Tuesday, May 24, 2011

The Sinks of Gandy

                                cave opening to the Sinks
Have you ever even heard of the Sinks of Gandy?

I hadn't!
That is until going on this school fieldtrip with my son.

The Sinks of Gandy is an underground cave located near Whitmer, WV. It's over 8,000 feet in length and has two main entrances. Both entrances are located on private property ~ one opening is in Randolph County and the other in Tucker County.
On our way down from Spruce Mountain the bus pulled off alongside the gravel road.
Nothing to be seen but rolling meadows and Spruce trees.
A cave here???
You wouldn't think so but once we climbed over the pasture fence and meandered through the rocky meadow we came upon Gandy Creek and the opening to the cave.
The kids were given another lesson on the history of the cave as well as a stern lecture on cave safety.
Then we were off!
We entered the darkness and waited for our eyes to adjust.
We walked bent over so as to not hit our heads on the ceiling of the cave until we reached the first large open "room".
Here the kids stopped to take pictures, learned about how and why the cave had formed and searched for any living creatures that may have been using this cave as it's home. (bats and one lonely salamander)
The tunnels were flooded due to the heavy rains we had been having so we were forced to turn back. It's hard to see but that water was over our heads in depth.
We exited the cave and headed back through the field to our waiting bus.

We all would have loved to go through the whole cave but safety comes first. Maybe one day we will get the chance to return and explore it again.

5 comments:

Christine said...

What an adventure! I love caves. I try to visit caverns in the areas we travel; never been disappointed.

Barb said...

What a great story but you'd never get me inside a cave! I did that once on a school trip years ago and I was freaking out the whole time. almost to the point of a panic attack. Guess I'm meant to stay above ground. It was an unforgettable experience though.

Angela said...

I learned something new today! I've never heard of the Sinks of Gandy before. How neat! I never thought about water getting in them like that. We've been in the cave near Seneca Rocks and another cave near Virginia. Neat field trips your kids are getting to go on. They don't really do field trips at my kids schools. Oh they are going to Kings Island again this year but that isn't a learning thing at all! There are just too many in the class to take them all I suppose.

Have a Great Day!
Angela

Robin at The Primitive Hutch said...

What a wonderful experience.
I'll stay out here and look at your pictures ~ you won't get me in the cave ~ there's SPIDERS in there!
Thanks for sharing ~ I enjoyed it.
Prim Blessings
Robin

Carmen S. said...

EEK, I am terrified of bats, LOL!!!! Looks like a neat place to visit, hope you get to go again some time and explore some more!!!