I have participated in a lot of outdoor activities, but I don’t do caves. While working with the Boy Scouts I canoed down the Flint River, camped out in the snow, and backpacked through the mountains. We navigated an orienteering course in the pouring rain, but when it came time to go caving I said count me out. Going down in a dark hole and squeezing through tight spaces is not my idea of fun. Its not that I am claustrophobic or anything, I just don’t like caves. I guess if I was forced to live in one I could, but don’t wait for me to volunteer.

  We rode in several competitive trail rides at Pigeon Mountain in North Georgia. On one of the trails there is an old Magnesium mine. The tunnel is bored straight through the mountain and when you look in it you can see light from the other end. Riding through the mountain is allowed and it cuts off about a mile of trail. Competitive trail rides are tough on horses and riders, so cutting off a mile is appealing. I decided to try it.

  My horse Ginger, while anxious, is not afraid to go anywhere I ask. As we approached the mine it appeared that the entrance was blocked by a pile of dirt, but as we got closer we could see the trail around the dirt.  Upon entering the mine the first thing I noticed was that the floor was not smooth, it was littered with rocks and small boulders. Ginger has navigated this type of surface before and it is amazing how easy it is for her. We glide along as if the surface was smooth, an occasional stumble, but nothing serious. Next I was surprised at how pitch black dark it was. I could see the light at the other end, but there was certainly a lot of heavy dark between us and the exit. As my arms and shoulders began to scrape the sides of the tunnel, my mind started thinking, what a wonderful place this would be for a rattlesnake to stay.  Of course it was too late to be concerned about snakes and I don’t think we could have turned around if we had wanted to. Finally we reached the other side. The fresh air and daylight were welcomed by both of us.

  Everything went well for the rest of the 25 mile ride. The ride was laid out so we returned to camp on the same trail we left on. This meant we had an opportunity to cut off the last mile by going back through the mine. While some folks consider this an adventure, I tend to classify it as an experience to remember and not repeat. Ginger and I discussed the pros and cons of going back through the mine, but when I suggested that we go around the mountain she agreed. So we took the long way back.