Cavernous cleanup: Scouts descend into the deep

Boy Scout Preston Williams, 12, gropes into a tight space to remove an empty beer can from Harrison Salt Petre Cave. (T-G Photo by John Philleo) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

Boy Scout Troop 441 plodded its way through a subterranean gloom Saturday, picking up garbage left behind by others.

The natural beauty of the Bedford County cave was defaced by broken glass, beer cans, bottle caps and spray-painted graffiti left behind by years of partiers and vandals.

The boys groped their way through the caverns, loading refuse into trash bags and empty paint cans to be hauled back to the surface and properly disposed of.

The effort, led by Scoutmaster Mike Hargrove and guided by veteran spelunker Paul "Bull" Snook, satisfied the Christiana-based troop's yearly conservation project requirement.

"I want to applaud these guys for their efforts," Snook said. "I think that says something about these guys, who are not even from this county."

It was the third time the Rutherford County troop has cleaned up Harrison Salt Petre Cave.

Snook has been involved in organized spelunking since 2000, and has found a niche in teaching scouts proper cave safety and etiquette: Take nothing but pictures; leave nothing but footprints; kill nothing but time.

The veteran caver had his first subterranean experience as part of the scouts himself. Years ago, at age 14, Snook went with a Boy Scout troop to Cumberland Caverns and was left behind in a passageway for 20 minutes.

"I was scared witless," he said. "I decided if anything could scare me that bad, I had to conquer it."

That attitude eventually led him to join the Southport Chronic Cavers Grotto, a subgroup of the National Speliological Society. He is now vice chairman, librarian and historian for the Grotto group.

He has done so much volunteer work with the Boy Scouts, he was recently honored with the Prytula Award by the Trail of Tears District of the Middle Tennessee Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

"He's been very active with the scouts -- teaching them the etiquette of caving," said Hargrove. "He's given of his time very generously."

There is some history behind the cave, Snook said. It was used to mine salt petre for making gunpowder during the Civil War, and by Civil Defense for storage during the 1960s, he said.

The Grotto group is currently mapping the extensive cave system, Snook said.

"It's been explored multiple times by who knows how many people throughout the years. It's a well-known cave locally and used quite often as a party spot."

Snook enjoys guiding and teaching the scouts, but wishes there was no reason for conservation efforts within the cave. He was especially disheartened by the graffiti, which is difficult to remove.

"We would really appreciate it if they would quit (defacing the cave), and it is a crime," he said. "We don't mind if people come see the cave, we just ask them to respect it."

Snook said he is available if scouting or other groups would like to learn more about spelunking.

"I'd be happy to bring them out here and show them the right way to do this," he said.

He can be reached at (615) 944-5669 or by e-mail at cavemein@yahoo.com. More information about caving can be found on the Web at www.caves.org.