American Caving Accidents

2011-2012
 Send items for the calendar to [email protected] at least 6 weeks before
desired month of publication (i.e., by March 15 for the May issue).

USA
August 5-9, 2013—NSS Convention, Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, American Caving Accidents
PA. See NSS2013.com or contact Co-chairs Gordon Birkhimer (birkhimer@ 2011 - 2012
cox.net, (703)573-4653)) or Craig Hindman ([email protected],
(410)792-0742).
August 22-25th, 2013—Rescue Technician: Cave Rescue I & II class taught American Caving Accidents Editor
by Huntsville Cave Rescue Unit. This the only NFPA 1006 Certified course
in cave rescue in the nation, and is sanctioned by the Alabama Fire College. Bonny Armstrong
The intensive 4-day class covers but is not limited to: operating under an 110 Timber Lakes Estates
Incident Command structure, Single Rope Technique, communications
underground, cave-specific medical considerations, patient packaging and Heber City, Utah
movement within a cave environment, haul and lower systems, vertical
rescue, extrication techniques, and logistics. It is an extremely hands-on [email protected]
course with many field exercises including a full-on mock rescue.
Location: Union Grove, AL. Cost: $50 for the standard course (typical for American Caving Accidents 2011 - 2012
most cavers), $295 if taken for certification (requires prerequisites). Both Review Committee
courses are identical and taught simultaneously except for the certification
test on Monday for those requiring it. For more information visit www.hcru.
org/rescueclass or call (256) 763-0073 or e-mail [email protected] Andy Armstrong
August 24th, 2013—Dogwood City Grotto 50th Anniversary Celebration. Jeff Bartlett
The Dogwood City Grotto will be hosting it’s 50th Anniversary Celebration
at the Tellus Science Museum. Come join us for a night of dinner and Richard Breisch
unrestricted access to all of the amenities of the Tellus Science Museum.
Enjoy dinner, drinks, planetarium view, and all exhibits for only $35. Semi- George Dasher
formal attire is required. Please call or email Joe Abbott at 770-445-4220
or [email protected] for tickets. Yvonne Droms
Sept 7-8, 2013—Single Rope Technique, taught by the Huntsville Cave Ray Keeler
Rescue Unit. Designed to instruct students in the knowledge and skills to
safely climb and rappel using SRT with hands-on training in both classroom Mark Minton
and field settings. Perfect for beginners, as a refresher course, or to work
on your rigging skills! Course is limited to 20 participants so reserve your Stephen Mosberg
spot now at http://www.hcru.org/srt
Rene Ohms
September 23-27, 2013— Lint Camp at Carlsbad Cavern, . Info: contact
Pat Jablonsky @ [email protected] or 970-874-8979 Forrest Wilson
September 27-29, 2013—Nittany Grotto is hosting the Fall MAR field meet
at Lincoln Caverns Campground near Huntingdon,Pa.Registration form and Webmaster: Kyle Gochenour
more information can be found on the MAR website.
October 10-13, 2013—36th Annual TAG Fall Cave-In celebrating the
Below: NCRC students participate in a mock rescue.
Dogwood City Grotto’s 50th Anniversary, and our 10th year on Lookout
Mountain. Registration is open online at tagfallcavein.org. Save $10 by

Mike Futrell
registering before September 1st. For information, contact Patty Springer
at 423.619.2041, [email protected]. Vendors can contact Darien Dopp at
770.301.8228, [email protected]. Follow the TAG Fall Cave-In on
Facebook for up to the minute planning and events.
October 17-20, 2013—6th Annual Texas Caver’s Reunion at Paradise
Canyon in Rio Medina, TX. Contact: [email protected]
November 4-8, 2013—The 2013 National Cave and Karst Management
Symposium (“A Changing Climate”) will be held in Carlsbad, NM Registration
for the 2013 NCKMS is now open! Visit http://nckms2013.businesscatalyst.
com/ for more information and to register.

FOREIGN
March 15-22, 2014—16th International Symposium on Vulcanospeleology,
Galápagos Islands. Pre-symposium caving or scuba diving March 10-15,
2014; Post-symposium caving March 22-29, 2014

Dear Members,
As many of you may know the NSS has been facing a budget
shortfall and it looked like the ACA that Bonny Armstrong had just
prepared was going to be relegated to a “digital only” printing. Since
I was somewhat short on material for the regular NSS News, I offered
to include the material as part of one of our regular issues. So instead
of being a “Part 2” issue, this issue of the News includes both our
regular columns and the ACA material.
Dave Bunnell

2 NSS News, August 2013

 POSTMASTERS OR MEMBERS:
Send address changes to National Speleological
Society, 2813 Cave Ave., Huntsville, AL 35810-4431.
NSS News
August 2013
NSS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
President Volume 71 Number 8
Wm Shrewsbury
124 4th Ave NW
Largo, FL 33770
[email protected]
(727) 424-2901

Operations VP Administrative VP
David Luckins
3683 Oakleaf Drive
Geary Schindel
11310 Whisper Dawn
Special Issue: American Caving Accidents
2011 - 2012
San Antonio, TX 78230
W. Bloomfield, MI 48324
(210) 479-2151
(248) 520-6161 (cell)
[email protected]
[email protected]

Secretary/Treasurer From the ACA Editor....................................................................... 4

Executive VP
Bob Vandeventer Debra Young Bonny Armstrong
551 Homestead Ave. NE
525 Lawndale Dr.
Palm Bay, FL 32907
Greenwood IN 46142-3904
(321) 984-0228
(317) 625-3592
[email protected]
[email protected] Description of Incident Results and Types..................................... 5

National Speleological Society Office Caving Accident and Incident Statistics, 1986 - 2012................... 6
2813 Cave Ave, Huntsville, AL 35810-4431
Tel: (256) 852-1300; FAX (256) 851-9241
e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: www.caves.org Variable Friction: How to Use the Greatest Feature of a Rappel
Please contact the office for address changes or back issues.
Rack............................................................................................... 8
NSS NEWS EDITOR Scott McCrea
Dave Bunnell
Box 879
Angels Camp, CA 95222
[email protected]
2011 - 2012 List of Reported Incidents........................................ 10
Please include “NSS News” in your subject line when e-mailing
material to help me sort it from the spam. Thanks!
2011 Caving Accident and Incident Reports................................ 12
Questions about submitting features and photos? Please see the style
and submission guidelines:on the NSS web site:
www.caves.org/pub/nssnews/style.html 2011 Cave Diving Accident and Incident Reports....................... 18
ADVERTISING 2011 Caving-Related Accident and Incident Reports.................. 20
Complete advertising information, including ad costs, deadlines, and
guidelines for preparation, are on the NSS wesite at: www.caves.org/
pub/nssnews/ads.html. Contact the editor if you wish to place an ad. 2012 Caving Accident and Incident Reports................................ 22
Payments for ads should be sent to the NSS office. New advertisers
are expected to pay for ads prior to publication. 2012 Cave Diving Accident and Incident Reports....................... 28
DEPARTMENT EDITORS
2012 Caving-Related Accident and Incident Reports.................. 30
CONSERVATION NEWSLETTER REVIEW
Jim & Val Hildreth-Werker Kelly Smallwood
PO Box 207 331 Mountain View Circle
Previously Unreported Caving Incidents..................................... 33
Hillsboro, NM 88042-0207 Jasper, TN 37347
(575) 895-5050
[email protected]
[email protected]
Previously Unreported Caving-Related Incidents........................ 34
SPELEAN SPOTLIGHT
UNDERGROUND ONLINE Ron Zuber
Buford Pruitt, Jr. [email protected]
PO Box 526
McIntosh, FL 32664 CAVE CHRONICLES
[email protected] Philip Rykwalder
[email protected]

Deadline: Ads, articles and announcements

should be sent to the editor by the 15th of the
month, six weeks before the month of issue
Letters............................................ 36 Underground Online...................... 39
(e.g., material for the March issue needs to Classified Ads................................ 36 Cave Chronicles............................ 40
be in by January 15). President’s Message..................... 36 Reading.......................................... 41
The NSS News (ISSN 0027-7010) is
published monthly with the Members Manual Underground Update..................... 38 Society News................................. 42
and American Caving Accidents published as Scan to connect
additional issues by the National Speleological to caves.org
Society, Inc, 2813 Cave Ave, Huntsville, AL
35810-4431. Periodicals Postage Paid at
Huntsville, Al and additional mailing offices. Tel: (256)852-1300; FAX
(256)851-9241, e-mail: [email protected], web: www.caves.org
Regular membership in the NSS is $40 per year. See http://caves.
org/info/membertypes.shtml for descriptions of other membership
categories. Subscriptions to the NSS News are $27 per year; individual Front cover:
copies are $3.00 each. Contact the Huntsville office for membership
applications, subscriptions, orders, or for replacement of issues missing
Our cover photo was taken by Jansen Cardy during the 2012 NCRC weeklong
or damaged in the mail. Moving? Please report changes of address to seminar mock rescue in Pettijohn Cave in Walker County, GA. It shows an elaborate
the office promptly or online at: www.caves.org/info/changeinfo.shtml highline system in action. The mock ‘patient’ wrapped in the brown tarp with red and
Copyright ©2013 green webbing restraints is Instructor Qualification (IQ) class student (now NCRC
by the National Speleological Society, Inc. instructor) Thomas Evans from Bozeman, Montana.

NSS News, August 2013 3

“Our passion for learning is our tool for survival.” - Carl Sagan extremely supportive in my transition to editor, and I am grateful for his
assistance.

From the ACA Editor I’d like to thank everyone who submitted incident reports for this issue
Welcome to another issue of American Caving Accidents (ACA), a spe- and took the time to answer many follow-up questions. In particular,
cial publication of the National Speleological Society (NSS). Since 1967, Anmar Mirza and Brad Tipton submitted several detailed reports. Bill
ACA has served as the journal of record for caving accidents in North Putnam, Buford Pruitt, Kelly Smallwood, and Chuck Porter informed
America. The purpose of collecting and reporting caving accidents and ACA of many incidents that were not otherwise reported. Art Palmer
incidents is to help cavers educate themselves on the hazards of caving and Jim Coke were very gracious in supplying details of caves and cav-
based on real-life incidents. These incidents, when reported accurately ing areas during the research of many incidents. Thank you to Scott
and in detail, should ultimately help readers become safer cavers by McCrea for contributing the feature article. Finally, I would like to thank
learning through others’ experiences. Wm Shrewsbury, Bob Vandeventer, and especially Dave Bunnell for as-
sistance in bringing this issue to print.
Reports are collected through submissions by cavers involved in the
incident or rescue, or who otherwise have some creditable knowledge Bonny Armstrong
of the event. Caving incidents brought to the attention of ACA by media NSS 43003RL
reports are verified for accuracy by contacting involved parties directly Heber City, Utah
when possible.

To this end, I cannot emphasize enough the value of cavers submit-

ting incident reports to ACA. We have all shared stories of our caving NSS Membership and
mishaps around a campfire; let us please share them with the caving Number of Incidents
community. It may just save someone’s life.

Long-time readers of ACA will likely notice in this issue an absence of Year Members Incidents
the term “spelunker” (except when quoting from a report). Over the
1986 6741 45
years, spelunker has come to represent a person who is inexperienced
and often ill-equipped for cave exploration. While it is fun to say “cav- 1987 7203 48
ers rescue spelunkers,” it is important to remember that, on occa- 1988 7873 49
sion, spelunkers have in fact rescued cavers. If we can instead think of
1989 8514 51
people with flashlights and tennis shoes as novice cavers, we might just
be more likely to bring them into the fold, invite them to a grotto meet- 1990 9028 55
ing, and teach them safe and conservation-minded caving techniques. 1991 9777 54
Every so-called spelunker has the potential to be a future NSS member.
1992 10492 60
As with previous issues, caving reports have been divided into two 1993 11164 64
categories: regular caving and cave diving. These categories are further 1994 11460 57
classified by incident result or outcome, and incident type (causes and
1995 11836 44
contributing factors).
1996 11140 43
Some reported incidents are placed in a separate category called 1997 11470 43
caving-related. These include incidents where a person needed rescu-
ing from a cave they did not intend to enter, incidents that occur on the 1998 11685 32
way to or from a cave, an animal needing rescue from a cave, or other 1999 12098 44
unusual circumstances. Since these incidents did not occur during nor- 2000 11773 40
mal caving activities, but required caving gear, cave-rescue techniques,
or cavers to effect a rescue, they are considered caving-related. Caving- 2001 11967 34
related incidents are not included in the statistics. 2002 12261 31
2003 12264 35
Table 1 shows NSS membership numbers versus total number of re-
ported incidents. Not all incidents are reported to ACA, and not all cav- 2004 12020 23
ers are members of the NSS. These totals, therefore, are not intended 2005 11658 26
to be considered reliable indicators of accident rates and should not be 2006 11664 36
used to draw conclusions about the relative degree of risk or danger
involved in caving. 2007 11552 26
2008 11651 22
This issue would not have been possible without assistance from many
2009 11588 20
individuals. I am very fortunate to have a review committee made up
of cavers with expertise in many areas. Andy Armstrong, Jeff Bartlett, 2010 11044 25
Richard Breisch, George Dasher, and Yvonne Droms meticulously 2011 10038 23
edited the reports and offered invaluable suggestions. Mark Minton
2012 9843 24
researched, translated, and summarized the reports from Mexico. Dr.
Stephen Mosberg and Forrest Wilson served as medical and diving
consultants respectively. Rene Ohms assisted with researching report Only incidents resulting in aid, injury, or fatality
locations to create the incident maps, and Kyle Gochenour main- are included. Membership figures include all
tained and updated the ACA website. Out-going editor Ray Keeler was classes of membership.

Table 1. NSS membership vs. incidents.

4 NSS News, August 2013
 Description of Incident Results and Types
DESCRIPTION OF INCIDENT RESULTS December 2011 incident is technically a “near drowning” since the
patient was revived.
Fatalities - Fatalities from caving are relatively uncommon, on aver-
age about three per year. Although these tend to be inexperienced, Equipment Problem - No incidents in 2011 or 2012 were attributed to
ill-equipped persons, experienced cavers are not exempt. equipment problems.

Injury and Aid - Injury and aid covers incidents where one or more per- Exhaustion - There are no reports of exhaustion being the key factor
sons were injured who then needed the help of others, besides those leading to a caving incident in this issue. Two brothers, however, found
in their caving party, to exit the cave. themselves to be too exhausted to go back through Ape Cave after
completing a through-trip. They were eventually aided by hikers in the
Aid , No Injury – Reports of an uninjured caver, or cavers, requiring as- area.
sistance from persons other than those in their caving party to exit the
cave, are placed in this category. Flooding - Nine people were on a guided, off-trail tour of Hidden River
Cave when a significant rainstorm caused the river in the cave to begin
Injury, No Aid - These incidents result in injuries ranging from cuts and rising rapidly. Hidden River Cave staff found the group, and brought
bruises to broken bones. The injured person was able to exit the cave them out. In New York, a family needed rescuing when a storm drain
either unaided, or with assistance from their caving companions. Since they had entered began filling with water in response to a storm. It
no outside assistance was brought in to help, these incidents are also is important to get a good reliable forecast before entering a cave,
called self-rescues or small-party rescues. especially one to have a known flood potential. Check the forecast of
surrounding areas as well and consider the weather from a few days
No Consequence - Incidents of no consequence are usually near-miss- previous; some caves suddenly flood several days after a rain event.
es, involve problems underground that could have led to a different
outcome but were resolved by the parties involved, involve animals Hypothermia - Hypothermia is often a secondary result in caving
needing rescue, or do not otherwise fit into the other categories. They incidents following a caver being stuck, injured, or stranded in a cave.
are presented here to familiarize readers with the many things that can It is especially dangerous not only because of the physiological aspects,
go wrong while caving, and often offer good examples of successful but because it impairs judgment, which can lead to mistakes and other
self-rescues or small-party rescues. accidents.

