow 3 ай бұрын

@@tag_caver My tone of "I recognize the spot" needs to be honed.

@TAGCaverShorts 3 ай бұрын

@@SpareTimeShowI'm not following? There is a 6' climb down just before the 90'. It's hard rigged now.

@SpareTimeShow 3 ай бұрын

@@TAGCaverShorts There was a rescue there years ago (which is likely why that spot is now permanently rigged) that I was referencing by being vague instead of naming the cave. It was late so I might have worded that weird. Great video, by the way. This one is on my list.

@tag_caver 3 ай бұрын

@@SpareTimeShow oh yes, I am very aware of the history of this cave & the rescue as I know all but one of them who were on that trip and am good friends with the one who saved Gerald's life by staying with him on that ledge. We have been visiting here for a long time and Jason even helped with the re rigging of the cave and current hardware.

@utcnc7mm 3 ай бұрын

During the summer time do have any problems with snakes in any of these caves?

@tag_caver 3 ай бұрын

No as it is always 58 degrees inside the cave so it is too cold for snakes. We are more likely to see them on the hike

@timluttrell1095 3 ай бұрын

As a fellow caver from up here in NE Tennessee, I would very much like to arrange a pull-down trip into this one. Is this a SCC managed cave or otherwise, how can we arrange a guided trip into this?

@tag_caver 3 ай бұрын

Thanks. No, this is a privately owned cave so you would need to get a caver who has been there to lead a trip for you.

@timluttrell1095 3 ай бұрын

@@tag_caver Which grotto should I approach about getting someone to lead us on a trip through this one?

@tag_caver 3 ай бұрын

@@timluttrell1095 You are going to need to make some friends. This isn't the type of cave that a grotto will normally lead a led trip through.

@Sean-i4r 3 ай бұрын

All it would take is an earthquake while somebody's down there and splat,your done

@tag_caver 3 ай бұрын

You have no idea how rare that even is. Earthquakes have been documented while cavers are underground and there is no shift in the cave. You drive your car everyday and take a greater risk in someone else hitting you, and splat you're done! So yeah, I'll stick to caving where it's much safer underground.

@Wootangtw 3 ай бұрын

@@tag_caver very true