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Nantahala Slate Caves Lower Nantahala Gorge, Swain Co., NC |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2021) |
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Nantahala Slate Caves Lower Nantahala Gorge, Swain Co., NC |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2021) |
| These shallow slate caves are interesting. I have heard them referred to as both the Indian Caves and the Devil's Kitchen Caves. Local legend has it that Cherokees hid out in these caves during and after the Removal. I'm not sure if that's true, as these caverns are very damp and seepy, and the location is only a few miles from one of the forts where the Native Americans were rounded up. |
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| Approaching caves 1 & 2 |
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| Closer to the cave mouths |
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| Cave 1 |
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| Cave 1 |
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| Portal between caves 1 and 2 |
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| Looking back out the portal from the opposite side |
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| Climbing up to the mouth of Cave 2 |
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| View out of Cave 2, looking across the Nantahala River |
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| Cave 2 interior |
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| Cave 2 interior |
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| Formation in the rear of Cave 2 |
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| Another view out the portal between Caves 1 and 2 |
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| Wall between Caves 3 and 4 |
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| Wall between caves 3 and 4 A small window is visible at lower right, and a portal between the chambers is at middle left. |
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| Close-up of the portal in the previous image |
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| View from the portal looking out of Cave 3 |
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| Mossy rock wall at mouth of Cave 4 |
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| Another window in the rock walls |
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| Mouth of Cave 5 |