DESCRIPTION OF INCIDENT TYPES Illness/Medical Issue - There are three incidents of persons becoming
seriously ill during caving trips. One caver suffered a stroke as he was
Acetylene-related - Acetylene-related incidents were more common in exiting Cahuilla Creek Caves. A visitor to Mammoth Cave suffered a fa-
the 1960s and 1970s than during the last few decades. No acetylene- tal heart attack while on a public tour. Another person, this one visiting
related incidents have been reported since 1996, probably because Southport Saltpeter (Millers) Cave, had a stroke during a guided tour.
relatively inexpensive yet very bright LED lights are now favored among
the majority of American cavers. After attending a week-long National Cave Rescue Commission train-
ing in Puerto Rico, 21 students reported symptoms of fatigue, cough,
Bad Air - There were no incidents involving bad air reported for this is- general malaise (tiredness and weakness), and/or body aches. Five
sue, although rescuers at Wye Cave and the 2012 Glade Cave incidents of the students developed severe pulmonary symptoms and/or were
monitored the cave atmosphere as a precaution. Encountering bad diagnosed with histoplasmosis.
air in caves may be a rare occurrence, but those occurrences can be
deadly. In past reports, the presence of bad air in caves has been from Lost - There are three reports in this issue of people becoming lost.
biological decomposition, poor air exchange, carbon monoxide from Each incident occurred in a large, complex cave and was resolved
fires, blasting fumes, chemicals being washed into the cave, and kids relatively quickly due to the fact that each party had a reliable surface
setting off smoke bombs. watch. A surface watch is a person (or persons) who knows where you
are going and what time you are expected to return. In the case of a
Caver Fall - Caver falls continue to constitute a large proportion of cav- caving party missing their “out time,” the surface watch should also
ing accidents. For simplicity, any falls by any person in a cave, regard- know who to contact.
less of their experience, are considered a caver fall. In this issue, there
are fifteen reports of people falling while on a caving trip and three Lost Control on Rappel - A new incident-type category has been added,
people accidentally fell into a pit or cave that they had not intended to beginning with this issue, to cover incidents of persons losing control
enter. In most cases, the falls could be attributed to inexperience and while on rappel. In previous issues, these incidents were listed under
improper footwear. Caver Falls or Difficulty on Rope. While most out-of-control rappels do
result in a caver fall, the contributing factor or cause is very different
Difficulty on Rope or Ladder - The category of difficulty on rope or lad- than those typical for caver falls, such as slipping or climbing without
der was added to ACA in 1994 to encompass a variety of problems that a belay. Losing control on rappel does not fit into the Difficulty on
may prevent a caver from being unable to ascend or descend a rope or Rope category either, as this category was created to encompass “such
ladder. In this issue are two reports involving three persons who expe- problems as becoming stuck at the lip of a pit, clothing or hair caught in
rienced difficulty on rope and one report of a youth who had trouble the rappel device, jammed rappel safety, or simply becoming unable to
climbing a cable ladder. Unfortunately, one incident in 2011 resulted in ascend or descend.”1
two fatalities.
Between the years 1986 and 2010, twenty-five incidents of persons
Drowning - There were no drowning incidents in 2011 or 2012. The losing control on rappel were reported. These incidents resulted in no
injuries to severe injuries and include four fatalities. Rope burns, espe-

NSS News, August 2013 5

cially to the hands, and broken ankles were the most common reported Other - This catch-all category includes incidents that don’t quite fit
injuries. The causes were varied, and sometimes unknown, but include in other categories. Examples in this issue include cavers that were
removing too many bars from a rappel rack, rigging the carabiner overdue for unknown reasons in the Bone-Norman Cave System, a
brake bar or rack incorrectly, not tying off properly and losing control reoccurring knee problem also in the Bone-Norman System, a near-
while passing a knot or adjusting a rope pad, becoming detached from drowning in an Illinois cave, two intoxicated persons being helped out
the rope, being struck by a falling rock, not wearing gloves, and other of Clarksville Cave, and a finger injury in a Virginia cave.
reasons.
Bill Putnam, NSS News American Caving Accidents, Part 2, Volume 55,
1

This issue presents four incidents of cavers losing control on rappel. Number 12, December 1997.

Rock fall - Three incidents from rock fall are reported in this issue with
injuries including a broken finger and mild head trauma, a broken toe,
and severe contusions. Each incident was the result of cavers coming
into contact with unstable rocks in non-virgin passages. These reports
should serve as a reminder that loose rocks can exist even in caves that
receive high visitation.
Report accidents and incidents via the internet:
Stuck - Six people required aid when they became stuck in tight cave www.caves.org/pub/aca
passages, one in 2011, the others in 2012. The incidents at Stay High
Cave, Schetromph Cave, and Wye Cave (where two people became or mail reports and information to:
stuck) required lengthy and difficult rescues.
American Caving Accidents
Trapped or Stranded - The four reported incidents of persons becom- National Speleological Society
ing stranded occurred as a result of those persons descending a pit or 2813 Cave Avenue
falling into a hole and being unable to climb back out. Huntsville, Alabama 35810-4431

CAVING ACCIDENT AND INCIDENT STATISTICS

1986 - 2012
Result of Incident
Result 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
Fatality 4 3 4 1 4 6 5 5 1 2 1 4 4 4 2 5 2 6 3 0 4 1 4 3 5 2 2
Injury and Aid 10 15 11 16 18 16 17 22 19 17 16 22 14 14 20 11 15 9 7 8 15 9 9 9 8 9 5
Aid, No Injury 21 15 20 20 23 20 28 33 26 17 16 13 13 18 15 13 8 14 12 8 12 9 7 5 7 6 10
Injury, No Aid 10 15 14 14 10 12 10 4 11 8 10 4 2 8 3 5 6 6 0 10 4 7 2 1 7 6 7
No Consequence 19 16 12 21 9 12 16 3 20 12 11 4 8 3 1 2 4 5 1 0 1 1 3 3 2 2 1
Total 64 64 61 72 64 66 76 67 77 56 54 47 41 47 41 36 35 40 23 26 36 27 25 21 29 25 25

Incident Type
Type 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
Caver Fall 25 14 20 19 22 22 22 19 20 15 21 27 15 20 17 13 20 14 5 10 12 11 11 10 13 8 7
Trapped/Stranded - - - - - - - 1 13 18 18 13 10 17 4 9 10 15 6 5 7 4 3 3 4 2 3
Difficulty on Rope - - - - - - - - 11 4 6 5 1 4 3 1 5 5 1 2 2 2 2 1 2 3 1
Rock Fall 12 17 7 11 11 12 16 11 12 10 5 5 2 4 2 3 3 5 3 7 4 4 3 1 1 1 2
Lost 8 5 3 9 4 3 4 5 12 7 4 5 3 3 3 1 1 5 4 2 3 4 2 0 1 2 1
Flooding 1 3 3 4 2 2 1 3 1 4 5 2 1 4 1 1 0 6 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1
Hypothermia 1 2 0 5 0 2 4 0 3 6 6 2 2 2 3 1 1 3 0 1 2 1 2 0 1 0 0
Illness 0 0 2 3 2 1 0 3 3 0 1 1 8 0 2 2 2 1 2 2 0 0 1 0 1 2 2
Exhaustion 0 1 1 3 0 2 4 2 4 1 4 1 1 2 3 1 2 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 0
Drowning 1 2 0 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 3 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0
Stuck 3 1 0 1 1 3 5 5 2 1 2 0 1 5 3 5 0 1 6 3 2 0 2 2 3 1 5
Bad Air 3 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 2 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Acetylene-related 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Equipment 14 17 20 20 23 21 20 11 11 4 4 2 2 0 0 3 2 0 0 0 4 4 2 1 1 0 0
Other 3 4 8 6 8 4 5 4 6 6 3 2 3 2 3 3 2 1 1 1 1 0 3 1 2 3 2
Lost Control on Rappel - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 1
Caving-related
Incidents - - - - - 2 1 0 2 0 1 1 5 2 11 2 9 4 19 9 8 4 6 3 15 9 12

Cave Diving Incidents

Result 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
Fatality 7 5 9 4 8 2 5 6 8 6 2 2 0 5 7 9 3 5 6 2 1 5 6 2 1 5 7
Injury and Aid 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Aid, no Injury 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Injury, no Aid 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
No Consequence 1 2 1 1 0 5 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0
Total 9 7 10 5 8 8 7 6 9 7 2 2 1 7 8 9 4 5 7 4 2 5 7 3 1 5 11

6 NSS News, August 2013

NSS News, August 2013 7
 Variable Friction: How to use the greatest feature of a rappel rack
Scott McCrea NSS 40839RL

Scott McCrea
Out-of-control rappels, feeding rope, the versatility and adjustment options of a
frustration, and exhaustion are possible standard rack.
results of improper rappel rack use. The Rappel racks create friction in two ways.
friction between a rack and a rope varies First, with surface contact between the rope
throughout a rappel and needs to be adjusted and the bars. Second, with the bending of
in order to control a rappeller’s speed. Rope the rope around the bars.
length, diameter, construction, materials, There are three ways to vary the friction
condition, and age are a few of the ways the with a rack.
rope can affect the friction. The angle of the 1. Increase or decrease bar spacing.
descent and pack weight also require adjust- 2. Adjust the rope entry angle.
ments. Variable friction makes it possible to 3. Drop or add bars.
use a rack on drops of nearly any length. Bar spacing refers to the amount of
Investigations have shown that improper space between the bars. Squeezing the bars
friction variation and control has contributed together creates less space and more friction,
to many rappelling accidents. Feeding slowing a rappeller’s speed. Spreading the
rope, or pushing rope into the rack, is one bars apart creates more space and less fric-
improper technique. This will reduce the tion, increasing speed. Adjusting the space
friction and allow the rack to move, but, it between the bottom two or three bars is the
can be difficult and result in exhaustion and most effective technique for varying friction
frustration which leads to bad decisions. (Figure 2). Only the last two bars need to be Nate Waybright at Whiteside Mtn in NC.
A bar accidentally getting pushed off or spread or squeezed. Trying to spread the
last bar, or add a bar.
dropped is also a dangerous possibility when bars above is difficult and they quickly slide
Ideally, friction should be adjusted so
feeding rope. back up to where they were. Always adjust
that the last bar needs to be spread and
For clarity, this article will feature the bar spacing before and after making other
held down to maintain the optimum speed.
standard, 14-inch, six-bar, “J”-shaped rappel changes such as the rope entry angle or
In addition to a smooth ride, this technique
rack (Figure 1) oriented perpendicularly to dropping/adding bars.
can provide a safety function. If the bar being
the body. Rope entry angle adjustments vary
held down is released, it should automatically
Figure 8s, ATCs, bobbins, micro-racks, how much of the rope touches the last bar.
get pulled up, squeezing the bars together
“U”-shaped racks, and other rappel devices The angle can be adjusted so the rope only
and slowing the speed.
offer either non-variable (static) friction or touches a tiny part of the bar or touches/
As a rule of thumb, never rappel with
limited variable friction. These devices work wraps around the full bar. This variation is
less than four bars. If four bars is too much
great in certain situations, but do not have usually done by moving the rope to the left or
friction, this is the cave gods telling you
right, which will change the entry angle and
add or remove a half-bar of friction on the
last bar (Figure 3). Placing the rope between
the rappeller’s legs will also adjust the rope
entry angle.
Dropping bars is done by unclipping the
Frame last bar and sliding it all the way down the
long leg of the rack. Dropping bars should be
Bars done so that only a half-bar worth of friction
is removed. For example, bars should only
be dropped if the rope is only touching the
top half of the bar instead of wrapping all the
Short way around the full bar. Dropping full bars
Leg can reduce the available friction by not just
Long Side one bar, but by 1½ bars. For example, if a
Leg rack is rigged with six full bars and the sixth
Side bar is removed, the available friction instantly
Nut decreases to 4½ bars (Figure 4).
To reduce friction, follow these steps in
order, one at a time, until the desired amount
of friction is reached.
1. Spread bars.
2. Adjust rope-entry angle by moving
Eye rope to other side of the rack.
Squeezed Spread
Opening 3. Spread bars.
4. Remove last bar.
5. Start over at 1. Figure 2. Squeezing the bars together creates
Figure 1. A standard 14-inch, 6-bar, “J”-
shaped rack. Note: this rack is oriented When more friction is needed, adjust more friction, spreading them creates less
parallel to the viewer. the entry angle for more contact with the friction.

8 NSS News, August 2013

 Twisted
Eye
Straight
Eye

1/2 Full 6 bars 4½ bars

Figure 3. Adjusting the rope entry angle will Figure 4. Removing the bottom bar of a 6-bar Figure 5. The two types of “J”- shaped rack
add or subtract a half-bar’s worth of friction. rack reduces the friction to an equivalent of frames.
This is much easier to do on a rack oriented 4 1/2 bars.
perpendicularly to the rappeller, as shown
here.

something is wrong. Stop and figure out

Dave Bunnell
what it is or go home.
Gripping the rope with the off-rack
hand, pulling the rope around the hip, and
a bottom belay are a few of the methods
that can affect the friction from outside the
rack. Using them does not take advantage of
the variable friction feature of a rack. These,
and similar methods come at the cost of
efficiency. And, depending on the situation,
they may not always be an available option.
The most efficient way to take advantage
of a rack’s options is to orient it perpendicu-
larly to the rappeller’s body-looking at the
ends of the bars with the short leg away. This
makes it possible to easily move the rope to
adjust rope entry angles and drop or add bars
(see Figure 3). “J”- shaped rack frames are
available with either a straight or twisted (90º)
eye to accommodate different style harnesses
(Figure 5). Most caving harnesses are best
coupled with a twisted-eye rack.
“U” shaped racks only offer limited
variable friction. The bars can be spread and
squeezed but dropping bars can be danger-
ous. Because the rope is trapped in the “U”,
dropping a bar can result in the loss of 1½
bars of friction. This is a huge jump in the
amount of friction available and can easily
lead to problems.
Rappel racks are the most versatile
descending device ever created. They have
Starting a rappel into Hoya de la Luz in Mexico. The versatility of a rack is key to descending
been successfully used on drops from 4 to drops such as this, where the extra friction afforded by the rope weight changes sigificantly as
4000 feet. They are infinitely adjustable one descends. The low side drop shown here is 125m and the high side is 188m.
when used efficiently and properly.

NSS News, August 2013 9

 2011 Reported Caving Accidents and Incidents
Date Cave Location Result Incident Type
January 01 Letson Plunge Indiana injury, no aid rockfall
January 15 Neversink Alabama injury, no aid lost control on rappel
February 5 Cahuilla Creek Caves California aid, no injury illness
February 11 Stay High Cave Virginia injury and aid stuck
February 12 Ellisons Cave Georgia two fatalities difficulty on rope (2 people)
February 15 Rustys Cave Georgia aid, no injury stranded, inadequate equipment
March 13 Enchanted Rock Cave Texas aid, no injury stranded
March 26 Neffs Cave Utah injury, no aid caver fall
May 29 Sinking Cove Cave Tennessee injury and aid lost control on rappel
June 11 unspecified cave Alabama injury and aid caver fall
July 14 Bone‐Norman Cave System West Virginia no consequence other, overdue
July 17 Worleys (Morrill) Cave Tennessee injury and aid caver fall
July 30 Spanish Moss Cave Utah no consequence difficulty on rope
August 1 Glade Cave Virginia aid, no injury illness
August 6 Worleys (Morrill) Cave Tennessee injury and aid caver fall
September 4 Sharps Cave West Virginia aid, no injury lost
September 17 Bone‐Norman Cave System West Virginia injury, no aid other, medical issue
October 1 Wind Cave Kentucky injury and aid* caver fall*
October 16 Fossil Mountain Ice Cave Wyoming aid, no injury lost
November 12 Peppersauce Cave Arizona injury and aid caver fall
December 1 Buckner Cave Indiana injury and aid caver fall
December 3 unspecified cave Illinois injury, no aid other ‐ near drowning
December 13 Smiths Crack Idaho injury and aid caver fall
December 31 Sótano de las Guaguas San Luis Potosí, Mexico injury, no aid lost control on rappel
* not included in statistics

2011 Reported Cave Diving Accidents and Incidents

Date Cave Location Result Incident Type
January 31 Eagles Nest Florida fatality medical issue, died at hospital
April 17 Chassahowitzka River Florida fatality drowning
June 9 Devils Eye Spring Florida fatality medical
June 11 Whiskey Still Sink Florida fatality drowning
October 16 Sistema Cocodrilo Quintana Roo, Mexico fatality bad gas mixture

2011 Reported Caving‐related Accidents and Incidents

Date Cave Location Result Incident Type
date unknown unspecified lava tube Hawaii injury, no aid fell into lava tube
January 3 unnamed pit San Luis Potosí, Mexico aid, no injury fell into pit
January 20 Carter Memorial Wayside Caves Virginia no consequence infant found dead
March 5 Ellenville Fault Ice Caves New York aid, no injury 2 people fell into cave
March 14 Ape Cave Washington injury and aid exhausted, hypothermic
March 30 unspecified cave Kentucky no consequence dog stranded in cave
April multiple caves Puerto Rico no consequence illness, histoplamosis
May 2 unspecified sea cave California no consequence body found in cave
June 5 Sistema del Rio Camuy Puerto Rico fatality drowning, washed into cave

2012 Reported Caving Accidents and Incidents

Date Cave Location Result Incident Type
January 2 Poleta Cave California aid, no injury stranded
January 8 Bone‐Norman Cave System West Virginia aid, no injury lost
January 14 Clarksville Cave New York aid, no injury other, intoxicated
January 24 Schetromph Cave Maryland aid, no injury stuck
March 1 Hidden River Cave Kentucky aid, no injury flooding
March 24 Crystal Ice Cave California injury, no aid caver fall
March 31 unspecified cave Virginia injury, no aid other, caught finger on rock projection
April 7 Tumbling Rock Cave Alabama injury and aid caver fall
10 NSS News, August 2013
April 8 Hidden Cave California fatality trapped
April 13 Jewel Cave South Dakota injury, no aid caver fall
May 5 Sharps Cave West Virginia injury, no aid rockfall
May 9 Mammoth Cave Kentucky fatality illness
May 18 Wye Cave Iowa aid, no injury stuck (two people)
May 19 unspecified cave Pennsylvania aid, no injury difficulty on rope/ladder
May 28 Thunder Canyon Cave California no consequence stranded
June 9 Shoveleater‐Hellhole Cave System West Virginia injury, no aid rockfall
July 14 Sinking Cove Cave Tennessee aid, no injury stuck
July 16 Glade Cave Virginia injury and aid stuck
September 11 Southport Saltpeter (Millers) Cave Tennessee aid, no injury illness
November 8 Kaumana Cave Hawaii injury and aid caver fall
November 11 Pachidream Cave BC, Canada injury, no aid lost control on rappel
November 12 Climax Cave Georgia injury and aid caver fall
November 18 Pettijohns Cave Georgia injury and aid caver fall
December 1 Fricks Cave Georgia injury, no aid caver fall

2012 Reported Cave Diving Accidents and Incidents

Date Cave Location Result Incident Type
February 15 Merritts Mill Pond Florida aid, no injury stuck (2 people)
March 17 Vortex Spring Florida fatality unknown
March 18 Devil's Eye Spring Florida fatality unknown
March 31 Weeki Wachee Springs Florida fatality medical issue
April 19 Sistema Chac Mool Quintana Roo, Mexico 3 fatalities drowning
July 21 Big Blue Spring Florida fatality stuck, drowning
August 7 Twin Caves Florida aid, no injury lost
October 15 Blue Springs Florida aid, no injury lost, out of air, stranded

