Chuck Sutherland

During the polar vortex of 2014, Kristen Bobo, Emily Davis, and Greer Crabtree hiked to Verble Hollow. Access is difficult and hampered by numerous cliffs. Gaps have to be found, climbing has to be done, gear has to be protected. Sufficient clothing for a trip in these frost conditions is difficult enough to travel in. In addition, I had caving gear, and photography gear. After a few hours we arrived at our destination. From a cave a stream emerges, plunges 80 feet, and disappears into another cave. This feature is known as a karst window in geology. What that really means is that geomorphologically, the caves used to be a single system, but collapse has provided a "window" into them. Karst windows crop out pretty much anywhere you have cave systems. What is special about this one, is that it is one among just a handful of other features which reveals not just a stream, but a waterfall. Other better known examples of this include Lost Creek Falls, Virgin Falls, and Rylan...

It was relatively warm on January 8th, 2014 when I went to Fall Creek Falls. After several days of temperatures hovering around 0 - 5 degrees Fahrenheit (-18 to -15C to everyone not in the United States ) a jump to just above freezing genuinely felt warm. I hiked to the bottom of the falls, removing a substantial amount of debris from the trail; Frost covered trees unable to hold their own weight break, and fall down to the trail below, icicles and ice dropping from the cliffs above, even a few rocks. But the pictures... That's why you're here, right? That's why I was there. Check this out...

Honey Creek is a difficult trail that weighs in at 5.6 miles. Don't bother with trekking poles, as your hands often need to be holding onto rocks, limbs, and roots to properly negotiate the trail. In a few locations the trail passes through boulders and it takes some creative spelunking to get through. It was very cold yesterday when Alan Cressler, Jeff Moore, and I hiked Honey Creek. It had been 7 years since my previous visit and I tried to remember what to expect, but aside from the memory of frequently loosing the trail and several stream crossings, I couldn't recall the specifics. Specifically, the western portion of the trail cuts through some amazing canyons dotted with waterfalls and rock shelters, while the eastern portion has amazingly huge cliffs (120+ feet) and passes by the Big South Fork River. It's a great place to feel tiny. And tiny I was beside such immense geology. I was even tiny compared with some of the icicles forming at the lip of the clif...

Blowhole Cave is a spectacular cave, thankfully protected by a large safe door. The formations there are still pristine, they are colorful and they are plentiful. Below are some of the photographs I took on my recent trip there.

In my early days as a Tennessean, I was shown a cave. I explored the nearby countryside and discovered more caves, disappearing streams, and reappearing streams. I started putting together the pieces of the puzzle, and at age eleven, I drew a map of the caves, and the streams that flowed under the land of the sinkhole plain. The map hypothesized the connection of what are now John Henry Demps and Sullivan Cave. Fast-forward 22 years, it’s the morning of June 12th, 2013, and my biologist friend, Matt Niemiller is showing up at my house to go explore caves on my cousin’s property. I am to assist Matt in the collection of cave life specimens, as well as assist him locating new caves to sample. I turned in Freddie Dodson Cave and John Henry Demps Cave back in 2008 and have made numerous repeat visits to try and push the low airspace at the back of John Henry Demps Cave with the suspicion that it connects, as my old map shows, to Sullivan Cave. Previous attempts to push...

I first remember going to Virgin Falls on August 12th, 2005. I was supposed to meet a friend to dayhike the trail. He failed to show, and I decided to solo. I was inexperienced, and unprepared for the 9+ mile hike that lay ahead of me. Before the end of the day, I ran out of water, lost the trail, and was running out of daylight. This was a moment that would come to define my life. I oriented myself in the direction I thought my car lay, and walked. Eventually, I found my way back, and not a moment too soon. The sun set minutes before I found my car. I had been beaten. Or almost beaten. I took that personally, and made it a goal to never find myself in that position again. It was a grudge match - me versus Virgin Falls. Over the next 8 years, I would end up hiking that trail partially 9 times, and completely 28 times. I regard it now as an old friend. It's something that I trust; a beauty that I can describe with my eyes closed. In this post I will share with you my favorite p...