March 19, 2018
By: Bill Conger
Smithville Boy Scout Troop 347 ventured into the world of spelunking at Raccoon Mountain Caverns in Chattanooga. Under the guidance of Scout Masters Will and Jen Sherwood, and Assistant Scout Master David Robinson, the scouts donned helmets, kneepads, and pairs of gloves for the Wild Cave Expedition tour Saturday, March 10.
“We started off in a big room and then to go to the next part, you had an option of two ways—one was to crawl on your belly through a section that was 8 inches high,” explained Cody Robinson. “But if you’re claustrophobic there’s an easier way.”
Robinson chose the tight squeeze.
“I went the less challenging way just to try it out,” said Zackary Cantrell. “I was a little nervous at first but after that, I felt great. It was longer but not as tight.”
“One side was easier than the other,” said Gavin Conger. “I went for the easy side. We could walk normally at first. Then, it would get to where we would have to duck some.”
Parts of the 2-hour Canyon Crawl tour took scouts on a muddy adventure visiting the deeper, undeveloped sections of the cave.
“I went down a mud slide,” said Robinson. “It was cold. It was about 5 yards, and at the end of it was a puddle of muddy water.”
Scouts used a 15-foot rope to climb parts of the cave.
“It was a little difficult at some points,” said Cantrell. “It felt like you had to hold on to the rope for dear life.”
One spot called The Canyon Crawl posed a different challenge.
“You crawled on the edge, and there was this huge drop if you stepped in the wrong spot,” explained Cantrell.
Darren Waggoner and Emily Robinson also explored the cave. Troop 347 loved Raccoon Mountain, leaving with sore muscles and a lot of mud on their clothes from the cave.