Willoughby Saltpeter Cave, Campbell County, Tennessee

April 2024

Gate Type: FLYOVER

We had hoped to build a Basic Gate the whole way up to the ceiling, but part way through this project we realized that it wasn’t feasible. Always flexible, we shifted gears and turned it into a Flyover style. We had great help arranged through the Tennessee Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, and even finished early, despite a lot of rain. And there was an eclipse! All photos © Jim Kennedy, except where noted.

There was a soooper steep slope leading down to the cave entrance.
A large tarp served to keep the cutting area mostly dry.
We gave everyone a chance to try the various tools and tasks, including cutting the steel.
TNC’s Cory Holliday admires the work done so far, and contemplates the next steps.
Spring showers bring flowers, in this case a Twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla).
After the rains, the entrance slope became exceedingly slippery, which was a big problem when transporting an 4’x8′ piece of human-sized cheese grater.
The clouds parted for exactly eight seconds, just long enough for me to capture a crappy cell phone photo of the eclipse.
This, of course, is what it was supposed to look like. Photo by a friend.
Drilling holes for the upper column anchor pins was a bit of a butt-clenching experience. Photo by Cory Holliday, TNC.
Looking down the muddy slop to our finished gate.
Same gate from the inside. It was always foggy in there due to the cool cave air meeting the warm, moist air outside.