BY DENISE WILLIAMS
Staff Writer

BLOUNTVILLE — It got pretty cold around these parts the last few days, so I decided to get away from it all. I found a hole and climbed in.

Actually, it was quite a large hole called Appalachian Caverns in Blountville. I was lucky enough to show up during a slow period and received a one-on-one tour from guide Becky Hale.
This trip was a real adventure because, for the first time ever, I actually saw a few varmints who call the cave home.

It turns out Appalachian Caverns is home of the Bat Cave. No, not the one from Batman and Robin fame, but a cave filled with real bats.

Owner Tammy Hartley explained the cave is home to seven species of bat and is a nursery cave for the endangered gray bat.

The gray bat, although they are quite social with each other, are shy when they decide to hibernate for the winter. They were in the far-off reaches of the cave in an area not included in the regular tour.

I did see several of the cave’s smallest residents, the Eastern pipistrelle bat.

This tiny, brown, McDonald McNugget-sized critter is quite the loner. During the tour, we saw them in various places, just hanging upside down by their little toes, waiting for the return of warm weather and their favorite meal, mosquitoes.

Hale said she was not very fond of bats until she learned one important little tidbit—the furry little buggers can eat one-third of their body weight of the pesky insects daily.

With that in mind, I can see how one could get attached to the little things. I’m just grateful I picked a time when they weren’t moving around.

Bats aren’t the only critters that call Appalachian Caverns home.
The creeks and streambeds are full of carp, trout, bluegill, minnows, catfish, albino catfish, frogs, salamanders, cave crickets and cave beetles, crayfish, blind crayfish and soft-shell snapping turtles. From what I’ve been told, larger, furry animals like raccoons wander in from the cold from time to time.

The cave has 78 known natural openings. All but the main entrance have been closed off to adventurous humans, but the animals can come and go as they please.

Appalachian Caverns had been closed for 18 months and was up for auction when the Hartleys learned the cave was for sale. They decided to buy it.

“This is something that just felt right,” Tammy said. The cave reopened for tours August 13.

Although people in the immediate vicinity have known about this cave forever, it wasn’t developed as a commercial cave and bat sanctuary until 1988.

One of the major problems was clearing out 162 tons of garbage inconsiderate people had tossed into the ground near the cave’s large main entrance. Hale said it took a team of 10 people working daily for three months to clear away the mess.
Appalachian Caverns has a similar history to what I’ve learned on other cave tours.

During the millions of years since the cave was formed, a steady stream of residents has wandered in.

Fossil remains of a snub-nose cave bear and extinct species of small horses have been excavated from the cave. Native Americans held their council meetings in the caves, which they believed to be sacred. Moonshiners used the areas along the cave’s underground river to make their illegal brew, then they floated barrels of the stuff downstream and out the cave.

All of that was pretty ingenious, when you think about it.
The cave was used as a hospital for sick and wounded soldiers during the Civil War, and according to local lore, three families lived in the caves during the Great Depression.

According to another legend, brothers Jim and John Linville reportedly lived in the caves for a while, much to the displeasure of the local Native Americans. Following an altercation, Jim was injured and died a short time later. John supposedly buried his body in the cave.

Hale said when the original owners excavated the cave, they found a hollowed out, grave-sized hole. But, alas, no remains of Jim Linville.
The legend continues that John moved to Fort Chiswell, where he ran afoul of the natives there.

Probably one of the best things about visiting a cave are the formations themselves. It never ceases to amaze me the names people give to these rock formations.

Appalachian Caverns has the expected stalactites, stalagmites and columns. But it also has Puff the Magic Dragon, Planet of the Apes, a gnome, a blowhole and a very interesting formation resembling the head and backbone of an animal shaped like an alligator or crocodile.

Hale said that even close up, the formation still resembles an animal skeleton.

It would be interesting to know if the toothy beasts actually lived in the area.

There are several interesting formations on the tour. From the milky-looking cave pearls to the “egg”—a baby stalagmite in the very early stages of life.

The best estimates are it is a mere 200 years old. Unfortunately, no one alive now will still be around when it grows up.
In the Great Chamber, Hale and I stopped on one of the numerous stainless steel bridges. Then she pointed out a narrow rock bridge approximately six inches wide.

Before the cave was developed for tourists, it seems this little spit of rock was the only way adventurous spelunkers had to  get from one area of the cave to the other. Which isn’t so bad until you realize that little rock bridge crosses a chasm 135 feet deep.

The kids who used to play in the cave, crossed this in the dark with only a flashlight or two for illumination.

Now, I like adventure as much as the next person, but that’s just plain dumb.

For people who want to look “behind the curtain” at the inner workings of the cave, Appalachian Caverns offers the Wild Tour. This is a 3-4 hour trip through areas not on the regular tour, including a trip to the bat cave.

Wild Tour participants get to get up close and personal with some of the cave’s more interesting features with names like the “test crawl” with its 12-inch clearance and the “birth canal” with a 9.5-inch clearance.

I asked Hartley if anyone had ever gotten stuck on any of these narrow passageways. She said, “We have a cattle prod.”
That’s probably exactly what I’d need to motivate my much-bigger-than-9.5-inch-body out the other side of the birth canal.
I’ll let you know how it turns out. Now all I have to do is round up 14 of my closest friends and go wild.

GETTING THERE: From Morristown, take Interstate 81 North to Highway 394 (Exit 69). Follow Highway 394 for approximately 2.7 miles. Turn right onto Feathers Chapel Road. Turn right onto Buncombe Road for 1.5 miles. Turn left onto Cave Hill Road. Appalachian Caverns are 1/2 mile ahead on the right.
PREPARATIONS: If you plan to take one of the monthly Wild Tours, be sure to bring a flashlight and wear old clothing. You will get muddy and wet to the skin. Also bring a complete change of clothes (including dry underwear) to change into after the tour.

WHEN TO GO: Closed Dec. 24-Jan. 3

ADMISSION: Regular tours are $7.50 per person for adults, $5 for children (ages 4-11) and $6 for seniors. Children under 4 are free. Group rates with a tax exemption form is $3.50 per person. Wild Tours are $20 per person.

HOURS: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 2-5 p.m. Sunday.

OTHER ATTRACTIONS: Appalachian Caverns is just a short hop from Bristol International Raceway.

INFORMATION: Phone: (423) 323-2337

On the Net: www.appalachiancaverns.net