I'm sure this spot has been covered nearly continuously over the years, but after reading an Action Squad article of this spot and walking over it for years, I finally decided to take a look:
Chute's Cave
After descending my way to the river bank, on a walk I had taken countless times without the intent of exploring this chasm in the banks, I arrived the mouth of the Pillsbury tailrace. Dropping down into the channel, I walked the path of the water that had once flowed there and entered the realm of the underground.
Doubling back a bit, I climbed up through the hole in the wall about 8 ft up. Past this opening was a series of concrete rooms, where a lone bat resided.
Reaching the last room was where I saw the crevice described in the Action Squad article from years ago. Peering down this opening, I saw no end in sight.
I thought to myself, "shit, do I even bother?"
What the hell, I decided to go anyway. I began my crawl, leaving my backpack behind, fearing it would get stuck or wet in the process. In a second read of the Action Squad article, Max had described it as almost 300 ft of crawling round-trip. And it sure felt like it.
The one thing that I had wished I had gotten a picture of this trip though was the beautiful mineral deposits that had formed lining the jagged walls of the passage. Consequently though, the very same water that created these deposits left me soaked.
Finally, an opening. I stood in a beautiful natural cave, much different than the man-dug sandstone caves of the twin cities. Rotting wooden supports sat in front of me, with the remnants of Chute's Tunnel - an 1800's tourist attraction of sorts - to my left.
The beer bottles conveniently placed above the supports really show how few visitors have been here. And to the right of the supports sat some of the clearest water I had every seen, a pool of the natural spring water that intercepts the cave.
I began the crawl back, rather uneventful except for the piece of damned rebar that ripped by shirt. I left the concrete rooms behind back in the tailrace. Climbing my way back to a spot where I could return to street level, my beloved green hat fell into the Mississippi. I figured I was wet enough already, so I just walked into the river to retrieve my hat. A great decision knowing I had a walk back to my car through congested pedestrian areas. A few concerned stares in my direction (I don't blame them, I was soaked and had a shirt ripped nearly in two) I made it back to my car. The closest I've been to exhaustion in a long while. Tired, yet feeling accomplished, I made my way home - where the lovely reward of a shower awaited.
