Russell Cave National Monument

31Jul16

It takes about 20 minutes to walk to, look at and get back into your car at the Russell Cave National Monument.

That is if you only want to visit the cave. But like so many other units in the National Park Service there is much more to Russell Cave than just a cave and as a result I spent a majority of my time at the Alabama landmark hiking through the adjacent woods.

I knew about the 1.5-mile loop trail before I arrived at Russell Cave but the park ranger at the front desk of the visitor center encouraged me to walk it after I visited the actual cave.

Then she added two quick cautionary notes. It seems the hike includes a steep climb up a mountain (at least it appeared to be a mountain to me). The ranger also added that I should stay on the paved trail.

“Any particular reason,” I asked warily?

“Snakes,” she said without a touch an anxiety in her voice.

Now outside of alligators, snakes scare me more than any other animal.

“Nothing poisonous, I assume,” I again asked warily?

The quick reply that rattlesnakes and copperheads might cross my path threw me for a loop but being the old daredevil that I have become, I decided what the heck.

I should have given that a little more thought.

By the time I made it to the top of the trail my heart was thumping in my chest. While that was probably the result from climbing up the extremely steep mountain – by then I was positive it was a mountain – the copperhead that passed in front of me could have been the cause.

Fortunately by that encounter I had reached the top of the trail and there were no more reptiles on my quick downhill journey. Unless you like snakes or steep climbs, I would advise that you only go to Russell Cave itself.

Russell Cave is an archaeological site with one of the most complete records of prehistoric cultures in the Southeast. Thousands of years ago a portion of Russell Cave’s entrance collapsed, creating a shelter that, for more than 10,000 years, was home to prehistoric peoples. Today it provides clues to the daily lifeways of early North American inhabitants dating from 10,000 B.C. to 1650 A.D.

On the day of my visit, there was an archeology dig under way; otherwise there wouldn’t be much to look at in Russell Cave. Unlike other caves I have visited in the National Park Service, you can’t actually go inside the cave. There used to be a boardwalk that allowed visitors to go further into the cave, but it was blocked off from visitors in the 1990s after the bats that inhabit the cave started suffering from white nose syndrome.

There is a viewing area at the entrance of Russell Cave and a few historical markers but that’s about it. The archaeological dig added something to the visit but I wish I could have walked inside the cave.

Since I had plenty of time I decided to watch the film shown at the visitor center. The University of Auburn produced the film and I’m guessing it was at least 25 years old.

The film would have made a great drinking game. I’m guessing the narrator says Russell Cave National Monument at least a dozen times in the quick, five-minute film.

I don’t know about you but I’m guessing I would be well on my way to being intoxicated if I had to drink a dozen times in five minutes. Maybe a little alcohol would have made the encounter with the snake easier to handle.

 

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