The Saltpeter Cave

The saltpeter cave in the Sipsey Wilderness was used for mining saltpeter during the Civil War. Saltpeter is potassium nitrate. It was used for making gun powder. Today it is used for a food preservative and additive. The small cave is nestled deep in the ground behind a waterfall! I read that this was actually called Saltpeter Falls but I could be wrong. I have read a little about this cave and we've talked about finding it before so we decided we should cross it off the bucket list. Last Sunday Thomas and I searched a good 5 miles of just bluff lines because we weren't sure exactly where it was but we had a pretty good idea. We ended up doing a total of 8 miles when we made it back to the truck. We were bummed because it was getting dark and had to leave and never found it. This Sunday we came back and were determined we would find it this time. We made it to Eye of the Needle from trail 206 in about 45 minutes which is amazing considering it's about 2 miles there (if I'm correct). We decided instead of going through White Oak Hollow this time it would be closer for us to start right at the Sipsey River. We came up to where a small stream ran into the Sipsey River and headed up following it to the top of a pretty good hill...Oh the dreaded hills but B I N G O first bluff line we went up to- we found the cave.

Thomas and his brother Justin climbed down to the entrance and finally talked me into going down and taking a peek. I am not a fan of tight spaces or bats and this place has both. I made it down to the entrance and literally right in front of me at the mouth of the cave slept this little guy.  (I just want to note we didn't disturb them, we know they are important in the food chain because they eat pesky insects we don't like.) I really do appreciate the woods. Anything you pack in you pack out. No  matter what. We don't leave messes laying around.The momma always feels the need to probably pack too much when I go but somebody has to bring the first aid kit along for these boys ha ha.

It's probably only about 3 foot or so from top to bottom in the cave.

The sun was shining right in on us and you can barely make out Thomas' headlamp way down at the entrance of the saltpeter cave.

Thomas and Justin packing up as we get ready to leave. While we were eating a bite Justin looked at his map and said if we went straight up the mountain and over, Auburn Falls wasn't too far away. I knew it was going to require a lot of major effort and bushwhacking. I wish that looking back down after climbing up the mountain I would have taken a picture of what we climbed up it was a good 50 degree incline. It was UP and it got thick and hilly but it was amazing because we were so high up and had amazing views on the afternoon sun and sky and the best part was the fact that you could tell no people had traveled up on that ridge in a long long time. That's what we like- untouched wilderness. I found an old glass bottle that was broken that had been laying up there for no telling how long! We seen many old "roads" wore, a ton of MASSIVE trees blown over by a tornado and some HUGE hog tracks. We tend to follow the paths the hogs have wore a lot- or game trails I guess is a better term for it. Mostly everything good that I've seen out here is way away from the trails thank goodness. We came right out at the trail in White Oak Hollow! I was proud of them boys for getting us through there exactly where they did and I was so glad we didn't have to back track and were going downhill instead of up!!

While looking around the cave, back behind the waterfall nestled where nobody can see you sat this make shift bridge leading over to an old fire ring under a shelter bluff. The coolest part about this piece of wood that it's cut almost perfect. Someone had to of cut it out in the wilderness because surly nobody is crazy enough to hike that 3 miles into the woods. We hiked a total of 7.2 miles by the time we got back to the truck. It was an overall successful day in the woods.