2012 Reported Caving‐related Accidents and Incidents

Date Cave Location Result Incident Type
February 4 dirt cave California fatality trapped by collapse
February 5 Breathing Hole Cave Indiana fatality suicide
April 19 unspecified cave Arizona injury, aid fell hiking to cave
May 13 sinkhole Indiana no consequence dog fell into sinkhole
May 23 Fools Crawl New York no consequence dog stranded in cave
May 23 sinkhole New York no consequence calf stranded in sinkhole
May 30 unspecified cave Tennessee no consequence dog stranded in cave
June 16 Whipple Cave Nevada aid, no injury cavers assist rock climber
June 24 Secret Caverns New York no consequence fawn stranded in cave
August 14 storm drain New York aid, no injury flooding
August 19 Atlalaquia de Atikpak Puebla, Mexico fatality drowning, body recovery
December 1 Double Sinks New Mexico no consequence murder victim found in cave

Previously Unreported Caving Incidents

Date Cave Location Result Incident Type
19 May 1985 Schoharie Caverns New York injury and aid caver fall
1998 Cueva del Viento Puerto Rico aid, no injury equipment problem, stranded
10 November 2007 Candlelight Cave Utah no consequence difficulty on rope
30 August 2009 Whipple Cave Nevada aid, no injury difficulty on rope
13 March 2010 Grutas de la Puente San Luis Potosí, Mexico injury, no aid other, falling object
28 March 2010 Sótano del Popoca Veracruz, Mexico aid, no injury stranded
14 July 2010 Burroughs Cave New York aid, no injury lost

Previously Unreported Caving‐related Incidents

Date Cave Location Result Incident Type
23 October 2009 unnamed pit Veracruz, Mexico fatality fell into pit

NSS News, August 2013 11

 2011 Caving Accidents and Incidents
1 January he just needed to go home and take some Advil®, decided to take Brown
Letson Plunge, Indiana and Rivas’s advice and see a doctor immediately. Lake drove Barker to the
hospital in Scottsboro, but he was transferred to Floyd Medical Center in
rockfall, injury, no aid Rome, Georgia. He was diagnosed with an L1 compression fracture and
On New Year’s Day, Chris Bell (27), Damian Schmeltz, Ryan Cox, and
underwent surgery the next morning to have five discs fused. He remained
Kirsten Schmeltz arrived at Letson Plunge, the first of several pits the
in the hospital for ten days and was back to work in four weeks.
group planned to visit that day. Bell rigged the 60-foot entrance drop and
rappelled, followed by Damian. The two found a place out of the presumed
1. Brad Barker, Incident Report, 13 February 2012.
rockfall zone and Bell began getting ready to take photographs of the
2. Marty Brown, email communication, 23 April 2012.
others as they rappelled. The next caver on rope, still near the top of the
pit, stood on a ledge that suddenly collapsed. Bell and Damian instinctively
Comments: The motivation to self-rescue can be strong, but spinal
took cover along the nearest wall when they heard rocks falling. Bell
injury and pelvic fractures must be considered in ALL persons who sustain
grabbed his helmet to protect the sides of his face, just before being hit
a fall. Ill-considered movement of these patients can result in catastrophic
by a basketball-size rock. When the commotion died down, he was left
spinal cord injury or, in the case of pelvic fractures, internal bleeding.
with a badly bruised left hand, a severely broken finger, some cuts, and a
Obviously, patients in otherwise life-threatening circumstances, such as
mild head trauma. Although the pair had moved into an adjacent dome,
lying face down in the water, must be moved to a safer position. Careful
rocks falling down the narrow main drop had bounced through a window
weighing of the risk versus benefit must take place before a patient is
and into the area where the two were waiting. They yelled for the other
moved.
two to stay up top and then both climbed out without further incident.
Barker is extremely lucky to have survived an out-of-control rappel of
160 feet. With a full-size, six-bar rack, it is not uncommon to remove one
1. Chris Bell, Incident Report, 6 January 2011.
or two bars to reduce friction. How he ended up on only three bars is still
a mystery but may have been due to creating a loop of rope while feeding
Comments: Bell reports that he is grateful that he and his compan-
the rack, allowing the fourth bar to come off; or the rack frame may have
ions always wear helmets and other appropriate gear when caving, but
squeezed together when it contacted the lip during his slip. Even though
in retrospect should have paid closer attention to the rockfall zone. This
he received six rope burns on his hands, Barker credits his survival largely
incident illustrates the importance of knowing where the rockfall zone
to his heavy-duty PMI rappel gloves with reinforced leather palms: “If I
is and staying well clear of it, even if it means not getting the perfect
had been wearing cheaper gloves, or wearing non-leather gloves, I would
photograph. Remember, even small rocks can become deadly when fall-
not have been able to maintain my grip on the rope.” More appropriate
ing down a pit.
footwear may have prevented him from slipping in the first place.

15 January
5 February
Neversink, Alabama
Cahuilla Creek Caves, California
lost control on rappel, injury, no aid
Brad Barker (26) and Isaiah Lake arrived at Neversink to find the area illness, aid, no injury
blanketed in fresh snow. After double-checking each other’s gear, they Seven members of the San Diego Grotto planned to spend a day
rigged a safety line down the snowy slope to the pit where Barker rigged exploring boulder caves known collectively as the Cahuilla Creek Caves.
the mainline. After clearing snow from the lip and positioning a rope pad, After an hour of exploration, three people left the cave (and the area)
he fully rigged his 6-bar rack to the main line. while the remaining four decided to exit the cave and have lunch before
The amount of friction made it difficult to move so Barker removed exploring other caves. Jim Ness (61) was making his way out of the cave
one bar. As he began to negotiate the lip, his feet slipped on the icy rocks when he collapsed in the entrance area. Brent Colvin, Doug Watson, and
and he lost contact with the wall. Barker found himself now rappelling Rich Breisch went to his aid and found he was having trouble moving his
out of control with only three bars engaged. He tried squeezing the bars right leg and arm. Since the cave is wet, none of the cavers had brought
together, grabbing the rope with both hands below the rack, and a leg a cell phone. Colvin climbed out of the rugged canyon and was able to
wrap. These actions slowed his descent only a bit. With the floor of the find a house where a woman let him call 911. Firefighters from Riverside
pit fast approaching, he prepared for impact by trying to relax so as not County Fire Departments arrived within 45 minutes. A helicopter lifted
to “hit in a tensed stance.” He rolled as he hit the ground, striking a log Ness and a firefighter out of the canyon at 1:30 p.m. Ness was transferred
with his back. Barker did a self-assessment and called, “Off rope!” Lake to another helicopter and flown to a local hospital. He spent several
then rappelled down to him. months at Sharp Memorial Hospital Rehabilitation Center in San Diego
After much consideration, Barker decided he could climb out under recovering from a major stroke.
his own power using his Ropewalker system. As he climbed, he made a
conscious effort to keep his back as straight as possible.When he reached 1. Tony Perry, “Downed hiker, 61, rescued in Riverside County by helicop-
the top, he encountered three members of the Chattanooga Grotto who ter,” Los Angeles Times, 5 February 2011.
were able to offer assistance: Marty Brown, a firefighter and paramedic; 2. Rich Breisch, Incident Report, 25 February 2011.
Homero Rivas, a physiatrist at a spine center; and Ralph Powers. Brown
did a trauma assessment and, although he did not find any obvious Comments: Breisch notes, “Had his stroke occurred five minutes
injuries, he knew the potential was there. Rivas checked for spinal cord earlier or 30 feet deeper into the cave, it would have been much harder
damage by performing a few neurological tests. Barker seemed to check to extract him.”
out alright, other than his big toe being numb, but this may have been
due to the fact that he was wearing tennis shoes and his feet were wet.
Barker was helped down the trail to the parking lot, where the others
helped him change into dry clothes. By this point, Barker, who thought

12 NSS News, August 2013

 11 February waterfall instead of the standard, drier, rigging site and the noise of the
Stay High Cave, Virginia waterfall made communications difficult. The IRTF rigged a rope out of
the waterfall, and Mirza rappelled down to the level of the two men, who
stuck, injury and aid were about 40 feet from the bottom. Mirza’s rope was too far away and
David Roesler, a 26-year-old undergraduate student, entered Stay
he was unable to pendulum over to them. He shouted to them several
High Cave at about 3:00 p.m. The cave is named Stay High because
times but received no response from either man. As Mirza climbed back
that is exactly what you must do to avoid getting stuck in the entrance
to the top of the pit, more help arrived. Teams began rigging and prepar-
where the floor narrows down into a tight V. Roesler was unable to stay
ing to lower the patients, remove them from the water, examine, treat,
high, though, and became stuck. His companion called for help and the
and raise them from the pit. White rappelled directly in the waterfall in
Newport Rescue Squad responded. When they were unable to extract him,
order to secure the two patients to the lowering line. Once they were
Blacksburg Rescue Squad’s Confined Rescue Team and Virginia Tech’s VPI
lowered, both patients were examined by an EMT (emergency medical
Cave Club were also contacted. Rescuers worked through the night with
technician) and found to be deceased. A 4:1 haul system was used to raise
power tools, enlarging the space and slowly hoisting him up inch by inch.
Lockenbach and Pirie out of the pit, one at a time. Both were extricated
The wind chill dropped into the single digits and hypothermia became
from the cave by 8:30 p.m.
a real concern. Numerous heat packs were placed in his clothing and at
1. Diane Cousineau, “Recovery at Ellison’s Cave,” Incident Report,
one point, a hairdryer was used to provide warmth. As upward progress
undated.
was made, Roesler would periodically become stuck again, requiring the
2. Tyler Jett, “Deadly Depths,” Get Out Chattanooga, 1 February 2012.
removal of more bedrock. Shortly after 3:00 a.m., with rescuers assist-
ing from above and below, he was freed. He was flown to Montgomery
Comments: An inventory of Lockenbach’s and Pirie’s gear shows they
Regional Hospital and treated for hypothermia and a crush injury to his leg.
were not experienced enough, properly dressed, or properly equipped
to attempt this pit, especially in the full force of a waterfall. Lockenbach
was found wearing a hand-tied seat harness, and had no helmet, light,
1. “Cave rescue February 11, 2011, near Clover Hollow,” www.cavechat.
or gloves on his person. He was attached to his rope by an ATC belay
org, 15 February 2011.
device (which he used as a rappel device) and a handled ascender that
2. Mallory Noe-Payne, “Student trapped in cave overnight,” Collegiate
was clipped to his harness. A second handled ascender with no sling hung
Times, 21 February 2011.
from a carabiner attached to his harness. Pirie was wearing a commercially
sewn harness and also had an ATC but no ascending devices. His helmet
Comments: Becoming stuck in a cave has led to death on more than
dangled from a string below him with the chinstrap open. He also had no
one occasion. Always remember that a stuck caver is in a life-or-death
gloves and no light on him. A headlamp was later found lying on a ledge
situation, and respond with appropriate urgency, as the rescuers did in
near where the men had become stranded, and a mini Maglite® was found
this incident.
at the bottom of the pit. Both lights were still turned on.One of the first
rules of cave rescue is don’t become a patient yourself. It must have been
12 February very difficult for Pirie to sit by and do nothing, but he was not equipped
Ellisons Cave, Georgia or knowledgeable enough to help his friend. It is very unfortunate that
difficulty on rope, 2 fatalities this incident turned into a double fatality.
On 12 February, five young men and five young women from
University of Florida’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes visited Ellisons Cave 15 February
for a day of exploring and rappelling. The party broke into two groups; Rustys Cave, Georgia
one group intended to explore horizontal sections of the cave while the
second group set off to rappel a 120-foot-deep pit known as The Warm-up
stranded, inadequate equipment, aid, no injury
Four young men set out to visit Byers Cave on the Southeastern
Pit. The first group soon joined the rest of their friends at the top of the
Cave Conservancy, Inc.’s Fox Mountain Cave Preserve. When they were
pit. Here, they learned that one member of their party, Grant Lockenbach
unable to find the cave, they used Google Earth to locate nearby Rustys
(20), had tried to rappel down to retrieve a dropped backpack. Although
Cave. None of the young men had any vertical experience, but decided
they could not hear him clearly, they could tell he was shouting for help.
to descend the 40-foot-deep entrance pit with a dynamic climbing rope.
Five members of the party exited the cave to call for help while three
They had only one harness among them. They lowered each other down,
women and Michael Pirie (18) stayed at the pit.
and belayed the last person from the bottom.
Walker County Emergency Services (WCES) received a 911 call
After some exploring, they returned to their rope and found they
reporting the rappelling accident at 2:19 p.m. Personnel, including the
were unable to ascend. They had left word of their plans to visit Byers Cave
cave rescue unit, were dispatched immediately. One hour after the 911
but had not informed anyone when their plans changed. Jerry Wallace
call was placed, the initial response task force (IRTF) was heading up the
reports: “At this point they got really lucky, as they had a cell phone with
mountain carrying sufficient equipment to reach Lockenbach, lower him
them, and were able to get reception from the bottom of the pit. They
to the bottom of the pit, and raise him back out. This IRTF consisted of
called 911, and the Dade County Mountain Rescue team was dispatched.
Anmar Mirza, Tim White, and Bill Putnam. Within a half hour, the three
The team arrived at the pit, rigged a haul system, and soon extracted the
had hiked the one-mile-long trail with its 850-feet elevation gain and
four grateful but embarrassed spelunkers.”
entered the cave. Other teams were assembling and making their way up
the mountain including rigging, evacuation, and communication teams.
1. “Cave Resue (sic) in Rusty’s Cave,” www.cavechat.org, 23 February 2011.
The IRTF reached the top of the pit and found the three women who
2. Jerry Wallace, Incident Report, 21 February 2012.
were cold and wet. They were dressed in shorts and T-shirts and their
only gear was kneepads and headlamps. They reported that Pirie had
Comments: Not only did the foursome have inadequate vertical
rigged a second rope in order to rappel down to Lockenbach and try to
gear and apparently no plan for ascending, they were also ill-equipped
assist him. The women had not heard from either of the men in a long
for horizontal caving. Only two of them had helmets, and these were
time. The women then exited the cave and word was sent out that there
construction helmets with lights worn on their foreheads. At least one had
were now two patients.
no warm clothing. These young men were indeed lucky; a cell phone call
Both Lockenbach and Pirie had rigged their ropes directly in a
from inside a cave is very rarely going to work out well as a rescue plan.

NSS News, August 2013 13

A more usable rescue mindset would be to call a surface watch with the The first organized responders arrived at 4:20 p.m. A medical
cell phone before entering a cave that was not originally on the agenda. team packaged the patient in a Sked® and full-body splint to keep him
completely immobilized. Meanwhile, others worked to enlarge the crawl
13 March space with the intention of moving Siron out via the lower entrance.
Micro-shaving of the rock eventually proved to be too slow, and it was
Enchanted Rock Cave, Texas decided that evacuating the patient back through the upper entrance was
stranded, aid, no injury the better option. Rigging teams entered the cave shortly after midnight
The Llano County Sheriff’s Office received a report from Enchanted and, three hours later, the patient had been moved up to the top of the
Rock State Natural Area of a missing child at 1:00 in the afternoon. The 23-foot pitch.
7-year-old boy had been hiking with his parents on top of Enchanted The evacuation proceeded, slowly but steadily, with the next five
Rock just twenty minutes earlier. Park rangers and other employees pitches rigged with 3:1 haul systems, counter balances, and/or traveling
began searching the area and nearby Echo Canyon while more resources redirects. A 400-foot section of tight, sinuous passage took nearly five
were put on standby. The father told a Park Ranger that his son may have hours to negotiate, as only two or three rescuers could handle the litter
entered Enchanted Rock Cave after being told not to do so. The Ranger at any one time. Tight spaces were also challenging for the medical team
made contact with hikers at the cave, who informed him that another to keep intravenous fluids(IV) flowing to the patient.
group had found the boy in the cave and were escorting him out. The After 29 hours underground, Siron finally reached the surface. An
child exited the cave at 2:00 p.m. He told authorities he had gone into hour and a half later he was placed in a waiting helicopter and flown to
the cave and fallen into a hole that he couldn’t get out of. Other visitors a nearby hospital. In 2012, on the anniversary of the accident, Siron and
to the cave had lifted him out. his companions returned to Sinking Cove and finally completed their
through-trip.
1. Texas Parks and Wildlife, “Lost Child found in Cave,” Safety and Risk
Management Newsletter, page 3, May 2011. 1. Brad Tipton, Incident Report, undated.
2. Dirk Siron, email communication, 10 September 2012.
Comments: What was likely a nightmare for the parents may well
have been a grand adventure for the young man. Comments: Be sure to fully study, be familiar with, and inspect any
rigging that you use. Carabiner blocks can be a safe and efficient way
26 March to rig pull-down rappels, but several important factors must always be
Neffs Cave, Utah taken into consideration. One of the most critical is to ensure that you
caver fall, injury, no aid rig your rappel device into the rappel (and not the pull) side of the rope.
Five cavers were descending the 1,163-foot-deep Neffs Cave. After Rigging into the pull side has had predictably disastrous results in caves
six rope drops and several downclimbs, the group reached the bottom and canyons. Carabiner blocks can be safety-clipped to the anchor with
of an area called The Devils Slide, 800 feet below the surface. As one of an additional carabiner for everyone except the last rappeller; that person
the cavers was negotiating a steep, non-roped section, he slipped and fell must still rig into the correct side of the rope.
the remaining 5 feet, dislocating one finger and breaking another in the One way to prevent rigging mishaps such as these is to get in the
process. The injured caver was able to ascend the ropes unaided to the habit of using the “rappel test.” This simply means leaving a cowstail or
exit, but needed assistance, provided by belays, on the steeper climbs. ascender clipped in to the rope or anchor, until the rappel device has been
weighted and tested for integrity.
1. Lance Dickey, Incident Report, 27 March 2011.
11 June
Comments: Dickey notes the cave was wetter than usual, which unspecified cave, Alabama
may have made for slippery conditions, and that the downclimb could caver fall, injury and aid
have been rigged. Chris Gerstman and his fiancée, Joy Patterson (21), were caving with
others in Alabama on a Saturday afternoon. While traveling upwards
29 May over breakdown, Patterson stepped over a rock and was about to turn
Sinking Cove Cave, Tennessee left when her right foot slipped out from under her. Patterson was not
lost control on rappel, injury and aid aware she was next to a big drop-off and tumbled 35 to 45 feet down
On Memorial Day Weekend, 2011, eleven cavers entered Sinking it, landing face down in water. Gerstman rushed to her side and gently
Cove Cave with the intent of doing a vertical through-trip from the Boulder turned her over, resting her head on a backpack. She told her fiancé that
Entrance to the lower entrance. Completing a through-trip for this cave her back and foot hurt badly.The Jackson County Rescue Squad was noti-
requires cavers to descend six pitches, varying in depth from 23 to 53 feet, fied, and they extricated Patterson in about six hours. She was airlifted
followed by a tight belly crawl for 30 feet, then a 100-foot-long crawl in to a Huntsville hospital where she underwent surgery for a broken back.
2 feet of water with a 6-inch airspace. The total trip covers about 3,000 She had also broken her foot.
feet with a vertical extent of 457 feet.
Dirk Siron (53) was the last caver to descend the last drop. This drop, 1. Chris Gerstman, Incident Report, 20 June 2011.
like the others before it, was rigged using a traditional carabiner block, a
method used by cavers and canyoneers to retrieve a rope after one has Comments: Gerstman mentions that Patterson probably did not
rappelled. When Siron rigged his figure 8 rappel device, it is believed see the pit because of inadequate lighting, although he did not describe
he rigged into the wrong side of the rope, causing him to fall 23 feet to what kind of light system she was using other than to say it was an LED.
the bottom of the drop and land in a knee-deep pool of water. Siron’s Brighter lights often equal greater safety, especially when tired or other-
companions quickly and carefully moved him out of the water, and began wise stressed or compromised.
to try and warm him with a makeshift tent and camp stove. His injuries
included a fractured pelvis, broken wrist, and compressed vertebrae. The
time of the accident was approximately 1:15 p.m.

