Hickey Pot: A significant vertical discovery in Middle Tennessee

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HICKEY POT: A SIGNIFICANT VERTICAL DISCOVERY IN MIDDLE TENNESSEE

Marion O.. Smith
Until recently, virtually all of Tennessee's known deep caves were in the Smoky
Mountains (Bull and Kelly Ridge caves); the Grassy Cove-head of Sequatchie Valley
region of Cumberland and Bledsoe counties (Gouffre, Jewett 1 and 2, Run to the Mill,

and Luminary Pit); and Marion and Franklin counties next to the Alabama line
(Solution Rift, Spasm Chasm, Real Well, Wilkson Hollow Horror Hole, Rawhide Horror
Hole, and Wet Cave). In late 1984 Nashville cavers made a discovery near the
southern border of Van Buren County which proved that a cave in that region could
penetrate the resistant layer of rock generally known as the Hartselle Formation.
Paradox Cave had two entrances, one in a bluff leading to a series of breakdown
climbs and a short pit, and a freeclimb, crawl entrance leading to a 125 foot drop
into a large chamber. Additional drops up to 165 feet led out of this chamber to

a total depth of about 400 feet, with considerably over a mile of horizontal passage.

Encouraged by this development, Gerald Moni, aided by Ned Littel, Jeff and Michele
Sims, Roy Siegel, and others, during the succeeding eighteen months conducted nu-
merous cave hunting excursions into the Cumberland Plateau region south of Van Buren
County.

Concentrating in southern Warren and northern Grundy counties, Gerald and his
followers found a fair number of shallow pits and pit caves. The deepest single
drop was 90 feet, while several mini multi-drop caves reached a depth of 120 feet,
where the Hartselle invariably stopped cave evolvement.

During a March, 1986, ridgewalk, Gerald, Roy Siegel, Chuck Frase, Jeff and Michele
Sims came upon a aizeabie shallow sink with a sinking stream. There were two en-
trances in the sink about twenty feet apart, a fifteen or twenty foot pit and a
tight offset freeclimb. These routes immediately joined and were followed by an
eight foot climb and a six foot crawl to a drippy dome above a wet 20 foot pit.

Jef£, Roy, and Chuck entered the cave, but only Roy descended the pit and traversed

an additional hundred feet of crawl, stoop, and walking passage to a second shallow

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wet pit which was left to a future time. Everyone exited and Jeff dubbed the dis-
covery Hickey Pot.

On May 31 Gerald led Roy, Alan Cressler, and myself to Warren County to push
Hickey Pot and two other leads. Everyone but I donned full wetsuits. Expecting
another 120 foot deep, 300 foot long dud, I refused to put on even a neoprene top.

The virgin in-cave second pit measured 33 feet, and was followed by 150 or 200
feet of narrow, dry walking passage to double climbdowns totaling about 26 feet.
A few body lengths further, at about 110 or 120 feet below the entrance the cave
turned nasty, literally.

The only way forward was through a low, very muddy and mucky crawl. Alan, our
thinnest and speediest member, plunged right in and soon dug his way through.
After a while Roy was coerced into the crawl and he too disappeared, but Alan was
too far ahead for him to catch. The two old men waited.

In due time Alan and Roy returned. Alan said he had traversed perhaps 1,500
feet, of which 500 feet, in two segments, was walking dimensions. He had stopped
at a "thirty foot" pit which penetrated a dark shaley layer which he assumed was
the Hartselle. He picked up airflow which poouably came from a high dome he had
passed. Walking passage appeared to be at the bottom of the drop. He suggested
we leave the cave, go check the other leads, and come back the next day with all
of us wearing wetsuits.

We retraced our steps to the base of the 33 foot pit where our strategy was
again changed. It was decided to push the cave immediately. While Gerald and
Roy negotiated the Mucky Mud Crawl and hauled the two available push ropes forward,
Alan and I exited the cave to obtain additional ropes and a wetsuit top for me.

After perhaps two and a half hours, all four of us were reunited at the top of
the virgin pit with a total of five ropes, all in the sixty to ninety foot range.
The drop was rigged and Roy descended first. Alan's estimate of "thirty feet"

gave way to a measured depth of 52 feet.

