| May 15, 1971, John Van Swearinger IV introduced us | | | | made and the mapping was completed. I |
| to New Fern Cave. John Wallace, Bill Meier and I were | | | | experimented with some movie taking in the cave |
| excited to see what all the cavers in the nation were | | | | but was not pleased with the results, which can be |
| talking about at the time. A huge cave system had | | | | viewed on my web site. One scene does show the |
| been discovered in north Alabama. Vertical cavers | | | | Elephant ears shortly after being broken and on the |
| from all over north America were coming to drop the | | | | first trip and I have a picture of the Elephant ears |
| deepest pit at that time in the eastern United States, | | | | before being broken with John Van Swearingern IV |
| Fern Cave. | | | | and John Wallace. |
| The Fern Cave System is located in the west side of | | | | On November 20, 1971, we made our second trip |
| Nat Mountain in North Alabama. Fern Cave was | | | | into New Fern Cave, we would park by the river at |
| discovered June 4, 1961 by Jim Johnston, Bill Torode, | | | | the foot of the mountain and hike up to the |
| Louis Fox, Chris Kroger, and Butch Dill. It consists | | | | Johnston Entrance. Just inside the entrance there is a |
| mostly of Surprise Pit, 437-foot deep and more than | | | | drop of about eight feet where a wooden ladder |
| 200 feet long. | | | | was installed. |
| Morgue Cave was discovered June 9, 1968 by Bob | | | | We continued to the southeast to the Upper |
| Clark, John Cole, Jim Johnston, Don Myrick, Arch | | | | Formation Rooms filled with helectites growing in all |
| Swank and Lynne Swank. It consists of several pits | | | | directions. We also visited the Red Lilly Pad Room. |
| 100 to 200-foot deep. The Morgue is a hibernating | | | | The room had round formations that looked like Lilly |
| and nursery cave for roughly 50% of the entire Gray | | | | Pads in a pool of water and some of them had |
| Bat species and perhaps 75% of the Gray Bat | | | | stalagmites growing up from the center. |
| population in the south United States. | | | | The helectites are formed when the wind blows |
| On January 11, 1969, New Fern Cave was discovered | | | | through the cave forcing the water droplets to blow |
| by Jim Johnston and is commonly referred to as the | | | | off the sides of the formations, leaving mineral |
| Johnston Entrance to the Fern Cave System. New | | | | deposits. At different times the wind blows in |
| Fern Cave consists of more than 15 miles of | | | | different directions causing the odd shapes. |
| horizontal cave with three main levels connected by | | | | After exploring many of the formations areas, we |
| pits and canyons. | | | | continued south to the Elephant Ears and the Green |
| New Fern Cave was connected to the Morgue in | | | | Passage. The Green Passage is a smaller crawl and |
| January of 1969 and in April of that same year the | | | | walking passage that leads to the Blowing Hole. The |
| lower level of New Fern Cave was reached. There | | | | Blowing Hole is a short cut to the middle level of the |
| was found evidence of pasts visit to the cave by | | | | cave. Bill Torode cleared the dirt from around the |
| torch barriers and large animals, some that are now | | | | hole, placed a bolt in the wall and installed a cable |
| extinct. Searches were made for a lower entrance, | | | | ladder. The hole is about four feet around and an |
| but none has been found. Caving in the Fern Cave | | | | easy place to belay climbers as they go down the |
| System involves a long hike up Nat Mountain or if | | | | ladder. The last person down has to be belayed from |
| you know the roads, a drive to the top and a hike | | | | below with the rope going up and through the |
| down to the entrances. It seemed strange to climb | | | | carabineer at the bolt. |
| the outside of the mountain then go inside and climb | | | | At the bottom of the middle level we continued |
| back down the inside of the mountain. | | | | down the canyon of the Gold Passage to the Crystal |
| Finely on October 10, 1971, the lower stream | | | | Room with large five inch gypsum crystals that jut |
| passages of Fern Cave and New Fern Cave was | | | | out from the wall. The wall is more than ten feet |
| connected by digging out a stream in the cold water. | | | | high and almost as wide with these crystals side by |
| This completed the Fern Cave System by connecting | | | | side all over the wall. The crystals are pointed with |
| the three main caves and a few minor ones on the | | | | smooth sides making the most striking formation |
| mountain. The map and most of the exploration of | | | | room that I have ever seen. From the Crystal Room |
| the Fern Cave System were completed Bill Torode | | | | we continued to the Balcony Room. You literally can |
| and members of the Huntsville Grotto. | | | | set on the edge of a balcony and look into a huge |
| Our group consisted of horizontal cavers, only getting | | | | round room about eighty feet high and contains a |
| involved in vertical work when there was no other | | | | massive flow stone called Myrick's Monument that |
| possibility. We made several trips in 1971, 1972 and | | | | reaches from the bottom to the top of the room. |
| 1973, at a time when the last discoveries were being | | | | |