14 NSS News, August 2013

 14 July 30 July
Bone-Norman Cave System, West Virginia Spanish Moss Cave, Utah
overdue, no consequence difficulty on rope, no consequence
Four local, young adults were reported overdue from an attempted A novice caver was ascending the 30-foot-deep entrance pit of
through-trip in the Bone-Norman Cave System. Some of the explorers’ Spanish Moss Cave when an excess amount of webbing from his chest
parents, along with fire and EMS units, were assembled near the Bone harness became stuck in his Croll. This was only his second time on rope
entrance when local caver John Pearson arrived on scene sometime after and he was wearing a climbing-type harness. The harness made it diffi-
11:00 p.m. Pearson was asked to do a quick sweep of Bone Cave and report cult for him to maintain an upright position while trying to remove the
back what he found. Over half a dozen firemen in full vertical gear (but webbing from his Croll. Eventually another member of the caving party
not caving gear) waited on standby at the entrance. Pearson entered the climbed up to him on another rope that had been pre-rigged as a backup
cave and briefly checked the small, tight side passages, but they did not and was able to assist him.
appear to have been traversed for some time. He checked all the way to
the End Room in less than twenty minutes. Next, he backtracked to the 1. Kent Forman, Incident Report, 1 November 2012.
passage leading to the Devils Pinch, a tight spot along the connection
route. He sat quietly to see if he could hear anything beyond the pinch. Comments: Photos from the incident show the stuck caver in almost
He took a rock and pounded it three times, then listened again, repeating a horizontal position. A vertical caver with a properly adjusted climbing
this for several more minutes. Convinced the lost group was not on his system should be able to maintain a more vertical position, which would
side of the Pinch, Pearson headed for the entrance. He met fellow caver require less effort to maintain during a self rescue. The caver stuck on rope
Dave Cowan, who had also come to search, on the way out. When they was also wearing a large backpack, which probably made staying vertical
exited the cave, the firemen were no longer at the entrance. Pearson and even more difficult. Tethering a cave pack, so that it hangs below you
Cowan then attended a debriefing downhill from the entrance. Just as while on rope, is generally a more efficient practice. New cavers should
Pearson was reasoning that inexperienced cavers could not make it back practice changeovers and situations simulating gear problems extensively
up through the Devils Pinch, the missing group exited the cave and began before entering vertical caves.
coming down the hill. When they spotted the would-be-rescuers, they
went straight for their vehicles and drove off with their parents. 1 August
Glade Cave, Virginia
1. John Pearson, “7.14,” The West Virginia Caver, volume 29, number 5,
page 12, October 2011. illness, aid, no injury
2. John Pearson, email communication, 29 February 2012. Sarah Murphy (18) and others from Camp May Flather were explor-
ing Glade Cave for the day. After several hours in the cave, Murphy had a
Comments: This was a case of a person who had done the through- seizure, causing her to fall about 20 feet, landing in water. Rescue workers
trip once before trying to lead other inexperienced cavers. They must have were notified around 3:15 p.m. that a woman was injured 315 feet inside
turned around when they could not find their way, but not early enough the cave. Although it is a horizontal cave, a haul system was needed to
to meet their out time.This incident also shows the need for establish- bring her to the surface. She was treated for hypothermia and transported
ing and maintaining an entrance control during rescues. Doing so would to the University of Virginia Medical Center for evaluation. The rescue
have prevented the subjects from exiting the scene without a debriefing took less than two hours to complete.
or medical evaluation.
1. Ken Slack, “Rescue at Glade Cave,” www.nbc29.com, 2 August 2011.
2. Megan Davis, “Crews Use Pulley to Rescue Woman From Cave,” The
17 July News Virginian, 2 August 2011.
Worleys (Morrill) Cave, Tennessee
caver fall, injury and aid Comments: No injuries were reported. It was also not reported if
At 3:30 p.m., a group of five children and six adults entered Worleys Murphy had experienced seizures before.
Cave. The group had made it to a slippery, muddy area known as the
Skating Rink within an hour. While traversing this section, a 19-year-old 6 August
female slipped and fell, twisting her ankle. Several members of the group Worleys (Morrill) Cave, Tennessee
heard her ankle “pop.” The trip leader examined her and determined she
would need assistance to exit. caver fall, injury and aid
Three people stayed with the patient while the trip leader and the Kristi Anderson (26) and her boyfriend, John, were part of a tour
rest headed for the surface. The trip leader called fellow Mountain Empire group led by a local adventure company in Tennessee’s popular Worleys
Grotto members and a rescue was initiated. Cavers were the first to Cave on the afternoon of 6 August. While traversing an area that was
respond and packaged the patient in a basket litter. Cavers from Mountain the scene of a rescue less than a month before, Anderson slipped and
Empire and Flittermouse Grottos moved the patient through the cave fell, suffering a trimalleolar (ankle) and fibular fracture. Her ankle was
by leap-frogging the evacuation teams. One pitch, known as the Devils splinted with materials on-hand, and John began carrying her back toward
Staircase, was rigged in order to lower the patient down it. Closer to the the entrance. Another group in the cave (there were several that day)
entrance, the litter was placed in a rig with a large wheel and wheeled came across them and suggested they backtrack and exit via the stream
the rest of the way out. The patient reached the surface shortly after passage. This would prevent them from having to climb a steep section
midnight and was transported by ambulance to a hospital. known as the Devils Staircase. After changing their course, Anderson’s
group came across a Scout Troop being led by cavers Gary Powers and
1. Mark Woods, Incident Report, 18 July 2011. Clay Stowers. Powers hurried ahead of the group and exited the cave to
call local authorities.
Comments: Note that a fairly simple and common incident one hour Local EMS and Kingsport Fire and Rescue were quick to respond.
into the cave resulted in an evacuation time in excess of seven hours from The Incident Commander sent three cavers, Powers, Stowers, and Robbie
time of injury to time of exit. Even when executed perfectly, cave rescues Spiegel, into the cave along with an EMS member named Randy. They were
can take a long time. given a Ferno® (a type of rigid stretcher commonly used in cave rescue)

NSS News, August 2013 15

and rescue kit to take to the patient. A short way into the cave, Randy 1 October
dislocated his finger, but decided he could continue. Anderson’s group Wind Cave, Kentucky
was encountered about 1,300 feet into the cave. Her splint had already
been replaced by yet another group in the cave. Randy replaced this splint
caver fall, injury and aid
An American Caving Accidents incident report was submitted online
with a sturdier one and then tended to his own injury.
regarding a rescue at Wind Cave in Kentucky. The incident type was listed
The Kingsport rescue crew arrived around 4:00 p.m. and set up an IV
as a caver fall, with the result of injury and aid, although no other details
to give Anderson morphine. From here, the rescue moved quickly as the
were supplied. A follow-up with the person submitting the report only
Ferno was alternately dragged and carried through the cave. A wheel was
revealed that the incident had been reported in a local newspaper.
attached to the Ferno, as in the rescue the previous month, for a portion
of the evacuation. After eight hours in the cave, Anderson was brought
1. Nicholas Taylor, Incident Report, 9 October 2011.
to the surface and taken to the hospital for emergency surgery. It was
several months before she could walk again.
Comments: Since this incident could not be verified, it is not included
in the statistics. Please contact the ACA editor at [email protected] with any
1. Robbie Spiegel, Incident Report, 30 April 2012.
information regarding this incident.
Comments: The tour group that Anderson was a part of supplied its
patrons with helmets and lights, but allowed her to wear tennis shoes. 16 October
Sturdy boots with good tread are generally a better choice than tennis Fossil Mountain Ice Cave, Wyoming
shoes for providing traction in a cave. Spiegel notes that the original lost, aid, no injury
rescue kit sent in to the patient did not contain blankets or other items Three amateur cavers, all men in their early twenties, entered Fossil
to prevent hypothermia. Keeping a patient warm should always be a top Mountain Ice Cave with plans to do a through-trip to Wind Cave. After
priority in a cave rescue. entering on a Saturday morning, they worked their way down the multiple
drops until they reached the maze area in Wind Cave. Here, they either
4 September could not find the route to the Wind Cave entrance, or they were not
Sharps Cave, West Virginia aware that they needed to do a 20-foot climb to exit. Most parties doing
a through trip pre-rig this pitch but this group did not.
lost, aid, no injury
At 2:00 the next afternoon, they left a note in the maze area saying
On Sunday evening during the Old Timers’ Caving Reunion, usually
they were retreating. A few hours later they left another note near Crotch
referred to as OTR, a couple in their sixties were reported overdue from
Lake saying they were heading back to the Fossil Mountain Ice Cave
a caving trip to Sharps Cave. A gentleman (who had not been in the cave
entrance. They ascended several ropes that are permanently rigged in the
for many years) and his companion got turned around, and were unable
cave but it was slow going due to their lack of traditional ascending gear.
to find their way out. A rescue team was organized at OTR, but when
Meanwhile, the men’s families notified the Teton County Sheriff’s
they arrived at the cave, the missing cavers had already been found and
Department when they had not returned by Sunday morning. Search
escorted out by the Slatyfork cave rescue team.
teams entered the cave system from both entrances and searched as far as
the first drop at either end. When the missing trio was not found, another
1. “Sharps Cave,” The West Virginia Caver , volume 29, number 5, page
search was initiated, this time with the plan that both search teams would
10, October 2011.
continue until they met in the middle. The team who entered from the
2. Carl Amundson, email communication, 8 March 2012.
Wind Cave side found the note that was left in the maze area about 8:00
p.m. The other search team located the missing men shortly before 10:00
Comments: The importance of a good, reliable surface watch can
p.m. The trio was tired and hungry but otherwise unhurt. They exited the
never be over-emphasized.
cave and made the long hike down the mountain, reaching the parking
area at 4:00 a.m. Monday morning.
17 September
Bone-Norman Cave System, West Virginia 1. “Another FMIC Rescue,” www.cavechat.org, 17 October 2011.
medical issue, injury, no aid 2. Brielle Schaeffer, “Team rescues 3 cavers,” Jackson Hole Daily, 18
Stephanie Petri (25), Dave Socky, Alan Staton, Susan Burr, Jessica October 2011.
Jones, Bill Walker, Brian Williams, and Becky Frederickson visited Norman
Cave for a day of exploring. As Petri was making her way through the tight Comments: The usual Fossil Mountain Ice Cave-Wind Cave through
spot in the entrance, her knee “froze up,” causing her a great deal of pain. trip requires pulling down the rope after the first drop in Fossil Mountain
Her knee had done this in the past, and she thought she might be able to Ice Cave. Once this rope is pulled, cavers are committed to completing
continue if she could get her knee to relax. When nothing helped, Staton the trip. Most rescues at this cave occur because groups get lost, they
stabilized her knee and Petri was able to scoot backwards toward the find the cave plugged with ice beyond the first drop, or they are unable
entrance. Once on the surface, she was helped down the trail and back to ascend a 20-foot pitch to exit on the Wind Cave side. Because of the
to her vehicle. Petri was not in as much pain at this point, but she was committing nature of pull-down caving, any such trip should be well-
unable to drive her truck which has a manual transmission. Staton drove researched in advance.
her back to Roanoke with Jones following in Petri’s vehicle. 12 November
Peppersauce Cave, Arizona
1. Susan Burr, “Cave Rescue Report,” The West Virginia Caver, volume
30, number 1, page1, February 2012. (Reprinted from the Carbide Dump,
caver fall, injury and aid
A teenage boy was exploring Peppersauce Cave with his father and
V46v9p56, November 2011.)
fellow boy scouts when he slipped and injured his knee. Reports vary as
2. Alan Staton, phone communication, 12 March 2012.
to how far he was from the entrance, from 50 to 600 feet, but he was
unable to exit on his own. Hikers in the area heard of his predicament and
Comments: Staton notes that it was very fortunate the incident did
offered to help. They splinted his leg with tree branches and used a plastic
not occur farther into the cave.
picnic table as a stretcher. When the stretcher would not fit through a

16 NSS News, August 2013

constriction in the entrance area, he was wrapped in tarps “like a burrito” Comments: Mirza concludes his report with these comments: “A
and passed through. The rescuers carried him down the hill where they pelvic fracture is a very serious injury and one of the most difficult ones
were met by a Pinal County Sheriff who determined the youth was mildly for cave rescue. Not only is it very painful, but the possibility of major
hypothermic and showing signs of shock. He was airlifted to a hospital. blood vessels to be damaged and the patient to bleed into the pelvis with
little outside sign exists until suddenly the vital signs crash. The ideal litter
1. Tim Vetscher, “Injured teen pulled from cave in S. Arizona,” www.abc15. for this type of evacuation is the rigid litter such as the Ferno-Washington
com, 13 November 2011. basket, but this litter was not available in the cache at that time . . . and
2. “Hikers Rescue Injured Teen From Cave,” www.myfoxphoenix.com, would have necessitated a two-hour wait to obtain. These are difficult
13 November 2011. decisions to make for the rescue manager but ultimately these situations
3. Associated Press, “Teen rescued after falling in Arizona’s Mount are better treated outside the cave in the appropriate care facility. This
Lemmon cave,” www.azcentral.com, 14 November 2011. rescue was also facilitated by the fact that everyone involved had had
previous NCRC (National Cave Rescue Commission) training and several
Comments: Photos of the teen, his father, and others taken in the of the responders were NCRC instructors.”
cave that day show that they were not wearing helmets. Despite only being
in the warm, desert cave for a total of about two hours, the patient was 3 December
already showing signs of shock and hypothermia. These two conditions unspecified cave, Illinois
are often a secondary result from injuries and should be considered as
potential problems facing anyone injured in a cave. near drowning*, injury, no aid
Chad McCain, Todd McCartney (44), Ralph Sawyer, and Jason Kern
planned to spend roughly 10 to 16 hours in an Illinois cave pushing a water-
1 December filled passage with low airspace. McCain, the only member of the group
Buckner Cave, Indiana who had not been in the cave before, led the way upstream, encounter-
caver fall, injury and aid ing low airspaces of 6 to 10 inches. Moving ahead with helmet in hand,
A group of five amateur cavers entered the Richard Blenz Nature he hesitated when the ceiling came to within only 3 inches of the water.
Preserve’s Buckner Cave for a day of exploring. Approximately 1,700 feet McCartney was better dressed for the cold water, with a neoprene
into the cave, in an area known as The Volcano Passage, a 26-year-old hoodie in addition to a wetsuit, and decided to push ahead, leaving his
female fell approximately 8 feet. Three members of her group left to pack with the rest of the group. Holding his helmet in front of him, he
call for help when she reported severe pain in her hip and had difficulty continued upstream in 3 to 4 feet of water, with his nose pressed against
moving on her own. the ceiling. When he reached a point 40 feet beyond McCain’s furthest
Anmar Mirza, the property manager, received the call at 7:00 p.m. advance, he began kicking and “thrashing” in the water, then disappeared
and rounded up several other rescue-trained cavers. Mirza reports, around a bend in the passage.
“Before going in to the cave, Monroe County 911 dispatch was called to The others heard periodic bouts of thrashing and silence, and
inform them of the situation. Anmar and Jessica [Deli], both EMTs, then assumed McCartney had found passage with more air. When the thrashing
proceeded into the cave. When they reached the patient, she and her continued, McCain moved upstream a little ways, calling for McCartney.
boyfriend had been slowly making their way out of the cave with him McCartney’s light suddenly came into view, but he was obviously in
essentially putting her on his lap and moving a bit at a time, and had trouble. McCain saw McCartney go underwater, then float up next to
moved about 200 feet. Anmar performed a quick secondary survey and the wall, face down and not moving. McCain and Sawyer rushed to their
determined that the pelvis was involved and probably fractured. Her friend. In the very low airspace, Sawyer momentarily panicked and went
vital signs were good and her morale was high, so he then left Jessica in underwater, only to pop up in a small air bell, losing his helmet and light
charge medically of the patient with instructions to continue slowly and and cutting his face on the rock wall.
carefully moving towards the entrance as her pain would allow and to McCain eventually reached McCartney after about 45 seconds,
closely monitor her vital signs. grabbed him, and started dragging him downstream toward Kern. The
“As more cavers arrived on scene, they were sent into the cave nearest place to get McCartney completely out of the water was still over
along with a SKED litter and two Oregon Spine Splints. Leanne [Hughes] 600 feet away, but an area was found that only had 10 inches of water and
was assigned to coordinate the litter evacuation. One OSS was applied more than a foot of air. When McCartney was rolled over, his eyes were
normally and the other was applied upside down along the outer leg on glassy and caked with mud. McCain began cardiopulmonary resuscitation
the affected side. The litter handling team was instructed to be very gentle (CPR). Sawyer and Kern now joined him and helped keep McCartneys’s
with the patient but that she needed to be evacuated as quickly as possible head out of water and administered rescue breaths. After two to three
as there was essentially no treatment that could be done underground in minutes, McCartney regained consciousness. They then moved him
the timeframe available. The litter began moving at 9:30 p.m. another 30 feet downstream to a mudbank where he could sit up.
“By 11:00 p.m. the patient was at the entrance of the cave where The cavers now knew they had two real problems: getting McCartney
Van Buren Township Fire Department volunteers were waiting to help out of the cave as quickly as possible, and doing so with very few remain-
carry her up the hill to the parking lot and by 11:05 p.m. she was in the ing light sources. Sawyer and McCartney had both lost their helmets
back of the ambulance and on her way to the hospital. Total evacuation and StenLights®. McCartney only had one extra Maglite®, Sawyer had a
time was approximately an hour and a half and that included several couple of small Maglites®, and Kern had one small secondary headlamp.
hundred feet of belly crawl where the litter could not just be dragged McCain was equipped with an extra Apex and Fenix which he shared
due to her injuries.” with the others.
The patient was diagnosed as having broken her pelvis in three places. Working their way back to the entrance, McCartney started off slow
She required surgery and the placement of pins and screws along with and lethargic, and he coughed up a lot of water, but eventually he began
confinement to a wheelchair for three months. picking up speed. It was a long trek out, including a 300-foot-long bathtub
crawl with 6 inches of air-space. McCartney was pulled through this section
1. “Buckner Cave Rescue 12-1-2011,” www.cavechat.org, 2 December by McCain tethering two Swaygo packs, which are waterproof and buoy-
2011. ant, to his waist and having McCartney rest his head and chest on them.
2. Anmar Mirza, Incident Report, 6 April 2012. At the entrance, they rigged a short climb with a rope and were able to
assist McCartney up it from above and below. They were out of the cave

