What makes a mountain? Is it a snowcap, or a seemingly endless forest
of pine? Maybe the answers aren’t literal enough.
The adventuresome type literally learn what makes a mountain by way
of a winter caving expedition.
“Winter caving is one of the top five things to do in the High
Country during winter, but not a whole lot of people know about it,”
said Grant Seldomridge, owner of River and Earth Adventures Inc. in
Valle Crucis.
Visitors might shy away from the idea of crawling deep into the Earth
during the High Country’s coldest months, but Seldomridge said
the temperatures below are an ideal 55 degrees Fahrenheit year round,
“and that’s one of the things that makes it a quality experience.”
Caving, he continued, is a full-on experience, a rather athletic feat.
Like a hike, participants are moving the entire way through. River
and Earth Adventures take customers into Worley’s Cave in Bluff
City, Tenn., a cave that defies skeptics’ expectations.
“A lot of people think it’s claustrophobic,” Seldomridge
said. “There are only a few spaces where you’re hunched
over to get through an area, but there’s no place where you’re
forced to get on your belly and crawl and do anything like that.”
Worley’s Cave features large corridors and chambers of sizes
comparable to amphitheaters, and it is privately-owned and not commercialized,
as far as sidewalks and electricity go. It offers what Seldomridge
called a “real experience,” with all its rock formations
in “incredible condition.”
“You’ll see formations that are 30 to 40 feet tall and 120
feet long,” he said. “It takes those formations, on average,
a hundred years to just grow one cubic inch.”
It’s like a walk back through time, he said. In terms of time,
adventurers should plan to devote a day to the expedition, starting
at 9:30 a.m. and ending back in Valle Crucis at 4:30 p.m.
The trip is family-friendly, as children eight and older can participate.
Seldomridge called Worley’s Cave “an underground playground,”
since kids can crawl down passages and pop up in another part of the
chamber, or take a fun slide down a muddy bank.
Needless to say, caving and playing can build up one’s appetite.
This, too, is covered. River and Earth Adventures offers a deli-style
lunch buffet for customers, using local and organic foods. Though
most tours into Worley’s Cave follow a 9-shaped loop, Seldomridge
and company offer additional expeditions.
“We do trips in other caves, but we really don’t advertise
them as much as Worley’s, because this is perfect for people
that have never caved and fun for folks that have not done it before,”
he said. “For folks who have been with us a couple times before
and want to see some different places, we’ll take them.”
These trips are more technical in nature, requiring some experience
and skill, as Worley’s 7-mile network of passages can sometimes
grow tight. No matter the trip, customers are in for an educational
experience, as well.
The outfitters pride themselves on the educational aspect of their
adventures.
“We’re taking a whole different take on outdoor recreation,
incorporating environmental education, as well as local and organic
foods, trying to provide a real quality experience,” Seldomridge
said. “When we’re caving, we’ll stop and talk about
all the significant features, how formations form, and so on. It’s
definitely fun, and customers also learn something.”
During wintertime, River and Earth Adventures also offers interpretive
hikes and kayak trips, with all the proper and technical equipment
to keep adventurers warm and dry. As far as caving, though, Seldomridge
said, “I personally guarantee it’ll be one of the top 10
coolest things someone’s ever done. It’s really a must-see.”
For more information, call River and Earth Adventures at (828) 963-5491,
toll-free at 1-866-411-RAFT or visit www.raftcavehike.com on the Web.
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