I was looking at some old photographs I took many years ago. We found the album while moving out of our house to our new home up on the hill. There were photos of the first deer I shot. I was just 16 and “proud as a peacock,” as they say. There were also pictures from my college days. I had joined the Outing Club and went along on many adventures. One memorable event was going spelunking in Knox Cave.
Now, to a young farm kid from the area, spelunking or caving was an unknown activity. Other than school trips to Howes Caverns, I had never been in a cave. I expected well-lit paths through narrow passageways just like it was in the commercialized cave. Boy, that was an awakening, for sure.
Knox Cave is in Albany County near the town of Knox. It was commercialized many years before, but with minimal electricity, it was better for adventure seekers than tourists. Upon arrival at the cave, we were given a hard hat with a carbide light attached and a pair of knee pads. Back then they didn’t have head lamps like we do today. The carbide lamp was a simple device used by miners in the past. In the lower chamber of the lamp calcium carbide chunks were placed. Above that was another chamber which the held water. When the water dripped on the calcium carbide, acetylene gas was produced. You would light the gas and a bright white flame reflected off a mirror-like surface on the back of the lamp.
We climbed down a ladder into the first chamber of the cavern. Now, I must point out that there is no light once below ground. It is pitch black, so your lantern is vital for your survival. We crawled through numerous chambers and tunnels leading deeper and deeper into the eroded rock cavern.
Finally we came to the most famous section of the cave — the gun barrel. It is a 50-foot-long, tapered tunnel that is rather challenging. Being about 18 inches high and 12 inches wide, you lay on your side and push with your feet and pull with your hands as the tunnel tapers down in size. Trust me, it’s not for claustrophobic people.
Each chamber had a multitude of bats hanging on the ceiling as we got deeper into the cave. It was a great adventure with many lasting memories.
Well, in 2011, my buddy George and I decided to return to Knox Cave. We had to stop for directions at one point. A man at a local garage said, “Oh, you’re looking for Fat Man’s Misery!” Yeah, that’s one way to put it.
We found the cave and climbed down the slippery steel ladder. What we didn’t realize was a few weeks before, the entire state had experienced a major flood. Once down onto the chambers and tunnels, we discovered that the cave had been flooded. We continued on, slipping and sliding on the muddy surface. Finally, we made it to the gun barrel. Over the years a section had been removed, creating a bypass. I guess they had trouble rescuing people who got stuck in the long, tubular tunnel.
In the next chamber we found that huge slabs of rock had fallen from the ceiling, so we gave up and headed back to our vehicle. I remembered that when in college, thousands of bats came out of the cave just before dark. We never saw a one the last time we were there. I guess the white nose syndrome and the flood got any that remained.
There are many more caves in that area of the state that can be explored. These wonders of nature are all owned by the Northeastern Cave Conservancy. You need their permission to explore them. Oh, forget the carbide. Everyone in the group needs three sources of light. Trust me… caving is not for the faint of heart.