By Jeremy Patton
I do not give cave locations.
Cave Springs Cave is located in Pulaski County, Kentucky.
We found some trash inside the entrance, but no spray paint, which was remarkable due to the cave’s accessibility.
On 9/30/18 our progress was halted by the 20-foot Cave Springs Cave Falls, flowing thanks to several weeks of rain.
A frog occupied the crest; he grew tired of our head lamps and hopped into the cold water. Delania and I watched the
creek fall into the darkness and feared that Froggy might get swept deeper into the cavern. If he got trapped, the environment downstream would be too cold for the little guy. Maybe later he could have easily hopped back up the slick limestone, unlike us clumsy humans?
We had visited once before, briefly the previous year. We continued our conversation about how to get to the bottom of the pit. It might be possible to climb down with a rope. There were several boulders suitable to tie to, but we could not clearly see the floor behind the waterfall for a potential
landing. We were not experienced rappellers and were afraid to descend unless the conditions were just right. We decided to try our luck next time with a big rope.
On our way back to the vehicle, Delania nearly stepped on a copperhead that had emerged from the tall weeds onto the trail. We backed away and I threw sticks at him until he finally decided to leave. “Awwww,” Delania said as he slithered away. We can now add copperheads to the long list of critters than she thinks are cute.
Added 10/2/18 – Updated 7/28/26