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About fifteen feet past the bottom was a nine foot deep trench which was soon
descended. Thirty more walking feet led to an impressive three second drop. It
was now very obvious that the most skeptical person in the group, me, would have
to admit that the cave was "going all the way." The group was ecstatic.

Iwo ropes were tied together and the new pit, some thirty or forty feet in diam
eter, was descended and measured at 125 feet. Once all were down three of us fol-
lowed a low crawl a short distance which opened up to a six or seven foot deep
downcutting stream passage. Gerald reached the same spot via a higher dry by-pass.

Very soon we were halted by a 13 foot pit which we were sure "had" to be the
last drop. Below, for hundreds of feet we followed a high, narrow walking passage
which had abundant chert outcrops and several stepdowns and one twelve foot climb-
down. Thenthe passage leveled somewhat. We either crawled in the stream or tra-
versed narrow walking height dry meanders which crisscrossed the stream. Another
six foot climbdown was encountered, and after a ways Alan left the stream and went
to the left forty feet to yet another pit, "forty or fifty feet deep." This truly
amazed us, especially me. When I had gone down the mountain for more ropes I
could not believe the cave was over 300 feet above the valley. Gerald all along
had insisted that it was 400 feet, and after finding the 13 foot pit he lost no
time in razzing me about my inaccurate estimates. I could only meekly acknowledge
he was correct.

While Alan cleared the lip the rest of us returned upstream for our vertical
equipment and lone remaining rope. But, alas, when Alan lowered our sixty foot line
into the pit it was apparent that it would not reach. Frustration! We were going
to be robbed of bottoming the cave because of the lack of ten or fifteen feet of
rope!

After discussing our options, leaving the cave or sacrificing a person at the
top of the 13 foot pit, we decided to return to the stream and try to follow it

downdip on the chance that some climbs would be found. This gamble worked. Very

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soon we found three and fourteen foot climbs which put us on a major ledge of the
same pit we had seen from above. A natural tie off was found on one wall, and
Alan descended 13 feet to another ledge, then 30 ee more to the bottom.

Once we were on bottom we put aside our vertical gear and entered the hands
and knee and stoop passage beyond. We expected the route to become grim and dis-—
gusting very soon. But this did not happen. The way forward enlarged to several
hundred feet of mud walled walking passage.

After about a thousand feet, at last the ceiling dropped and the only choice
was to negotiate a low, wet crawl with six or seven inches of airspace. Again,
our "skinny steel worm,'' Alan, plunged in. After about fifteen feet the ceiling
increased a couple of feet. Gerald and I followed, but Roy decided to wait.

We traversed more hundreds of feet of crawl, much of which was in long pooled
sections with twelve to eighteen inches of airspace, which obviously flooded to
the ceiling. No place to be during a flash flood. We began to question whether
we should continue. But always our actions betrayed our verbalized concerns. One
or the other of us crawled ahead and the two in the rear followed.

For a while it looked as if at any moment the corridor would sump, but the cave
held one more surprise for us. It once again opened up. We came to a major junction
with a side stream coming from the left. The main route downdip beckoned us with
at least twenty foot wide, ten foot wide dimensions. We joyfully scampered many
more hundreds of feet along this breakdown free borehole, until at long last the
ceiling dropped to stoop height and then mercifully a sump was reached. We retreated
a few feet and then tried a parallel "side" passage which led to the same sump water
as before but probably a little further forward. Here Alan observed at least ten
blind cave fish. We were about 2,500 to 3,000 feet from the lest pit, and obviously
beneath the valley floor.

The trip out was long and laborious. All of us exited in the wee hours of June 1.

Trip times ranged from thirteen to sixteen hours. We had had a far more successful

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trip than Gerald's most optimistic prediction. Our "scoop" had been so unexpected

and good that during the week following our adventure I kept asking myself if the
trip really took place or if I had dreamed it.

Altogether, Hickey Pot is about 6,000 feet long. Its pits, including the 9 footer,
total 295 feet. In addition, there are at least 105 feet of stepdowns or freeclimbs,
making 400 feet of depth by actual count. Both Alan and Gerald believe the cave is
500 feet deep, and with the gradient figured in, I have to concur.

The significance of the discovery and exploration of Hickey Pot is that it proves
that deep multi-drop caves can be found in the Cumberland Plateau of Warren County,

Tennessee. The credit for this revelation rests squarely on the shoulders of Gerald

Moni.