NSS News, August 2013 17

six hours after entering and 3.5 hours after the accident. McCartney spent Comments: Tennis shoes do not provide enough traction and are
four days in the hospital but has made a full recovery. inadequate footwear for most caves. Lug-soled boots are usually a better
choice. Caves that contain ice sometimes require even more specialized
1. Chad McCain, Incident Report, 28 December 2011. traction devices.
2. Chad McCain, email communication, 27 February 2012.
31 December
Comments: The participants warn others about becoming compla- Sótano de las Guaguas, San Luis Potosí, Mexico
cent about low airspace, and that no passage, discovery, or potential
connection is worth dying for. This incident also underscores the impor- lost control on rappel, injury, no aid
tance of having extra lights that are not attached to your helmet. On New Year’s Eve, Sarah Crowder, John Deighan, Alex Booker, Beth
Mutchler, and Robert Harris rigged two ropes in Sótano de las Guaguas.
* Drowning is death from suffocation caused by immersion. Incidents After rigging the high side of the pit (~700 feet), Deighan rigged and
where a person survives from immersion suffocation are referred to as descended the low side (~470 feet), which the cavers would later use
a “near drowning.” for ascending. Mutchler and Harris both rappelled the high side without
incident. When Crowder got on rope, she had difficulty moving down the
13 December slope to the lip due to friction. She dropped the sixth and fifth bars of
Smiths Crack, Idaho her rack and proceeded on four. As she went over the lip, her fourth bar
dropped off and she began rappelling out of control on only three bars.
caver fall, injury and aid Deighan was ready with a bottom belay but did not know Crowder
Jordan Jones and a friend decided to visit Smiths Crack, a fissure cave
was in trouble until she had probably fallen a couple hundred feet. His
in southern Idaho that is a popular destination for cavers as well as the
belay was enough to slow her so that when she landed on him, he was
general public. Jones and his friend were on their lunch break and had no
not injured. Crowder’s left hand was badly injured, however. When she
caving gear. They climbed down the narrow fissure and into a small room
passed the lip, her left hand had become trapped between the rope and
below. Jones’s friend climbed out first. When Jones followed, his tennis
rack body.
shoe slipped on an icy patch of rock and he fell 25 feet to the bottom,
The cavers in the pit radioed up to Booker who brought down clean
breaking his leg just above the ankle.
water, disinfectant, and bandages to dress her wounds. Crowder and the
His friend called for help around 2:00 p.m. Elmore County Search
rest of the group then exited the pit via the shorter rope. Back in town
and Rescue, Mountain Home Extrication Team, and paramedics arrived
they were unable to find a medical facility so they drove to Brownsville,
on scene. Rescues at Smiths Crack are not uncommon, says Alan Roberts
Texas, the following day where a physician cleaned and redressed her
of the Mountain Home extrication team, occurring on average once a
wounds. Crowder later required surgery to repair tendons and skin but
year. This one took a little more effort as Jones is 6-foot, 5-inches tall and
is expected to make a full recovery.
weighs 300 pounds. He was placed in a Stokes basket and raised vertically
out of the cave. After two hours he was out of the cave and flown to a
1. John Deighan, Incident Report, 8 February 2012.
hospital. Besides his broken leg, he was showing signs of hypothermia.
Comments: Cavers should be aware that flexing of a rack frame
1. “Victim lost footing, fell into Elmore County cave,” www.nwcn.com,
against the lip of a pit can cause bars to drop. Cavers should always cross
13 December 2011.
a lip with more than enough bars engaged rather than “just enough.”
2. Brian S. Orban, “Man rescued after falling into cave,” Mountain Home
Fighting against friction at the lip is a small price to pay in order to remain
News, 14 December 2011.
in control of the rappel.

2011 Cave Diving Accidents and Incidents

31 January speculate he may have been having chest pains, which caused him to
Eagles Nest sinkhole, Florida surface too quickly.
fatality
Bill Bowden, a certified cave diver, was diving the Eagles Nest sinkhole 17 April
using a rebreather. When he surfaced, witnesses say he was speaking Chassahowitzka River, Florida
clearly but suffering from decompression sickness. Bowden was taken to drowning, fatality
a hospital where he later died. Amy Ryan, a 22-year-old University of South Florida senior,
went swimming with friends in the Seven Sisters Springs area in the
1. “Eagle’s Nest 1-31-11,” www.cavediver.net, 1 February 2011. Chassahowitzka River. The springs are connected by short, shallow, under-
water caves which Ryan had free-dived at least once before. When Ryan
Comments: Decompression sickness (DCS) occurs when inert gases, attempted a dive through a 15-foot-long section, she did not resurface.
built up in the body’s tissues, form bubbles during a diver’s ascent. These Her boyfriend swam through several times looking for her while another
bubbles can form anywhere in the body but most commonly in the joints friend called 911. Rescuers responded within moments and pulled her
(which is why decompression sickness is often referred to as “the bends”). from a crevice she had mistakenly swum into. She was taken to a hospital
To avoid DCS, divers practice staged decompression. “Staged” means in Spring Hill where she was pronounced dead.
stopping at progressively shallower depths for increasingly longer times Within a week, cave divers installed warning signs at both ends of the
to allow inert gasses to exit bodily tissues safely. swim-through in order to prevent future accidents at this location. The
Bowden had recently undergone open-heart surgery and had a signs were donated by the National Speleological Society’s Cave Diving
valve replacement, but was released to dive by his physician. His friends Section and the National Association for Cave Diving.

18 NSS News, August 2013

1. “USF student drowns,” www.cavediver.net, 18 April 2011. 16 October
2. John Woodrow Cox and Jessica Vander Velde, “USF student drowns in Sistema Cocodrilo, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Citrus cave-diving accident,” Tampa Bay Times, 19 April 2011.
3. Walter Pickel, “Warning Signs at Chassahowitzka Springs,” www.cave-
fatality
Brendan Lee Napier and four of his dive buddies began a survey dive
atlas.com, 25 April 2011.
in Sistema Cocodrilo on Cozumel Island on the morning of 16 October
2011. Their plan was to travel 4,200 feet into the cave and video map a
Comments: Free-diving through these caves is a popular activ-
room known as the Air Dome. At 11:19 a.m., Napier led the team into the
ity among visitors to the springs. Most, like Ryan, have no cave-diving
cave. Within fifteen minutes, his pace accelerated, and the team became
training or equipment. Without a guideline or lights it is easy to become
strung out as they tried to keep pace. Moments later, he began convuls-
disoriented and a single breath does not allow much time for mistakes.
ing and floated to the ceiling. By the time his buddies reached him, he
was unconscious and his regulators were out of his mouth. His bailout
9 June regulator was deployed and dangling and his rebreather loop and bailout
Devils Eye Spring, Florida tank had been closed.
medical issue, fatality Napier’s dive buddies pried his clenched jaws apart and purged a
Sixty-eight-year-old Richard DeVan suffered a heart attack while exit- regulator into his mouth. They then began moving him out while continu-
ing the Devils Ear entrance of Devils Eye Spring in Ginnie Springs Resort. ing to purge the regulator in his mouth. They reached the surface in
DeVan had been scuba diving since the 1970s and had been cave diving eighteen minutes, cut away his gear and suit and began CPR. An ambu-
since the early 1990s. lance arrived twenty minutes later, but unfortunately, Napier could not
be revived.
1. “Fatality at Ginnie,” www.cavediver.net, 9 June 2011.
2. Mary Lu Strange, “Richard DeVan was an avid diver,” www.cincinnati. 1. Michael Angelo Gagliardi, “Report on accident at Sistem[a] Cocodrilo,”
com, 27 June 2011. www.rebreatherpro.com, undated.
11 June
Comments: A review of the events by the dive team showed that
Whiskey Still Sink, Florida Napier did nothing wrong and broke no rules. An autopsy revealed that
drowning, fatality he died of carbon monoxide poisoning, leading the team to suspect that
Jim Miller and two others were diving in a section of the Woodville he had received a bad mixture of gas in his tank. In the future, his team
Karst Plain known as Whiskey Still Sink on RB80 rebreathers. The planned insists they will all be adding a carbon monoxide analyzer to their dive
dive was to traverse the shallow-depth conduit to Innisfree Sink and kit and encourage others to do the same.
continue beyond there to a depth of almost 220 feet, followed by staged
decompression stops on the way back up to Innisfree. The team carried
deco gas (gas mixtures used at various depths for decompression stops)
to be used at 120 and 70 feet below the surface and oxygen at 20 feet. The National Cave Rescue Commission
Their bottom mix was for a depth of 240 feet.
The team started their dive using their 120 bottles, which were www.caves.org/io/ncrc
suitable for the conduit’s depth. At 70 feet, the team stopped to stage
their 70 bottles. Miller, who has been described as a meticulous and The National Cave Rescue Commission (NCRC) received its charter
safety-conscious diver, mistakenly dropped one of his 240 bottles here, from the National Speleological Society in 1979, and serves as the
and continued further into the cave. Society’s representative on issues of cave rescue training and opera-
At the 120-foot stop, the divers were now ready to switch to their tions. It is a volunteer group developed primarily to train and track
240 gas. Here, Miller made a second error and switched to his 70 bottle. cave rescue resources throughout the United States.
Protocol usually requires not only a diver, but his dive partner(s), to verify
that the right bottle is being used. Unfortunately, this was overlooked on The NCRC does not perform cave rescues. It organizes, develops,
this particular dive. and provides training in cave rescue techniques, maintains list
The three continued the dive for a little less than an hour, with Miller of individuals trained in cave rescue, and can help locate rescue
using the wrong bottle the whole time, and turned around at the planned resources in times of need. Most NCRC-trained cavers do participate
time. Shortly after turning around, Miller had a seizure. His buddies were in rescues, but not as part of the NCRC. They work as members of
unable to revive him despite their best efforts. their local rescue teams, civil defense units, or cave rescue groups.

1. “Fatality in the WKP,” www.cavediver.net, 14 June 2011. The NCRC sponsors a week-long Cave Rescue Operations and Man-
agement Seminar each year that is held in various locations around
Comments: The official cause of death was drowning, but what actu- the United States. The seminar serves as a “boot camp” of cave res-
ally caused the fatality is called “oxygen toxicity.” Pure (100%) oxygen can cue and provides three levels of training. Cave rescue is constantly
only be safely breathed to a depth of about 20 feet underwater. The 70 evolving, and the most up-to-date techniques are presented each
bottle wasn’t pure oxygen, having some nitrogen as well, but was intended year. In addition to the annual week-long seminar, the NCRC regions
for depths of 70 feet and shallower. sponsor regional week-long seminars, regional modular seminars
Miller’s final depth was not reported, but since he had a 240 bottle, (taught over a series of weekends), courses in small-group and self-
the depth was probably deeper than 200 feet. That is over three times rescue techniques, and weekend cave rescue orientation courses.
the safe level of oxygen for that depth. Breathing this level of oxygen for
such a prolonged time can (and did) cause seizures. Once a diver has a Information on NCRC operation, activities, and training is published
seizure, it is very difficult to switch to the appropriate gas mixture, since each year in the NSS Members Manual, and is available on the NCRC
the jaw usually clamps shut. website at www.ncrc.info. Upcoming seminars are announced on
the website and in the NSS News.

NSS News, August 2013 19

 2011 Caving-Related Accidents and Incidents
2011, date unknown other sister, and they both slid down into the fault. The sisters were unhurt
unspecified lava tube, Hawaii but unable to climb back out or exit through the bottom due to an iced-
over trail along the cliffs. Using a cell phone, the sisters called 911. The
fell into lava tube, injury, no aid Walker Valley Fire Company’s technical rescue team was able to get the
CJ Kale (34) was hiking across a lava field to photograph scenes of
women into harnesses and haul them back to the surface. After a four-hour
lava as it contacted ocean waves when he fell about 20 feet down into a
rescue, the sisters were wet and cold but otherwise in good condition.
lava tube, shattering his ankle. Kale reports, “After climbing out we had
to lash my foot to my leg with a tripod, camera strap and belt and hike
1. Deborah Medenbach, “Sisters escape serious harm in Ice Caves fall,”
over the rugged terrain for two miles.”
www.recordonline.com, 8 March 2011.
1. “Daredevil photographers brave boiling waters to capture the drama
Comments: It is a good idea to always maintain at least a body’s
of searing-hot lava crashing into the seas off Hawaii,” www.dailymail.
length between yourself and the edge of a pit, cliff, or crevasse. More
co.uk, 5 September 2012.
distance may be required if ice is present.
Comments: This is a nice example of well-improvised first aid.
14 March
3 January Ape Cave, Washington
unnamed pit, San Luis Potosí, Mexico exhausted, hypothermic, injury and aid
John and Robert Okey were on their way to Ape Cave when the road
fell into pit, aid, no injury became impassable due to deep snow about one mile from the cave. After
An 85-year-old woman fell into a 45-foot-deep pit in the municipality
eating a light lunch, they continued toward the cave on foot, walking in
of Tamasopo. The woman, locally known as Luca, spent 16 hours in the
the footprints of a previous hiker. Robert wore shorts and gaiters, and
pit before being rescued by local firefighters and the Mexican Red Cross.
both had only light outer garments. The only supplies they took with them
Reports say she was unhurt.
were three flashlights and one energy drink. They explored the lava tube
for about two hours, finally reaching the upper entrance. Here they found
1. Cave accident in San Luis Potosí, Mex.,www.cavechat.org, 5 January
the snow to be quite a bit deeper than at the lower entrance. Robert,
2011.
who is 6-foot, 5-inches tall, weighs close to 400 pounds, and has Type 2
diabetes, decided he was too tired to try and return through the cave.
Comments: No other information was available but we can assume
The brothers thought hiking down the hill on the surface would be easier.
the elderly woman had not intended to enter the pit, making this a
The deep snow made for very slow going, however. Robert tried to
caving-related incident.
fashion snowshoes out of broken tree branches; this did not work and
he cut his hand badly in the process. Eventually, John decided to try to
20 January make it to the parking area and an emergency phone on his own, while
Carter Memorial Wayside Caves, Virginia Robert followed at a slower pace. Again the snow proved to be too deep,
body found in cave and they were unable to continue.
Acting on a tip, Wythe County Sheriff’s deputies discovered the Both brothers were now extremely cold, their legs and feet numb,
body of an infant hidden under a rock in a roadside cave. In court, Ashley and Robert’s hand was still bleeding. About the time they decided to
Meadows (21) admitted giving birth to the infant at home. She claimed retreat to the cave, they heard voices and shouted for help. Four hikers
she gave her daughter to her mother, Twyla Meadows. Twyla testified soon arrived, and escorted the brothers back to the cave and down the
that she found the infant already dead in Ashley’s room and concealed it entrance ladder. One of the hikers was able to call 911 on a cell phone
first in an outbuilding, then in the cave which she passes on her way to at 4:10 p.m.
work. Ashley has received three years for felony child abuse. Her mother Inside the cave, the hikers helped the brothers remove their wet
pleaded guilty to a felony charge for concealing a body and faces up to clothing, and gave them dry clothes, socks, chemical heat packs, food,
five years in prison. and water. Stephen Schutts, a paramedic and team coordinator of the
volunteer Volcano Rescue Team, was the first to arrive with blankets and
1. Amy Matzke-Fawcett, “Grandmother testifies that she hid dead baby more heat packs. Sergeant Jay Johnson from Skamania County Sheriff’s
in Wythe County case,” Roanoke Times, 2 August 2011. Office arrived next, with more supplies and body bags. The brothers were
2. Jeffrey Simmons, “Wythe woman sentenced in cave baby case,” SWVA wrapped in blankets and placed in the body bags, along with heat packs
Today, 23 February 2012. and hot water bottles to warm them. The brothers eventually recovered
3. Jeff Simmons, “Grandmother pleads guilty in Wythe County cave baby their strength and were able to once again climb the ladder out of the
case,” The Wytheville Enterprise, 8 March 2012. cave. On the surface, they were given snowshoes and helped down the
trail. The brothers were then placed in a sled and pulled by an all-terrain
Comments: It is not unusual for caves to be used for crimes and vehicle to a waiting ambulance. They were examined but showed no signs
illegal activities. Cavers should report any suspicious activities to authori- of frostbite. They were then released to drive themselves home.
ties immediately.
5 March 1. Bob Albrecht, “Two Camas men rescued near Ape Cave,” The
Columbian, 15 March 2011.
Ellenville Fault Ice Caves, New York 2. John Branton, “Rescue at Ape Cave,” The Columbian, 20 March 2011.
fell into cave, aid, no injury
Jennifer Stieles (22) and her sister, Michelle Stieles (19), were spend- Comments: The brothers were not dressed properly for the cave
ing an afternoon photographing ice formations around the caves. Shortly or outside elements. Robert Okey later told reporters, “It takes a couple
after 4:00 p.m., one of the sisters slipped on the ice, knocking over the

