Troop Explores Cavern With Huge Underground Lake

Peering into deep, milky blue water, Scouts spotted something they didn’t expect to see: rainbow trout.

You wouldn’t think it would be all that surprising to notice fish in a lake. However, this lake is 140 feet below ground.

Last May, Troop 11 of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, spent a weekend exploring the Lost Sea, a 4.5-acre lake within the Craighead Caverns in eastern Tennessee. Not only did the guys ride a tour boat across the underground lake, but they also crawled through muddy passages and spent a night in the cave.

“You can’t really improve on this too much — it was a great outing,” says Eagle Scout Cameron Thomson, 17.

SEA TALES

Water is below your feet practically everywhere around Earth. It’s what we often tap into to get water for drinking or irrigating crops. What’s rare about the Lost Sea is that groundwater doesn’t usually pool together in such a large area. The lake is so big, experts aren’t exactly sure where it ends.

It’s the second-largest underground lake in the world, only behind the Dragon’s Breath Cave in the African country Namibia, which measures slightly bigger at almost 5 acres.

Troop 11 wanted to check out this natural marvel, so they booked an overnight experience at the Tennessee caverns. It was the first time some of the guys had been spelunking (caving).

When they arrived, the Scouts first learned about the history of the Craighead Caverns. They were once used as a meeting place for Cherokee tribes. During the Civil War, Confederate soldiers mined it for saltpeter, a material needed to make gunpowder.

“We learned what it was like down in a cave,” says Asa Beckett, 11, a Scout. “There were burn marks written by soldiers on the cave walls.”

In 1905, a 13-year-old boy discovered the Lost Sea. Over the years, the caverns were developed into an adventurous destination with boats, walking paths and tours of undeveloped parts of the cave.

GETTING DIRTY

After carrying their gear to where they would sleep for the night, the guys loaded onto a metal flat-bottom boat for a brief trip on the water. They watched the rainbow trout swim around the 70-foot-deep lake. The fish were introduced to the Lost Sea decades ago in hopes they would show the previous owner if there was a passage out of the cave. Instead, the fish stayed.

“They try to nibble at anything that touches the water,” says 17-year-old Eagle Scout Leland Graham.

Then it was on to a main tour of the caverns before the guys turned on their headlamps for the “wild cave tour.” This guided 2-hour excursion called on them to straddle rocks, slide down clay-covered floors and crawl through narrow passages.

“I felt kind of scared about the crawls, but then I realized they weren’t as tight as I thought they were,” says Will Tart, 12, a First Class Scout. “I had totally green pants. After spelunking, they were clay orange.”

Having their headlamps taped to their helmets helped make sure the guys had light where they needed it.

“Once your fingers were covered with mud, it was hard to press the headlamp’s buttons because it was so slippery,” says 14-year-old Star Scout Ethan Kantala.

It’s important to see where to go, but the light brightened fascinating cave formations as well, like anthodites, also known as “cave flowers.” These intricate straw-like structures take thousands of years just to grow an inch.

IN THE DARK

The Scouts cleaned up, bagged their muddy clothes and got ready for bed inside a cave. But first, they played a fun card game called Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza. When it was time for lights out, the guys’ senses heightened, and it was tough going to sleep for many of them.

“Once all the noise goes away, it’s eerily silent,” Leland says. “Your ears aren’t picking up any audio. There’s no sound of anything. After a while, the adults started snoring.”

“I think I was one of the lucky few that fell asleep before the assistant Scoutmasters started snoring,” Cameron says. “It wasn’t the best night of sleep I’ve ever had because it was on a rock surface, but it wasn’t too bad.”

Lying on rock isn’t comfy, but the temperature inside the cave felt nice at 58 degrees. The climate in caves doesn’t change as dramatically as it does at the surface.

“We had sleeping bags that could withstand 30-degree weather,” Asa says. “I slept with a sweatshirt and a beanie, so I was fine.”

SUPER SPELUNKING

The troop emerged in the morning, greeted by the warmth of the sun.

“The most rewarding part was seeing the sun after 12 hours in the cave,” Will says.

After a game of Frisbee in the parking lot, the guys loaded up for the long ride back home. It was a fun trip. The Scouts learned a lot about caves, history and themselves.

“I learned that I do like the crawls,” Ethan says. “I’m not claustrophobic — I want to go caving more.”