caving

Host Michael Skinner goes caving, or spelunking as some like to call it. We'll explore marvelous caves in the Northwestern area of Georgia and learn more about the inhabitants there, such as the endangered grey bat, the threatened Tennessee salamander and other more common cave dwellers such as the pipistrel bat and millipedes.

Also, learn about the efforts of the Department of Natural Resources efforts to survey these underground areas for life. Sometimes humans fall victim to the often treacherous terrain of these beautiful caves. We'll explore some of the efforts and techniques used to rescue these spelunkers and review the safety precautions every caver should follow.

This is a very special episode of Georgia Outdoors. We will be traveling underground to a cave in southwest Georgia that has never been visited by anyone with a television camera.

Our guides tell us that this is one of the most remarkable caves in the world and they have caved around the globe. It is a tough climb down and in, a beginner shouldn't try it, but it is worth it! Crystal formations fill rooms and corridors from floor to ceiling.

One formation, called angel wings, covers the ceiling of a room so thickly, dripping ever so slowly, that it appears to be many thousands of angels hibernating on the ceiling like bats. It is an extraordinary sight and one not to be missed!

We'll also visit another cave in southwestern Georgia that harbors a colony of thousands of bats. We brought along our infra-red camera so that we could tape these critters undisturbed.

And finally, we'll meet a group of cavers, both adults and children, that have made caving their life.

Related Links

National Speleological Society
All kinds of information about caving. Learn if there is a caving club near you.

Southeastern Cave Conservancy
Learn more about how you can help protect the fragile environments of Georgia's Caves.

Bat Conservation International
Bats are some of the most gentle animals in the world.

Georgia Wildlife Federation
Learn more about Georgia's wildlife on the Georgia Wildlife Federation website.

Georgia's Protected Species List

PDF Transcript

100 miles long and 25 hundred feet high, Lookout Mountain spans three states as it stretches from Gadsden, Alabama to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Upon it's length one will find waterfalls, canyons, scenic vistas, unique towns, state and national parks and preserves and many more natural wonders.

We'll start in Chattanooga at the northern tip of Lookout Mountain. Underground, Ruby Falls plummets into a crystal clear pool. Above Ruby Falls lies Point Park and the Lookout Mountain Battlefield, part of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. Just south from Point Park, and just inside the Georgia state line, is Rock City Gardens famous for its barn-top signs declaring, "See Rock City".

South of the Chattanooga area is Cloudland Canyon State Park, one of Georgia's most scenic parks, offering rugged geology and beautiful vistas. Nearby is the Lookout Mountain Flight Park offering hang-gliding lessons and flights. And just south of there is the Crockford-Pigeon Mountain Wildlife Management Area, one of the most diversely utilized WMA in Georgia offering caving, rock-climbing, horseback-riding, camping, hiking, biking, wildlife viewing, not to mention hunting and fishing. Also, within its boundaries is the Shirley Miller Wildflower Trail, an 800-foot boardwalk meandering through a patch of uncommon wildflowers.

Lookout Mountain continues another 60 miles into Alabama. Here lies Little River Canyon National Preserve and the Desoto State Park. Lookout Mountain finally comes to an end at the Noccalula Falls in Gadsden, Alabama.

PDF Transcript

Any weekend throughout the year offers plenty of outdoor recreation opportunities in Georgia. Mild winters and long springs and falls invite Georgians to do everything from rafting and hiking to hunting and fishing.

Join us for A Georgia Outdoors Guide to Never Spending a Weekend at Home. We'll explore outdoor activities month by month for Georgians and our visitors. For example, in January, you can visit Sky Valley in North Georgia and learn to snow ski and the next weekend cycle with the Coastal Bicycle Touring Club on the warm coast! March offers both the chance to hunt a turkey, and to raft the Chattooga River. But don't forget fishing and camping. Once the weather heats up, we'll tell you where to go diving one weekend and caving another. And if you've never gone birding, we'll show you what you've been missing and how many places there are to bird in Georgia.

September offers lots of hunting opportunities and Georgia is rich in public fishing areas where you can "wet a hook" all year long. The cooler weather of November offers clear night skies for star gazing and in December you can skip the malls and participate in the Partners in Flight Christmas Bird Counts. So, be careful, if you watch this program, you'll have no excuse to stay at home!

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