20 NSS News, August 2013

of bad judgment calls to end up in a very bad situation. It’s so easy to ence such symptoms to inform their health care provider of their visits
underestimate how quickly a situation can go bad.” This is true. Plan to caves and possible exposure to histoplasmosis. It may be necessary to
ahead, and don’t skimp on emergency supplies. request, or even demand, testing for histoplasmosis.
The fact that the students all returned to their homes after the semi-
30 March nar represents an epidemiologist’s nightmare: an infection in a dispersed
unspecified cave, Kentucky population. Fortunately, communication between students who had
attended the seminar brought the problem to light.
dog stranded in cave
Roger Moore was out hunting with his coon dog, Half Pint, in Metcalfe 1. Dr. Stephen Mosberg, Incident Report, 14 April 2012.
County when Half Pint chased a raccoon into a cave. Moore waited at the
entrance for several hours but Half Pint did not return so he eventually Comments: For more information about histoplasmosis, visit: www.
contacted Metcalfe County Emergency Management officials. By the time ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002073/, www.cdc.gov/fungal/
two firefighters with the skills to reach her could be located, Half Pint had histoplasmosis/, or www.caves.org/section/medical/introfect.htm.
been underground for nine days. The firefighters braved the water and
low airspace to find the dog waiting on a ledge just above the water. She
was brought to the surface and found to be in reasonably good condition. 2 May
unspecified sea cave, California
1. Josh Breslow, “Dog Rescued After Spending 9 Days Trapped In Cave,” body found in cave
Lex 18 News, 30 March 2011. Two snorkelers discovered a body in a La Jolla sea cave and reported
2. The Associated Press, “Dog that ran into KY cave rescued after 10 days,” it to authorities. Lifeguards recovered the body of a Caucasian man in his
www.seattlepi.com, 31 March 2011. 50s or 60s. A San Diego Fire-Rescue spokesman said “He was found on a
rock inside a cave and had street clothes on and was wearing a backpack
Comments: There is no word on what became of the raccoon. that had rocks in the side of the pack. The incident is being investigated
by the coroner as a possible suicide.”
April
San Sebastián, Puerto Rico 1. “Man’s body found in La Jolla sea cave,” La Jolla Light, 2 May 2011.
2. Michelle Mowad, “Body Found in Cave Appears to Be a Suicide,” www.
histoplasmosis lajolla.patch.com, 3 May 2011.
In April 2011, the National Cave Rescue Commission (NCRC) held its
annual Operations and Management Seminar in San Sebastián, Puerto Comments: There were no reports if the man died in the cave or if
Rico. A number of caves were visited, some repeatedly, during the course the body washed in from somewhere else.
of the seminar. After the seminar concluded, several attendees began
to experience symptoms which ranged from mild fatigue to debilitating
pulmonary illness. Since attendees were from all over the U.S., it took
5 June
some time to realize that many had developed these symptoms. A survey
was sent to all seminar participants to try and determine the extent of Sistema del Río Camuy, Puerto Rico
the illness. drowning
Of the 101 attendees, 16 developed symptoms of fatigue, cough, On Sunday, 5 June 2011, three workers from the company Original
general malaise (tiredness and weakness), and/or body aches. Another Canopy Tours in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, were installing a Tyrolean traverse
five students developed severe pulmonary symptoms and/or were diag- across the Río Camuy on private land near the Tres Pueblos entrance to
nosed with histoplasmosis. All but two of the 21 attendees who fell ill were the Río Camuy Cave system. One of the men, 24-year-old Azgad Cardona
from outside the area in which histoplasmosis is generally considered to Martí, fell into the rain-swollen river while rigging a cable and was swept
be endemic (always or usually present in the population) and these two away. Another man, 32-year-old Jorge León Rivera, went to his aid and
had little previous exposure to caves. The endemic area is roughly defined was also swept away. Cardona was rescued but León was washed into
as east of the Mississippi and south of the Ohio Rivers. Persons living in the cave. Cave rescue personnel and other emergency responders were
the endemic area are less likely to develop severe illness due to previous called to the scene.
exposure to the agent. The cave, which is over 8 miles long, is very dangerous in high water
Histoplasmosis is an infection that occurs from the spores of the and has been the scene of several deaths in recent years. The safe work-
fungus Histoplasma capsulatum. The spores are usually present in the ing level of the river in the cave is considered to be 200 cubic feet per
soil and are much more prevalent in soil contaminated by bird or bat second (cfs) but in this case the level was over 800 cfs. Rescuers decided
droppings. The spores usually enter the body by inhalation. Persons with not to enter the cave until the water receded to a safe level, but more
a weakened immune system are more susceptible to a severe infection, rain was expected. Rescuers monitored areas downstream in the cave
but even very healthy people can become quite ill with a large enough via another entrance (Cueva Clara de Empalme), at the resurgence, and
exposure. Flu-like symptoms are the most common if there are any by helicopter downstream along the river beyond the resurgence. The
symptoms at all. Some people develop more severe pulmonary symptoms search was eventually called off until Monday.
which can mimic pneumonia. A smaller number of people develop symp- The river was still high on Monday so only minimal searching could
toms throughout their bodies, which are caused by the body’s immune be done in the cave. Surface searches continued. On Tuesday, a flotation
response to the infection. Most people recover from histoplasmosis test with a buoy was conducted to determine the possibility of someone
without treatment, but those with more severe symptoms may require surviving such conditions. A team of cave divers made an attempt to
antifungal medications. Antibiotics, which are effective against bacteria, locate the missing man, without success. The water level was still higher
have no effect on fungal infections. (314 cfs) than the safe limit.
Although the topic of histoplasmosis, or “histo” as it is often referred Helicopter and all-terrain vehicle searches continued along the river
to, frequently comes up in caving circles, it may not be high on a list of beyond the resurgence in case the body had been flushed out. One team
illnesses considered by a health care provider in a patient presenting with of cavers saw what might have been a body in the downstream section
fever, cough, and fatigue. Thus, it is very important for cavers who experi- of the cave but could not confirm it. Again bad weather forced an end to

NSS News, August 2013 21

the search. Finally on Wednesday, 8 June, the river was low enough and several related news items)
a team of divers in Empalme found the body beneath 12 feet of water,
one-half mile downstream from where it entered the cave. Cavers rigged Comments: It is important to note that the victim was attempting
a haul system and recovered the body, which was brought out of the cave to rescue his friend, who survived. While it may be a natural instinct to
and identified by family members. rush to someone’s aid, it is important that potential rescuers perform a
thorough scene-safety analysis before entering into hazardous conditions.
1. Efraín Mercado and Roberto Miranda, Accidente en Río Camuy, Failure to do so can result in additional casualties and complication of the
Comisión Nacional de Rescate en Cuevas, June 2011. (this report contains rescue effort, thereby exposing even more rescuers to danger.

2012 Caving Accidents and Incidents

2 January site and wait for rescue.
Poleta Cave, California Blaisdell’s father knew of their plans, and according to some news
reports, was expecting him home by 7:00 p.m. on 8 January. The group
stranded, aid, no injury knew that a rescue would be initiated when they did not return. While
A 73-year-old man went caving by himself in the Inyo Mountains on
they waited, they left notes for the rescuers in the mud, and used orange
New Year’s Day. When he did not return home in the evening, his wife
flagging tape to mark the route to their location. They also stayed in the
reported him missing. She had been to the cave before and provided direc-
main passage so that they could easily be found.
tions to Inyo County Search and Rescue. After searching unsuccessfully
The Renick Volunteer Fire Department, as well as cavers from
through the night, Inyo SAR called the China Lake Mountain Rescue Group
Morgantown, Charleston, and Virginia Tech responded. A search team
(CLMRG) who joined the search at 8:30 a.m. The rescue group found tracks
from Virginia Tech located the men at approximately 7:00 p.m. on 9
leading into a canyon, away from the wife’s directions. A helicopter was
January, and escorted them safely out of the cave via the Bone entrance.
summoned to search the new area. From the air, a black duffel bag was
In total, the trio was in the cave for more than 48 hours.
spotted lying next to a cave entrance. Rescue personnel made contact
Blaisdell was interviewed by several news organizations following
with the man at 11:00 a.m. He had rappelled down the 50-foot vertical
the rescue, and stated that he and his friends had learned a lot from this
entrance but left his ascending gear in the duffel bag above. When he
experience. He said that he would like to continue caving, but would like
realized his predicament, he attempted to make prusiks out of his boot
to learn from more experienced cavers first. He was highly appreciative
laces but they broke when he weighted them. CLMRG group leader, David
of the efforts of the rescuers involved, and said he is interested in getting
Miles, rappelled down to him and found him unhurt. A 3:1 mechanical
involved in cave rescue himself.
advantage haul system was used to raise him to the surface.
1. Jake Carpenter and Greg Seaby, “Rescuers Find 3 Alive in West Virginia
1. John V. Ciani, “CLMRG rescues cave explorer,” Daily Independent, 4
Cave,” CNN, 9 January 2012.
January 2012.
2. Jeffery Alderton, “A lesson learned: Keyser cave explorer provides
2. David Miles, email communication, 5 January 2012.
account of rescue experience,” Cumberland Times-News, 10 January 2012.
3. Doug Moore, “Norman Cave Incident,” ICS Individual Log, 10 January
Comments: Miles reports the stranded man had a headlamp but
2012.
no helmet or gloves, and was using a climbing harness. This incident
highlights the decreased safety margin when caving alone, but at least
Comments: The group established a surface contact, who knew of
he had a good surface watch. It is somewhat ironic that what caused his
their plans and called for rescue when they did not return. They were also
needing rescue – leaving his ascenders in a bag at the entrance – is also
prepared with warm clothing and sleeping bags, which likely prevented
what led rescuers to him. Besides this limestone cave, there are thousands
hypothermia as they awaited rescue. Leaving notes and directional flag-
of mines in the area.
ging also helped rescuers to locate them quickly. More experience, and
additional planning for the trip (obtaining detailed directions and maps),
8 January may have prevented the group from getting lost. If the cavers had carried
Bone-Norman Cave System, West Virginia enough extra batteries and food to exit through the Norman entrance,
lost, aid, no injury they also may have been able to leave the cave on their own after getting
Late on the night of 7 January 2012, three college students, Grant some rest.
Blaisdell (22), Matt Stephens (22), and Jay Buchina (23), entered the 14 January
Norman entrance of the Bone-Norman Cave System. The group intended Clarksville Cave, New York
to camp underground for the night, then complete the through-trip out
intoxicated, aid, no injury
the Bone entrance the next day. Although they had been caving a few
On a cold January day when the wind chill was near 0 °F, J. Heller
times before, they were not familiar with Bone-Norman, and had never
(29) and M. Lipari (47) decided to make a 23-mile trip on bicycles from
navigated in a cave of this length or complexity (the system is more than
Troy, NY, to Clarksville Cave. Equipped with only flashlights and beer, the
14 miles in length).
duo entered the cave around noon. Also in the cave that day, Kay Rising
It took the group approximately eight hours to reach their camp
was leading a trip for ten beginners with help from David Rhodin, Bobby
site, including a trip to see some additional side passages. The men
Fabiano, and Ian Bunk.
were prepared to camp underground and were equipped with warm
From the Lake Room, Rising led her group to exit the Thook Entrance
clothing and sleeping bags. They established camp at around 5:00 a.m.
(one of the cave’s three entrances). Fabiano and Rhodin had already
on 8 January. After sleeping for four hours, they started toward the Bone
exited the cave via the Ward entrance when Rising, Bunk, and the rest
entrance but were unable to find it after eleven hours of searching. They
of the group reached the tight spot in Thook. One member of the party
assessed their situation, and decided that they did not have enough
was uncomfortable with this, so Rising left Bunk in charge of the others
batteries, food, or energy to make the five to six-hour trip back to the
while she led the young lady the short distance back through the cave
Norman entrance. The group decided that they should return to the camp

22 NSS News, August 2013

to the Ward entrance. group had emerged with a digital camera to show pictures of her friend’s
Along the way, Rising and her companion encountered Heller near predicament. She was now ready to escort Stephen into the cave and help
the Lake Room. He was lightly dressed, intoxicated, and carrying a flash- with carrying supplies.
light. She advised him to follow her out but he refused and wandered When Stephen reached the trapped man, they were head to head.
off. A little further on she encountered Lipari, passed out amidst empty There was a small void above the patient but Stephen was too tall to get
beer cans and a flashlight. When she reached the surface, Rising informed past him. He handed the bag of supplies to the patient’s friend who was
Rhodin and Fabiano of the two men in the cave and placed a call to 911. able to give him water while Stephen went back for the air tank. When
Rhodin took hand warmers and a blanket in for Lipari while Fabiano the chisel was assembled, Stephen went to work, carefully removing
planned to search for Heller. rock while trying not to injure the patient. Worried the chisel would slip,
Meanwhile, Bunk and the rest of the group had also decided not to Stephen had one of the friends radio out for a steel plate or some type
exit via Thook and were making their way back through the cave when of shield for protection.
they came across both men. Bunk and his companions were able to waken One of the females had already left the cave and surface support
Lipari, who was having difficulty moving and communicating. When ques- eventually called for the second to exit as well. While the other male stayed
tioned, Lipari said he could not remember the way out. The two men were with the patient, the female and Stephen exited. Stephen retrieved a new
escorted out of the cave by Bunk and the others. After being evaluated tank and the plate and headed back in, only to find the patient had slipped
by paramedics, the two men were driven home by sheriff’s deputies. further down, blocking access to the rock Stephen had been working on.
With his friend pulling on his free leg from above, and Stephen
1. Thom Engle, Incident Report, 10 February 2012. (submitted by Chuck pushing up on his shoulders from below, they managed to get him into a
Porter) position were chiselling could resume. After removing a final projection,
2. Kay Rising, email communication, 8 March 2012. and freeing a caught pant leg, they pushed and pulled again, until the
leg popped free of the constriction. They radioed this information to the
Comments: Thom Engle comments: “It is hard to tell what would surface which caused a great deal of excitement and relief. The freed caver
have happened had Kay and her group not been at the cave that day. rested, drank some water, and then the threesome began making their
Considering the temperature of the cave (48 °F), which was only warm way toward the entrance. The patient was assisted up a 15-foot climb by
relative to the outside, it is not too much of a stretch to surmise that both two confined-space professionals who met them in the cave, and he was
men might have succumbed to hypothermia. As has been seen many on the surface 15 minutes later at 10:00 p.m. He was flown to a hospital
times, alcohol and cold temperatures do not mix.” but was found to have no sustaining injuries.

