There was an air of excitement late November, with the return of Rhode Island's own Mountain Man, Mike G., bringing his expertise to the Western Massachusetts region. I was fortunate enough to connect with him on two days (well: one-and-a-half, with an injury cutting the second day short) to visit old and new finds in the Southern Berkshires.
The first destination was an old favorite of mine that I had not visited in nine years: Sky Peak Cave. It remains much as I last saw it, or have seen it over the past fifty years. Nearby was a cave-like formation is may have been the hide out of a man who committed murder across the state line in NY.
Sky Peak was followed by another area not seen in way too long a time: Silver Cave. This is part of a small karst area with the bedrock Owl. This being a basal limestone within the Walloomsac Formation. Similar to the much better known Owm marble within that same Walloomsac, of which Sky Peak Cave is a part of.
The day was finished just before dusk, high above the Village Of Housatonic, poking around the area of a cave brought to my attention a few years back.
Two days later, we set out for a further examination into cave found a couple years ago, within a geologic phenomena called a carbonate sliver. As the name suggests, it's a 'sliver' (in a relative sense) of carbonate rock (marbles) within a large bedrock area of non-carbonate rocks (quartzose/micaceous phyllites). Finishing our investigations here, we hiked north to located other 'slivers' and a known cave that is likely within one of those. Unfortunately, a tragic accident occurred to this author, and it was enough of a challenge to make our way from the woods. Another day, to return.
