I've been in the caves off of "between the lakes road" back in the early 1980s. "Hell" was my first. It was very hard to get into because of that rock that stuck out of the ground right at the entrance. I found three of the supposed four entrances. I brought other people that didn't mind going into the walk-in entrance, most were too afraid of going into "Hell". That was definitely the best part of the cave you just had to make sure once you got in there you didn't step into the pit. I was always told that they mind Flint there. I believe that theorybecause at night driving down between the lakes road if you turn the lights off you could see the Sparks from all the Flint shards you were driving over.. couldn't believe it when I found your videos on RU-vid. Brings back memories, thank you.
Have you ever heard of the "Baldwin Caves" in Cornwall, CT? They are near the end of the Valley Road, just before the road goes steeply up to Dudleytown. Valley Road parallels Coltsfoot Mountain and the caves used to be open to the public. A short hike up towards Dudleytown led to these caves, which all had names painted on them in small blue letters. They became a "No Trespassing" area sometime in the 1980s. They are glacial tumble caves, but have many hidden rooms, vertical "chimneys" and tunnels. There are also enormous glacial slabs galore.
Yes it is marked on usgs maps as well, I went looking for it a bunch of years ago but couldn’t find it. If you have any additional clues feel free to email me at Sandone.Mike@gmail.com
Excellent video Mike! Straight to the point and concise. I have only known about and been to King Phillips cave but I had no idea there were this many caves in CT. I have gone caving only in NY with the CCG. I recognize a few people in this video.
This was fun to watch. Thank you. I'm in CT as well (Litchfield county) and love exploring these places. Do you ever host meet ups? Would love to join in sometime. I have decades of experience and hundreds of hiking miles under my belt as well as a strong back if you need someone on a shovel. Looking forward to your next video.
Yes we are always looking for new people that are interested in this stuff. You should consider coming out to a monthly meeting of the central Connecticut grotto.
There is a date carved in judges cave, 1951, obviously I have no idea if it's real or not. But someone took the time to carve it in there quite well. Probably just some teenager sitting up there with his girlfriend living 1950s life. That would be cool, but who knows. There's a few other things carved into it, a name I can't remember, something that looked like W.C.W and I couldn't make out the rest. But a few slightly legible things carved into solid rock. Again I have no idea and can't verify if it's old or new, but who in today's age would take the time to carve into stone that perfectly. Just a cool thing I discovered recently after going up there for so many years. Again, thank you for your efforts in these videos.
Good stuff. I miss going to Tory's cave. I crawled all over that as well. I'd heard the same rumors about it heading all the way down to the Housatonic. I've been looking for a talus cave over here in New York that I read about. There is history going back to the Revolutionary war about it. I also found all sorts of mentions in old newspapers but haven't been able to lay eyes on it.... Yet.
I grew up in Simsbury and hiked up Talcot Mountain (Where King Phillip's Cave is) many times. The legend from the war is well known there. Several people have died climbing to the cave, which is clearly visible from the valley, especially in Weatogue. Many years ago I hiked along the cliff to below the cave, looked up the 30 or so feet to the cave, and decided I'd probably become a statistic if I tried to get to it. Truth is you can see all of the valley from the top of the cliff. No need to be in the cave...
Great video awesome history. I really enjoyed it thank you. I was talking to someone on the internet about how I had been hiking at lantern hill in CT and he said his grandfather told him a story that somewhere on that hill there is a hidden entrance to a huge cave. Now when I go there that's all I can think about. But i don't no what to look for. Have you ever heard of that tale or is there any evidence of that story being true? Thanks for the amazing CT cave documentary I really enjoyed it. 😁👍🏻
A cool story on CT history involving the Leather Man and his Cave spots. I know where there is one in Middletown, more of a lean-too than a cave but interesting history there. I read there is another on the ridge at Mt. Higby where he frequented on his circuitous annual trekking route but I have searched over the years and yet to find that one.
There is a cool cave in Hamden at Sleepy Giant. Its a challenge to get all the way thru as it goes in several “rooms” with crawl throughs. Goes in about 100ft approximately.
Interesting..many years ago there was an article in Yankee Magazine about a "lost" silver mine in CT. As far as I know, silver has never been found in New England. Ever heard of this?
Great video dude! I live in Fairfield and love the outdoors but have always wanted to explore a cave. If there's a communuty of people into that stuff do you know where I could get into contact?