24 January 1. Dave McMillion, “Man rescued after being trapped in cave near Clear
Spring,” Herald Mail, 24 January 2012.
Schetromph Cave, Maryland
2. Jerry Bowen, Incident Report, 19 February 2012.
stuck, aid, no injury 3. Stephen Bowen, Incident Report, 19 February 2012.
Four young adults, all members and leaders of the Johns Hopkins
Outdoor Club, were exploring Schetromph Cave to determine its suitability Comments: Being stuck in a cave is a very dangerous predicament,
for future club outings. The group of two men and two women entered especially when the patient is in an inverted position. It was a stroke of
the cave around 2:30 p.m. On their way out of the cave, one of the young luck that the Bowens heard about the accident and responded when
men prepared to negotiate a very tight and difficult section of the cave. they did. Approach tight passages with caution, and do not go in head
To exit required going headfirst down through a tight, hour-glass shaped down if at all possible.
passage, making a 90-degree turn, and entering a body-sized “wormhole”
known as The Corkscrew.
Jerry Bowen explains, “What appears to have happened is approach-
��������� 1 March
ing the straight-down tube from a hands-and-knees crawl and with knees Hidden River Cave, Kentucky
on the lip, [the young man] lowered himself into the pit headfirst. He flooding, aid, no injury
missed grabbing his purchase, before he could straighten out a leg. It On a sunny afternoon, eight teenage students and their teacher
was his left leg that got folded into his chest as if that knee were in a fetal entered Hidden River Cave for a three-hour, off-trail guided tour. Soon
position.” He was stuck at the pinch of the hour glass, completely upside after the group entered, a thunderstorm developed and dropped a large
down, with his head on the ground. His female companions were able amount of rain on the area. The tour group by now was far back in the
to get under him but either did not have the strength or a long enough cave, and had no idea the water levels were rising. Hidden River Cave’s
reach to help him. After twenty minutes, they decided to call for help and executive director, David Foster, and guide Joe Forsythe, measured the
one of the party exited the cave and called 911. water to be 3-feet deep and rising quickly. Foster and Forsythe made the
A local resident heard the rescue being initiated over a scanner and decision to enter the cave and try to bring the group out. According to
called his friend Jerry Bowen, an active caver. Jerry and his son Stephen reports, Forsythe found the group 1 ½ miles into the cave. He tied a line
decided to make the twenty-minute drive to see if they could be of to his waist and had the others hold onto it, walking when they could, and
help. They were stopped at two checkpoints but let through when they swimming when they had to. Everyone made it out safely and the cave’s
displayed caving stickers and decals on their vehicle. They met with the management says they are “re-assessing their tour protocol.”
Maugansville Goodwill Volunteer Fire Department’s Deputy Fire Chief
who quizzed them about their caving experience. Although neither of the 1. Rachel Markin, “Tour Group Rescued From Flooded Hidden River Cave,”
cavers had been in the cave, the Fire Chief was convinced they could be www.wbko.com, 1 March 2012.
of service. Until that point, no one on scene was small enough to reach
the trapped caver. Comments: Flooding in caves is never something to be taken lightly.
Since Stephen is smaller than Jerry, he was chosen to enter the cave. Before entering any cave with known flooding potential, obtain a reliable,
He was given water, hearing protection for five people, eye protection, regional weather forecast for the cave’s watershed; do not judge the
an air quality meter, a gallon of chain-saw bar oil (for applying to the weather only by looking at the sky above you.
patient’s leg and back if needed), a compressed-air tank, hose, air chisel, If cavers have reached a safe spot above possible flood levels, it is
and a cloth bag to carry most of the items in. One of the females in the often better to wait for floodwater to recede before attempting to exit.

NSS News, August 2013 23

Having emergency supplies stored in the cave at strategic sites can help “As I was going down, attempting a controlled slide that would not take
a forced bivouac to be safer and more comfortable. me over the edge, something went wrong - I hit the ground, felt my upper
leg buckle, rolled onto the rocks, and felt so much nausea and pain that I
24 March wanted to pass out - in fact I was fighting it with everything I had.”
Crystal Ice Cave, California Greiner’s boyfriend, who is an experienced caver with NCRC training,
quickly made her comfortable by giving her a pad to sit on, a garbage bag
caver fall, injury, no aid for warmth, food, water, and extra batteries. Greiner told him “Get my
During a guided tour of Crystal Ice Cave in Lava Beds National boys out of here safely. And, don’t forget where I am.” Her three loved
Monument, a visitor fell approximately 10 to 15 feet off of a ledge he ones then headed out to get help while she kept her mind off her situa-
was traversing. The visitor landed on a flat breakdown block then rolled tion by playing Angry Birds on her iPhone. It was 3:40 in the afternoon.
downhill, coming to rest face up among breakdown and ice. Two National Fortunately, Tumbling Rock Cave is a popular cave in the heart of TAG
Park Service (NPS) guides were present. One of the guides immediately (an area with thousands of caves where Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia
left the cave to call for help. Two other persons on the trip were EMTs meet), and help was quick to arrive. Other cavers, including one who is
who examined him and did a full spinal inspection of each vertebra. In a a nurse, were also touring the cave and soon happened across Greiner.
sitting position, they continued the examination until everyone (including They splinted her leg and wrapped her in a space blanket since she was
the patient, who was also an EMT) felt that it was safe for him to stand feeling quite cold. By 4:30 p.m. more individuals had arrived, and soon
and begin moving. The group exited the cave just as law enforcement there were about forty-five rescuers including members of the Huntsville
rangers and other NPS employees arrived. The man was released after Cave Rescue Team, Jackson County Rescue Squad, Chattanooga Cliff and
an evaluation by an NPS EMT. Cave Rescue, and two EMTs from the University of Georgia preparing to
evacuate her from the cave. The property’s manager, Jay Clark, was on
1. Shawn Thomas, Incident Report, 27 September 2012. scene and reports that the rescue operation was well coordinated and
2. Shawn Thomas, email communication, 20 November 2012. that Pam was out of the cave by 9:00 p.m.
Comments: Thomas reports: “The patient was lucky to have sustained 1. Pam Greiner, “There are dark places and a light at the end of the cave
only minor injuries, as the fall had the potential to be much more serious. . . .,” pamgreiner.blogspot.com, 9 April 2012.
The patient was almost certainly spared from serious trauma or fatality 2. Jay Clark, Incident Report, 11 April 2012.
by wearing a properly fitted, UIAA* certified helmet. If evacuation had
been necessary, it would likely have been a prolonged rescue complicated Comments: Generally, injured persons in a cave should not be left
by moving a litter through a squeeze and out of a vertical entrance. The alone. If it is absolutely necessary, make sure they are as stable, warm,
cold temperature of the cave would have added a significant challenge and comfortable as possible, and leave them with plenty of light, food,
to the safety of the patient and rescuers.” and water, as was done in this incident.
*Union Internationale des Associations D’Alpinisme (International
Mountaineering and Climbing Federation)
8 April
31 March Hidden Cave, California
unspecified cave, Virginia trapped, fatality
caught finger on rock projection, injury, no aid On Sunday, 8 April, Guillermo Pino, Jr. (24), along with his friends and
After obtaining permission from the landowner, Adam Lake led a family, visited Arroyo Tapiado in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, in San
group of seven cavers to a cave on private property. After exploring for Diego County. This arroyo is a well-known pseudokarst area containing
about four hours, the group decided to turn around. Doug Lake (43) was over twenty “mud caves.” Many of these caves are large enough to walk
the last to emerge from a narrow, winding passage into a larger room through, and some have entrances, pits, or skylights that are unstable
were the rest of the group was waiting. Doug found adequate handholds and cannot be climbed safely.
and began to pull himself up and out of the passage. As he did, his finger Pino left his friends and went into Hidden Cave and exited the upper
caught on a chert nodule. Because of the intense pain, he concluded he entrance. He called to his companions who were at their campsite to bring
had broken his finger. Offers by the trip leader to splint and bandage the him his shoes and join him. He had not been wearing shoes and did not
injured finger were rejected. Doug rested for a few minutes, expressing have food, water, lights, or a cell phone. By the time his friends made it
his discomfort “through a variation of the use of one four-letter word,” to the top of the mesa, Pino had disappeared. When they could not find
which we can assume was not Ouch. Doug was able to exit the cave him in the next several hours, they reported him missing.
without assistance. The search for Pino began Sunday evening. Eventually the search
included sheriff’s deputies from San Diego, Los Angeles, Riverside, and
1. Adam Lake, Incident Report, 4 April 2012. San Bernardino Counties, as well as San Diego Mountain Rescue, San
Bernardino County Cave Rescue Team, Sierra Madre Search & Rescue,
Comments: It is good to know at least one person in the group had US Border Patrol trackers, American Red Cross, Sycuan Fire Department,
a first aid kit. and other rescue groups. All known caves were searched over the next
eight days.
Eventually, the San Diego Sheriff’s Department called off the search,
7 April but the Pino family continued to search and encouraged others to help.
Tumbling Rock Cave, Alabama When those searches failed, they hired a private investigator. Twenty-
caver fall, injury and aid seven days after Guillermo Pino’s disappearance, the private investigator
Despite having a lot to do before Easter the following day, Pam lowered a video camera down a crack in Hidden Cave and found the
Greiner agreed to accompany her boyfriend and her two sons to Tumbling missing man. In the dark and without lights, Pino had crawled into a
Rock Cave. By the time the foursome had reached the Totem Gallery, a tight passage and fallen about 30 feet. When cavers reached the victim,
mile and a half into the cave, the boys were getting tired but having a he was wedged in the vertical crack and was buried up to his chest in
great time “getting dirty.” They decided to continue just a bit further to loose dirt and debris.
see one more section of the cave. Greiner explains what happened next: It took three days for a Los Angeles mine rescue team and cavers

24 NSS News, August 2013

to remove the body. One group dug from above and two groups from applied to the injuries upon exiting and Suitor later went for X-rays which
below. An autopsy determined that Pino died of asphyxiation due to the showed no broken bones. It was about five weeks before Suitor could
way his body was compressed in the crack. The coroner was not able to return to caving.
determine time of death.
1. Earl Suitor, Incident Report, 22 June 2012.
1. Susan Shroder, “Mine rescue team removes body in desert ,” www.
utsandiego.com, 8 May 2012. Comments: Even in a heavily visited cave such as Sharps Cave,
2. Marcella Lee, “How mine rescue teams removed hiker’s body from unstable breakdown can still exist. A lack of experience by the novice
mud caves,” www.cbs8.com, 10 May 2012. caver may have been a factor, but loose rocks can catch even the most
3. Art Fortini, Incident Report, 15 May 2012. experienced caver off guard. Treat all breakdown with respect because,
as Suitor commented in his report, “. . . once it begins to move, you’re
13 April not stopping it.”
Jewel Cave, South Dakota 9 May
caver fall, injury, no aid Mammoth Cave, Kentucky
Four cavers participated in a four-day camp trip in April of 2012. illness, fatality
For two of the participants, including MaryBeth Wells (24), it would be William Martin (67) of Florida, was taking Mammoth Cave’s Historic
their first camp trip in Jewel Cave. The second day in the cave was spent Tour when he became ill and collapsed in River Hall. The tour guides called
exploring and surveying leads about an hour and a half from camp. At the surface for assistance and began CPR. Emergency medical technician
about 10:30 p.m., Wells was climbing down a chimney when she slipped rangers arrived twenty-five minutes later and used an external defibril-
and fell about 8 feet. She landed in a sitting position and momentarily lator on Martin. He was carried out on a stretcher and pronounced dead
lost consciousness. by the Edmonson County Coroner.
She was checked by a team member, certified as a Wilderness First
Responder, for signs of spinal or head injuries. Although very sore, she 1. Staff, “Mammoth Cave visitor dies on tour,” The Courier-Journal, 9
was able to return to camp under her own power by taking small breaks May 2012.
along the way. The team was back at camp by 3:00 a.m. and slept until 2. Deborah Highland, “Florida man dies while touring Mammoth Cave,”
after noon the following day. Still very sore, Wells rested in camp while The Daily News, 10 May 2012.
the others continued surveying. The trip leader carried Wells’ pack on the
fourth day and the team exited the cave without further incident. Wells Comments: This was the first death on a Mammoth Cave tour in
was later diagnosed with a sprained lower back. over twenty years.

1. Adam Weaver, Jewel Cave National Monument Trip Report, undated. 18 May
2. MaryBeth Wells, email communication, 10 December 2012. Wye Cave, Iowa
Comments: A short fall is not an uncommon event for even the most 2 people stuck, aid, no injury
experienced of cavers. What is noteworthy about this incident is Wells’ Logan Eliasen (20) and Emma Thompson (20) entered Wye Cave in
momentary loss of consciousness, likely from acute stress reaction that Maquoketa Caves State Park around 7:00 p.m. while their friends remained
often occurs with trauma. When a caver is involved in an accident, or even at a nearby campsite, having dinner. Both Eliasen and Thompson had
a close call, take precautions for acute stress reaction. Have the patient sit been in the cave several times before. While maneuvering through a tight
down and rest, and when possible, move them to a safe location (away passage, Thompson became stuck and started experiencing panic attacks.
from the edge of a pit, for example). Eliasen, who had been leading, was able to turn around, hold her
hand for comfort, and give her his shirt for extra warmth. Another couple,
who happened to be in the cave, tried to help but eventually left to call
5 May 911. Rescue crews arrived and freed her in about thirty minutes. She
Sharps Cave, West Virginia was taken to a hospital and treated for scrapes and bruises after being
rockfall, injury, no aid stuck for four hours.
Earl Suitor (54), his wife, Cheryl, and three other experienced cavers Meanwhile, when Eliasen tried to exit the passage he had been in
led an educational trip to Sharps Cave for three novice cavers on 5 May with Thompson, he too became stuck. His extraction did not proceed as
2012. The cavers provided the novices with the proper equipment and quickly, however. Rescue crews rotated personnel to Eliasen, as there
briefed them on caving safety. A first aid kit and necessary equipment for was only room for one rescuer at a time. As the hours went by, the stuck
building a 3:1 haul system were available in the cavers’ vehicles should man was fed power bars to keep up his energy and given an IV to prevent
they be needed. dehydration. He was also fitted with an oxygen mask as the confined space
The group made it to Catfish Hall and climbed the breakdown slope and use of air chisels were creating a concern for oxygen levels. Eliasen was
for a better look at the room. On the way down, one of the novices (26) finally freed, 20 hours after venturing underground, exhausted but unhurt.
climbed over a slab of rock measuring 3 by 4 by 1 foot. As the rock began
to slide underneath her, she yelled for others to get out of the way. Earl 1. Sheri Melvold, “Rescuers free two from Maquoketa Caves,” Quad-City
Suitor was a few feet below her as the rock came toward him. He tried Times, 19 May 2012.
to push it away from him but it hit him on the left thigh, knocking him 2. Kurt Allemeier, “Rescued man: ‘I just want people to know how grateful
backwards and causing a very large hematoma to the back and lateral I am,’” Quad-City Times, 21 May 2012.
portion of his thigh, and a twisting of his ankle, knee, and hip joints. Suitor
pushed the still-moving rock away and it continued down the breakdown Comments: Cavers learn through experience that some cave
slope. The novice had also sustained an injury to her hand but the group passages are more difficult to negotiate in one direction than the other.
decided they could continue with their trip. Plan accordingly.
A short time later, Suitor’s injuries became more painful and the
group decided to exit the cave earlier than planned. Ice packs were

NSS News, August 2013 25

 19 May 1. Gayle Harman, Incident Report, 15 June 2012.
unspecified cave, Pennsylvania
Comments: Loose and unstable rocks can exist in even the most
difficulty on cable ladder, aid, no injury frequented caves and cave passages. This can be particularly dangerous
Several caving and conservation organizations gathered for a field
in a crawlway as dislodging a rock may trap a caver beyond the collapse
meet near Blairsville, Pennsylvania, the weekend of 19 May 2012. Various
or worse, the caver can be buried under the collapse.
caving trips were planned, including one to a cave with a 38-foot-deep
entrance pit. The trip was not advertised as difficult or advanced and
seventeen people signed up for the trip, including at least four people 14 July
with very little to no experience in vertical or even basic caving techniques. Sinking Cove Cave, Tennessee
From the beginning, the inexperienced cavers had difficulty just getting stuck, aid, no injury
to the cave on the steep, one-hour hike uphill to the cave. The Dogwood City Grotto’s annual picnic trip to Sinking Cove Cave
At the entrance, several people used a Goldline-rope belay to took place on 14 July in 2012. The multi-drop cave is usually traversed as
descend the entrance drop on a cable ladder. After exploring the cave a pull-down through-trip, but to accommodate three groups visiting on
without incident, the large group began to make their way up the cable this day, the cave was pre-rigged with fixed ropes.
ladder one by one. Climbing the ladder gave the novices some trouble but Glenn Fell (31) was among six cavers in the first group. After complet-
most made it out under their own power. One teenage boy was unable ing the six drops, they entered a tight belly crawl with Fell bringing up the
to ascend after several attempts. rear. This was his second time in the cave, and on the trip a few years’
Despite the number of cavers on the trip, the vertical nature of the previous, he had had some difficulty in this section. A short way into the
entrance, and the fact that novices were on the trip, no rescue gear was crawl, Fell became wedged between the ceiling and floor. Three members
available. The Goldline rope was determined to be unsafe to use as a haul of the group had already exited the cave. When it became apparent he
line. A call was made using a cell phone and another group of cavers who could not free himself, one member stayed with Fell while the other left
were working on a cave dig nearby responded. The youth was eventually for help.
brought to the surface using a 1:1 haul system. The second group of cavers was making their way up the hill to the
upper entrance when they heard car horns sounding below them. They
1. Andrew McKinnon, Incident Report, 7 June 2012. went back down the hill to investigate and learned of Fell’s predicament.
Five cavers then entered the cave from the bottom while two went in
Comments: Even experienced cavers are often surprised at how through the top. When the cavers reached Fell through the crawl, they
difficult climbing a cable ladder can be. Trip leaders should be prepared found that one female caver, Rachel Erdman, was small enough to squeeze
with the proper equipment to assist someone who has difficulty on rope past him on the side and get a loop of webbing around his feet. They also
or a cable ladder. put handcuff hitches around his wrists and, using a 4:1 haul system, Tim
White and Bil Davis began to pull.
28 May Very little progress was made until Chuck Constable and Sara Kreps
Thunder Canyon Cave, California arrived from behind. With Constable giving Fell something to push off
stranded, no consequence of, he was able to advance a few inches. It eventually became apparent
Four off-duty Marines rappelled into Thunder Canyon Cave but were that assistance from behind was more beneficial so the haul system was
then unable to exit. They managed to get a cell phone signal and call for disassembled. Constable continued to provide support until Fell was able
help. The local Sheriff’s Department coordinated an effort to bring warm to wiggle out of the tight spot.
blankets and other supplies that could be lowered to the Marines to keep
them comfortable overnight until a cave rescue team could arrive the next 1. Tim White, phone communication, 31 July 2012.
day. When the deputies arrived at the cave, the four Marines had already 2. Glen Fell, email communication, 20 November 2012.
climbed out on their own.
Comments: It is possible that that if one of Fell’s companions had
1. Tony Perry, “4 Marines escape from deep cave in East County,” www. been behind him in the crawl, he would have only been stuck for a few
fox5sandiego.com, 29 May 2012. minutes instead of over two hours. Unfortunately, half of his team exited
2. Debbi Baker and Aaron Burgin, “Four Marines stuck in cave climb out the cave without even knowing he was stuck. If a particular member of the
safely,” www.utsandiego.com, 29 May 2012. party might have trouble in a tight spot, it is a good idea to have others on
either side to offer assistance. If the party consists of only two, the smaller
Comments: Like the 2011 Rustys Cave incident, this is another odd caver should stay on the entrance side, in case they need to summon help.
exception to the rule that cell phones do not work in caves. It is also
interesting that people that were unable to exit became able to exit after 16 July
they had called for rescue. Glade Cave, Virginia
stuck, injury and aid
9 June Various fire and rescue crews responded to assist a 14-year-old boy
Shoveleater-Hellhole Cave System, West Virginia who was reportedly stuck in Glade Cave. The youth was with a group of
rockfall, injury, no aid about a dozen teenagers on a day trip from a local summer camp, although
Gayle Harman (24) was participating on a survey trip with other it was not reported if any adults were present. The rescue operation took
members of the Germany Valley Karst Survey on 9 June 2012. At one over three hours and the boy was taken to the hospital for minor injuries.
point, while crawling, she bumped the cave wall, dislodging a rock. The
rock fell onto her back and then rolled off onto her foot, causing her big 1. Megan Williams, “Teen rescued from cave near Mount Solon,” www.
toe to swell and bruise. After a short break, the team slowly exited the newsleader.com, 16 July 2012.
cave with other team members carrying her pack and gear. An X-ray later 2. Litsa Pappas, “Cave Stays Open after Teen Gets Trapped,” www.whsv.
showed she had fractured the tip of her big toe. com, 17 July 2012.

