Meets 7:00 PM Thursdays
Shepherdsville Community Center

The first pack outing of the new year was a Saturday day trip to take the Historic Tour at Mammoth Cave.  Winter is a great time to visit Mammoth Cave because the crowds are small that the tour guides are able to take a bit longer and share more about the cave's history and tell some interesting cave stories.  The Historic Tour enters and exits the cave through the natural entrance.  The temperature below ground is a constant 58 degrees year round, so it was actually warmer inside the cave than outside!  Snow had fallen earlier in the week and was still on the ground.

There was plenty of snow and lots of ice hanging from the rocks along the walk from the Visitor Center to the cave entrance.
Prior to entering the cave, the group paused for a few photos.  The cave is so large that the flash units on most cameras just can't supply enough light to take really good photos inside the cave.
The white mineral deposits are gypsum.  At one time it was mined inside the cave, as was salt peter.		In the days the cave was privately owned (before it became a National Park), tour guides often permitted visitors to write on the cave roof using candles.  The scorch marks and soot still remain.
In the days the cave was privately owned (before it became a National Park), tour guides often permitted visitors to write on the cave roof using candles.  The scorch marks and soot still remain.		There are some pretty formations in Mammoth Cave, but not nearly so many as are found in other caves.  Artificial light is kept very dim in order to prevent the growth of mold and algae.
The unique thing about Mammoth Cave is it's size ... more than 300 miles of mapped passages and multiple levels.  It is the longest cave system in the world.
Steps and smooth pathways with handrails have been built in order to make the cave more accessible and safe to tour.  Early explorers had to crawl and climb over rocks using torches for light.
Our tour ended just as it had begun at the cave's natural entrance.		Outside the Visitor Center, the scouts enjoyed observing deer at the edge of the parking lot.
A final photo next to the sign outside the Visitor Center before we boarded the bus to head home.  At left with Cubmaster Steven Frank are Connor, Caden, Michael, and Andrew.  At right with Assistant Cubmaster Bob Meek are Matthew, Cody, James, Kenneth, and Thomas.