The Sinks of Gandy Creek

In the years that I taught cave biology (speleology), I had weekly lectures on biology of cave systems and required field trips to the karst regions of WV. The trips were not just a cave adventure but we were involved in scientific data collection of the cave environment.

The required field trips were:
Commercial Cave Trip and First Wild Cave (In Grant County we toured Smokehole Caverns and then in Pendleton County we toured Seneca Caverns and Stratosphere Balloon Cave.)
Bowden Cave System in Randolph County.
Sinks of Gandy Creek in Randolph County.
Trout, New Trout, and Hamilton Caves in Pendleton County.
Of all the caves, I believe that the Sinks of Gandy has, for me, the aura of being the most magical and mysterious.

The Sinks is one of the oldest known caves in West Virginia. Located near Spruce Knob (highest elevation in the state at 4861 feet), Gandy Creek flows along a subterranean channel for approximately 3000 feet under Yokum Knob. The mouth of the passage measures thirty feet wide by fifteen feet high. The water is an average of 10-12 inches deep and the roof of the tunnel is from 6-30 feet above the streambed. The land of the sinks is was owned at that time by Max Teter. This is another story for a later posting.

The Sinks of Gandy has a history of being occupied by moonshiners, criminals, and vigilantes. During the Civil War (Or the War of Northern Aggression as my friends in Charleston, SC say!), both sides used the cave at the Sinks of Gandy as a hospital. A small room in the cave is reportly one that was used as a morgue for the hospital.

The Sinks of Gandy in winter is a beauty to behold. Only the hardy has seen this view. This photo is provided by the Harmon High School in Harmon, WV.