It was somewhat a leap of faith to make the return without really knowing what we'd find. Our only reassurance was that, at least since Google Earth had last been updated, they hadn't plopped a Wal-Mart where the cave used to be. But in order to find the entrance we'd be relying on my memory from over half a lifetime ago, and I'm a guy who most days can't make it out the door without help from my wife. One morning she even had to help me track down my missing hat which I had hidden on top of my head.
Sure enough, we arrived at Sugar Hill without any trouble but then spent the next two hours bushwhacking up and down the mountain in a scavenger hunt for the cave. My daughter Madison got the worst of it as she trampled over a nest of angry bees. I tried to convince her how lucky she was to have been able to outrun all but five of them, but she wasn't in a "glass half full" mood at that moment.
After meeting back at the truck to retrace our steps my memory clicked - we should have turned left and the bottom, not gone straight - and ten minutes later we stood at the cave's entrance, recreating a picture from my youth.
It's not the easiest cave to get into, and for our first challenge we had to scoot down and off this ledge. Here is Madison using the same technique my wife uses to exit our Jeep.
Once moving Madison quickly went from hiding between the grownups to leading the pack, and with her unique ability to squeeze into places that would make a field mouse claustrophobic, she led us into the depths of the earth.
As far as caves in New Hampshire go, I don't know of a better one than this. There were tight areas we had to crawl through, but there were also large cavities like this one where we could stand around in a group, chatting. Most times the conversation ended with us saying how much cooler of a way to spend a Sunday this was, as opposed to all those poor people wandering around a mall somewhere.
Although this has the look and feel of a wild cave, after reading some old maps I've pretty much determined that it's actually what remains of a section of the old mine. This part was described as an open, sixty-foot deep trench carved into the mountain. I believe the cave formed when the trench either collapsed or was buried. Sections of the mine still exist farther down in the form of a separate open trench, and beyond that a shaft which we were able to enter by climbing through the backside.
This is an area that requires extreme caution when exploring, although looking at this sign I'm not sure what the bigger threat is, mineshafts or bears.
We left the woods that afternoon tired and muddy, but more than either of those, happy. Fellow adventurer Alex asked his father, my friend Dave, how he and I knew of this place to begin with, and we told him the story about researching abandoned mines many years ago and lucking into this spot. Taking it a step further he wondered why we had been looking this stuff up to begin with, and Dave answered in a much better way than I ever would have. To paraphrase, he said that we all start off with a sense of wonder in life, but too many of us lose it along the way. Never let that happen. Each of us should have an insatiable sense of curiosity for our world, and we should always be exploring the things that interest us.
And as Madison will tell you, an afternoon spent spelunking is a wonderful way to satisfy that sense of curiosity and adventure!
Links:
Sugar Hill Mines - Part One
VERY EXCELLENT FOOTAGE!!
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