Building Fitness at Mammoth Cave National Park
By Robert Drucker
A fun and motivating way to build fitness is to join a walking group. Here, a park ranger leads a group of walkers along a paved road at Mammoth Cave National Park, one of Nation's most visited national parks. Photography by Robert Drucker.
My family and I recently visited Mammoth Cave National Park for a day of hiking and spelunking (cave hiking and adventure). This national treasure, which is nearly equidistant (about 90 miles) between Louisville, Kentucky and Nashville, Tennessee, is heralded as one of the seven natural wonders of the world. With over 350 miles of underground passages, this biosphere reserve is by far the longest cave system known. Most of the cave areas are reserved solely for park officials and researchers, but at least 14 miles of passage is open to the public through various tours offered by the National Park Service.
Above ground, the park also features more than 70 miles of hiking trails, and several more miles of back-country trails are designated for mountain biking or horseback riding. Additionally, with over 30 miles of the Green and Nolin Rivers flowing through the park boundaries, there is plenty of water for boating, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, and fishing. Thus, whether you visit for the underground or the overground activities, Mammoth Cave National Park is a paradise for fitness buffs.
Park Ranger, Alan Sizemore, instructs a tour group before leading the “New Entrance Tour” at Mammoth Cave National Park. Photography by Robert Drucker.
Our visit to Mammoth Cave National Park was for family fun, but we got plenty of healthful exercise. We arrived at the park three hours before our scheduled “New Entrance Tour,” so we filled in the time by walking some of the many trails in the vicinity of the Visitor Center. Among the trails we walked included The Heritage Trail, which traverses many interesting land and historical features, including the grave site of Stephen Bishop. Bishop was a former slave, and through self education, bravery, and plenty of hard work, he helped map many portions of Mammoth Cave far before it became part of a national park. Bishop's famous crossing of the Bottomless Pit in 1837 led to the discovery of many new cave passages.
Although Stephen Bishop did much to reveal the vastness of the cave system, he didn't discover Mammoth Cave. Their is evidence that people first entered this impressive underground structure approximately 4000 years ago to collect minerals, to store food, and to provide shelter. These prehistoric people stopped using the cave about 2000 years ago, but it was rediscovered in 1797 by John Houchins, a settler, hunter, and trapper. It has been said that Houchins discovered the cave after he shot a bear. After being shot, the bear ran into an underground opening near the Green River, and the settler came in after it. Another version of the story is that Houchins found himself in trouble when an angry bear started chasing him. Running for his life, the hunter dived into a hole in the ground to escape the raging beast. That hole in the ground turned out to be a passage into the deep of the Earth.
Stair climbing is a great way to strengthen the legs and build fitness. Here, the a tour group ascends up a steep flight of steps along the “New Entrance Tour” at Mammoth Cave National Park. Photography by Robert Drucker.
After a few hours of hiking, it was time for us to head back to the Visitor Center and board a bus to the designated cave entrance. I was a bit nervous, because I wasn't sure if our six-year-old daughter could handle the cave tour my wife and I had picked. As the tour group gathered by the buses outside of the Visitor Center, Park Ranger, Alan Sizemore, sternly warned the group that the cave trip would involve rigorous walking and steep stair climbing along tight passages for nearly two hours. A few people in the group had second thoughts and bailed out. I asked my daughter is she thought she could handle the adventure, and she assured me that she could. “Daddy,” she exclaimed with excitement, “This cave doesn’t scare me.” Her reassurance made me feel a little bit better, so we trotted along with the group onto the bus.
When we arrived at the cave entrance, the park ranger once again tried to scare us with some warnings. Then, after a bit of instruction, our group was led into the cave. We immediately began a 350-foot descent along a vast array of stairs and narrow passages. Flexibility was a must here, as you had to twist and turn your body at various angles to get around and squeeze through endless tight and low-hanging limestone structures. The twisting was relatively easy for my daughter, but it was a bit tough on us larger folks.
As our walk through the cave system continued, I heard quite a few people in the group state breathlessly that “I'm too old for this,” or “I didn't know that there would be so many stairs to climb.” A few other group members ventured off to the side of the walking path every few minutes hoping to catch their breath and gain their composure before the group got too far ahead. One lady even scolded her husband in between her gasps for not telling her that the cave trip would be “so miserably difficult.”
A group of adventurists hike out of the Historical Entrance at Mammoth Cave National Park. This is one of the few natural cave entrances at the park, and the only natural entrance open for public tours. Photography by Robert Drucker.
Other members of the group clearly were enjoying their adventure through the beautiful cave system, and they had little or no trouble at all maintaining a steady pace through the steep passages. These “happy” folks were the ones who regularly exercise and engage in fitness training. Whether through regular walking, jogging, biking, tennis playing, or some other aerobic-building activity, they have built the stamina, endurance, and muscular strength required to tackle just about any physical adventure that could come their way. And, here is something else to think about. Some of the fittest members of our tour group were well into their golden years, and most of the people who struggled with the cave walk were between 20 and 40 years of age! How could this be? Here is one answer: The younger folks who struggled on this tour do not exercise regularly. In contrast, the older folks who excelled on this tour do exercise regularly. And, here is another answer: The “golden“ folks who showed vigor and zeal along the cave tour think as if they are young. Not once did I did not hear them say, “I'm too old for this.” This statement was reserved for the out-of-shape folks who have yet to reach the half century mark! Thus, there is an important lesson to derive from this: If you want to stay young, think young. Never tell yourself, “I'm too old for this.”
Mammoth Cave National Park has cave tours for all ability levels. The “New Entrance Tour” my family and I went on has been given a “moderate” rating by the park system. This rating is relative, as some people found the tour to be extremely difficult for them, and other people found it to be rather easy. Again, it was a matter of fitness level, not age, that determined how well each person handled the adventure. My wife, my daughter, and I were among those who found the “New Entrance Tour” to be easy and enjoyable. I say this not to brag, but to emphasize that we did not struggle because we regularly engage in physical activities that promote stamina and fitness. My daughter picked up on this fact. She told me after our excursion, “Daddy, this cave trip was fun for me because of all the hiking we do.” So take a tip from a six year old, keep yourself fit and in shape by exercising regularly. Doing so will bring more fun and adventure into your life.
The Nolin and Green Rivers flow through Mammoth Cave National Park. This photo was taken along the Green River Bluffs Trail at the Green River overlook. Photography by Robert Drucker.
My wife and I enjoyed our cave trip so much, we have decided to come back to Mammoth Cave National Park very soon for another tour. My wife wants us to participate in a “Wild Cave Tour.” This is a five mile, six hour “extremely strenuous” spelunking adventure that involves climbing, crawling, and squeezing through miles of undeveloped passageways, climbing down into a canyon, getting dirty, and free-climbing cave walls. Unfortunately, thanks to breathing squats, I will not be allowed to participate in this tour. Practice of the breathing squat has caused my chest to expand far above the 42-inch girth limit, and I was informed by a park ranger that I cannot physically pass through the crawl spaces of the “Wild Cave Tour.”
Some years ago, I nearly got stuck underground while crawling through “Jones Discovery” at Squire Boone Taverns in Corydon, Indiana. This experience gave me a good lesson about claustrophobia, and now I think twice before crawling into a dark hole in the ground. Nonetheless, I always look forward to a physical adventure. This is one of my secrets for staying young and in top shape.