Comments: The youth’s name and his injuries were not made public.
26 NSS News, August 2013
 11 September It should also be noted that although Stone and Ward had a lengthy
Southport Saltpeter (Millers) Cave, Tennessee conversation after the incident, Stone has no recollection of it due to his
concussion.
illness, aid, no injury
Darrell Smith (48) and three companions were taking a tour of the
privately owned Southport Saltpeter Cave when he suddenly became ill. 11 November
Two of his companions exited the cave and placed a call to 911 while the Pachidream Cave, British Columbia, Canada
guide and Smith’s girlfriend stayed by his side. The responding emergency lost control on rappel, injury, no aid
crews were guided to Smith’s location. After assessing his condition, they A group of five cavers entered the multi-drop Pachidream Cave for
carried him 1,000 feet back through the cave and up a 300-foot-high cliff. a day of exploring. A short distance into the cave, they encountered a
He was then transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where 60-foot-deep pit. The first three cavers rappelled without incident. The
he was treated for a stroke. fourth caver rigged into the rope with a Verso (ATC-like) belay device. He
then used a Bachmann hitch attached to the rope above the descender
1. Heather Graf, “Maury County Cave Rescue Requires Team Effort,” www. as a backup. As he started his rappel, his feet slipped and he instinctively
newschannel5.com, 12 September 2012. reached for the wall, removing his one hand from the belay device. His
other hand gripped the Bachmann hitch even more tightly, preventing it
Comments: When interviewed about the rescue, the Maury County from grabbing the rope. He fell the rest of the way but managed to land
Fire Department’s assistant chief said, “Once you get into any space that’s on his feet. Other than rope burns to his hands, he was unhurt.
not made for human occupancy, you start worrying about an oxygen-
deficient atmosphere, so we’re having to monitor that.” This is a great 1. “Falling during rappel,” www.cavechat.org, 13 November 2012.
example of rescuers, not specifically trained in cave rescue, confusing
caves with a confined space, and treating them as such. Monitoring atmo- Comments: The cause of this incident was the caver letting go with
spheric conditions is not a bad idea, unless it slows or otherwise hampers his brake hand. The backup device, the Bachmann hitch, failed to catch
a rescue effort where it is not needed. For this reason, local rescue crews because the caver then instinctively gripped it tighter. These types of
should be invited to cave rescue trainings whenever possible, fostering backup devices are often criticized for this very reason. In his report the
a good working relationship between cave rescuers and local agencies. caver sates, “What should have been a backup to my belay device was
not functioning in my time of need, because I was holding onto it. Do you
8 November know how difficult it is to let go when you are already falling?”
Kaumana Cave, Hawaii
caver fall, injury and aid 12 November
Long-time caver Fred Stone (73) and Deborah Ward attempted to Climax Cave, Georgia
enter Kaumana Cave through a 15-foot-deep dry well. The top of the caver fall, injury and aid
well has an 8-foot-high concrete sleeve to protect the well from run-off. At the end of a 6 ½ hour trip in Climax Cave, nine cavers were making
Access down the inside of the sleeve is via metal steps to a metal grid at their way up a series of three climbs in the entrance. The three pitches
the bottom. Stone climbed down to the bottom of the sleeve and secured are all free-climbable and total about 25 feet. The lowest climb is called
the metal grid open with one end of a 5/16-inch-diameter rope. With the the Wet Chimney, due to its taking water during rain events, and had
other end of the rope, he tied a cable ladder to a metal step in the concrete been pre-rigged with a 9mm rope for a handline. As one female caver
sleeve using a (improperly tied) bowline knot. Stone crawled under the was making her way up the Wet Chimney, with her husband spotting her
grid and put his weight on the cable ladder. The knot immediately came from below, she slipped and fell backwards. Her fall was slightly arrested
loose, and Stone fell 15 feet to the bottom. by her husband but she struck her elbow on rock, breaking her arm.
Ward witnessed the fall and said she would call for help. Stone, After an initial assessment, the trip leader exited the cave and
however, told her “she absolutely should not call for help,” and that “he called Climax Fire and Rescue. Meanwhile, the injured caver was able
just needed to catch his breath, and that Ward should haul up the ladder, to make it the rest of the way up the chimney with minimal assistance
re-tie it and let him climb out.” The ladder however had fallen a short ways from others. Once out of the cave, another person in the group retrieved
and caught on something where Ward could not reach it. Stone’s foot a caving harness from his vehicle and the injured caver was belayed up
was also caught in the ladder. He tried to free his foot, but found he was the 90-foot-deep sinkhole by Climax Fire and Rescue.
unable to move his legs. He was also bleeding profusely. Both cavers now
realized that help was indeed needed. The well, fortunately, is located right 1. Tevis Kouts, Incident Report, 14 November 2012.
next to a road so Ward was able to reach her cell phone within minutes. 2. Tevis Kouts, email communication, 14 November 2012.
The location of the incident was only 2 miles from a medical center 3. Chris Hudson, email communication, 15 November 2012.
so help arrived quickly. Stone was placed in a litter, lifted from the well,
and taken by ambulance to the emergency room where he spent several Comments: The trip leader noted that the incident could have been
hours with a trauma team before being air lifted to Honolulu for surgery. handled as a self rescue. Due to the nature of the injury, and the distance
Stone suffered scrapes and cuts to his elbows, shoulders, and face; broken to get to a phone, however, the team decided to initiate a request for assis-
ribs, a concussion, and two fractured vertebrae in his neck. tance, in case the injury turned out to be more debilitating than expected.
The decision of whether or not to self rescue can sometimes be
1. Fred Stone, Incident Report, 29 December 2012. difficult. In this case, the caver was strong enough to continue with mini-
mal assistance from her team. This greatly reduced the amount of time
Comments: In his report, Stone confesses that not only did he tie a and resources needed for evacuation. Having the extra manpower at the
faulty bowline, but he failed to double-check the knot and its integrity. sinkhole further expedited the operation.
He continues to say the lessons to be learned from this incident include:
“Always double-check knots. Always use a belay with cable ladders.” This
is good advice, even for cavers with many years of experience.

NSS News, August 2013 27

 18 November 1 December
Pettijohns Cave, Georgia Fricks Cave, Georgia
caver fall, injury and aid caver fall, injury, no aid
A 21-year-old woman needed rescuing from Pettijohns Cave when A group of seven cavers entered Fricks Cave for a day of surveying.
she “fell and sprained her foot really bad.” The woman was part of a group Several hours into the trip, Clinton Kahl slipped and fell while attempting
from Woodstock, Georgia, who planned for a day of rock climbing but to climb up a muddy slope to an upper-level passage. Members of his
decided to go caving instead. team heard his ankle make a popping sound when he landed. Despite
At least 35 personnel responded to the incident, including a group being in pain, and his ankle swelling, Kahl was able to make it out under
of Venture Scouts who were in the area. The woman was assisted up his own power.
steep areas with a harness and haul system, and assisted by rescuers the
rest of the way. 1. Nancy Aulenbach, “Frick’s Cave Survey Trip Report,” Tag-Net Digest
#6411, 11 December 2012.
1. Matt Ledger, “Injured woman rescued from cave in Walker County,” 2. Buford Pruitt, “Underground Online,” NSS News, vol. 71, no. 3, March
www.walkermessenger.com, 20 November 2012. 2013.
2. Nicholas Persac, “Venture Scouts help rescue woman trapped in Ga.
cave,” www.theadvertiser.com 22 November 2012. Comments: Experienced cavers, who are more skilled and confident
in the underground environment than novices, will often choose to self-
Comments: A predetermined rescue plan developed for the cave rescue rather than call for outside assistance when possible. A discussion
by Walker County Emergency Services aided this quick and efficient on the pros and cons of self-rescue is given in the National Cave Rescue
four-hour rescue. Commission’s Manual of US Cave Rescue Techniques, Chapter 33: Small
Party Rescues.

2012 Cave Diving Accidents and Incidents

15 February 18 March
Merritts Mill Pond, Florida Devils Eye Spring, Florida
2 people stuck, aid, no injury fatality
Edd Sorenson was teaching a scuba diving class at Merritts Mill Pond An open water diver, with no cave diving training, was found
when another instructor surfaced, shouting for help. Two student divers deceased in the Catacombs section of Devils Eye Spring. Open water divers
were stuck and the instructor could not find them in the zero visibility. are not allowed to use lights at this site in order to discourage them from
Sorenson changed from street clothes into his diving gear in just a few leaving the daylight zone. The Catacombs is well out of the daylight zone,
minutes. After searching for fifteen minutes, he heard a sound and was and not in the main passage. There is no permanent guide line in that area.
eventually able to locate one of the students. Sorenson took him to a
safer spot, calmed him down, and told him to wait. The other student 1. “Death at Ginnie 3-18-12,” www.cavediver.net, 19 March 2012.
was then found and both were escorted to the surface.
Comments: No other information is available.
1. Deborah Buckhalter, “Diver recalls Blue Springs rescue,” Jackson County
Floridan, 17 March 2012. 31 March
Comments: It was reported that the students were wearing double Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida
back-mount tanks instead of single side-mounted tanks, which caused embolism, fatality
them to get stuck. Very few cave-diving incidents end in a successful Marson Kay (29), an experienced cave diver, was performing a series
rescue. These two students were very lucky that Edd Sorenson was on of dives with the Karst Underwater Research (KUR) team at Weeki Wachee
scene. Springs. As he was exiting the cave, Kay left the dive line and swam up
into a narrow crevice where he became stuck.
17 March A post on KUR’s Facebook page explains, “Instead of following the
ropes as he had done multiple times in the past, Marson rapidly moved into
Vortex Spring, Florida a highly restrictive area of the crevasse (sic). It is believed that this behavior
fatality was not a calculated decision but a reaction caused by the affects (sic) of
Larry Higginbotham (43) planned a dive of Vortex Spring on a an embolism he incurred while rapidly ascending from depth. According
Saturday morning. When he did not return, his girlfriend notified authori- to the coroner’s evaluation, Marson developed a cerebral arterial gas
ties. Higginbotham’s body was recovered the next day. embolism prior to his death. Typically, this condition causes profound
changes in mental functioning including disorientation, blindness, paraly-
1. Cecilia Spears, “Mississippi diver dies at Vortex Spring,” www.news- sis, seizures and loss of consciousness within minutes or even seconds of
herald.com, 20 March 2012. onset. If it occurs after surfacing, it is often fatal or profoundly disabling
even with prompt recompression therapy; when it occurs underwater, the
Comments: No other information was provided. incapacity or unconsciousness it causes almost always results in drowning.
“Although safety divers were in visual contact and additional safety gas
cylinders were in place, he rapidly pushed himself upward into an area
where even side-mount divers could not easily access. Several attempts

28 NSS News, August 2013

were made to communicate, by means of light signals as well as touch on the outside of the constriction. With the two of them pulling, and
contact. Although Marson was still moving at this time, he did not directly Sorensen pushing and manipulating the body from behind, they were
respond to these communication attempts. After approximately 5 minutes, eventually able to complete the extrication.
divers reported Marson was no longer utilizing his regulator. A subsequent Sorensen was quoted by the press as saying: “I never take anybody
review of his equipment indicated that Marson had approximately half of with me when I do a body recovery because of the danger and the chance
his gas supply remaining in both of his tanks and his regulators appeared of a zero-visibility situation. I don’t want to lose (the other person). Today
to be working properly.” I had to have the muscle of extra - very experienced - cave divers.”
A rescue team was deployed minutes later but by then he was
unresponsive. He was brought to the surface shortly before 5:00 p.m. 1. “J Joshua Cox perishes in Big Blue Spring on the Wacissa River,” www.
cavediver.net, 21 July 2012.
1. “Diving Fatality at Weeki Wachee Springs,” www.cavediver.net, 2 April 2. Jordan Culver, “Body of diver recovered after ‘extremely difficult’
2012. operation,” www.tallahassee.com, 22 July 2012.
2. Tony Holt, “Diver died from embolism,” Hernando Today, 5 April 3. Mathew Bull, email communication, 25 September 2012.
2012.
Comments: Cox was not a certified cave diver and his dive buddy
that day says they had explicitly decided not to enter the cave. It appears
19 April that Cox removed his tank to push it ahead of him when he decided for
Sistema Chac Mool, Quintana Roo, Mexico unknown reasons to enter the restriction. His gear was not tethered to him
and he probably dropped it when he became stuck, causing him to drown.
3 fatalities, drowning
Rescues and recoveries are dangerous enough in air-filled caves. They
A Spanish guide led a newly wed Brazilian couple on a cavern dive in
are far more dangerous in water-filled caves and should only be attempted
the popular Cenote Chac Mool one hour before closing time. Although the
by the most qualified divers. Even then, the risks versus benefit should
trio had not surfaced by closing time, several hours passed before authori-
be considered thoroughly.
ties were notified. Shortly before 2:00 a.m. on 20 April, the three bodies
were discovered 80 meters from the surface (about an 8-minute swim).
Although this was to be a cavern dive, the bodies were found well 7 August
into the dark zone which is off limits to cavern divers. The guide and the Twin Caves, Florida
couple were all found facing into the cave, only a few feet from a dive line. lost, aid, no injury
The Brazilian man still had air in his tank but his wife and guide did not. Andrea Rance, Jamie Rance, and Samer Lawand were completing a
dive of Twin Caves and finishing their last safety stop when three divers
1. Fernando Del Valle Prieto, Accident Report at Cenote Chac Mool, 19 swam by them into the cave. The first, a young lady (22), was stirring up a
April 2012. lot of silt by flutter kicking. She was followed by her father and a brother
2. “Divers drown at Playa del Carmen cenote,” mexicogulfreporter. (19). The Rances were able to reach their gold line just before the visibil-
blogspot.com, 20 April 2012. ity went to zero. Moments later, Andrea felt the brother from the other
3. “Triple Fatality in Chac Mool yesterday (4/19/12),” www.cavediver. group brush by her, heading for the surface. The Rances then surfaced,
net, 20 April 2012. followed by Lawand who exited from a nearby entrance.
The divers asked the young man, who was an open water diver,
Comments: The guide was not certified to lead cave diving trips and why they had gone into the cave. The young man replied it was all right
his clients were not cave divers either. It has been reported, though, that because his father was a dive instructor. The father then surfaced but the
local cavern dive guides often have to be “chased” out of the cave zone daughter did not. All of the divers began looking for the cave entrance but
by cave divers at this particular location. could not locate it in the zero visibility. The entrances are in an artificial,
10-foot-deep “pond” made by a dam. Six feet below the bottom of the
21 July pond is a small sinkhole. The “twin” entrances are at the bottom of this
sinkhole and cannot be seen once silt has been stirred up.
Big Blue Spring, Florida
Fortunately, Lawand’s wife, Karen Brinkman, was waiting for them
fatality, stuck, drowning on a pontoon boat, with a charged cell phone. She was able to find Edd
J. Joshua Cox and a friend planned a day of open water diving in the Sorensen’s phone number and call him. He was teaching a dive class
Big Blue area of Wacissa River. When Cox failed to surface, his dive buddy nearby and arrived in twenty minutes.
called for help. Divers reporting to the scene found Cox had entered a small The father told Sorensen where he had last seen his daughter and
cave at the bottom of the basin. He was beyond one tight constriction, Sorensen went in to look for her. Ten minutes later, Sorensen surfaced
wedged top and bottom in another. What followed was a very dangerous with the daughter who was cold and tired but otherwise unhurt. After
body recovery for three divers. she had become separated from her family, she found an air bell where
To reach the body, Edd Sorensen, Chris Wickman, and Mathew she could breathe to conserve the air in her tanks. Twice she swam away
Bull first attempted to enlarge the constriction by moving a boulder. from it, looking for the exit but had to return to it both times. Sorensen
The boulder moved, but instead of enlarging the constriction, it made it found her in the air bell and asked if she was OK. She replied she was, so
impassable. An alternative, but even more difficult way to the victim was he had her hold his arm as he led her safely to the surface.
located and after removing some gear, Sorensen and Bull were able to
reach and dislodge the body. By now the body was very negative (wanting 1. “Edd Sorenson saves the day, again!!,” www.cavediver.net, 7 August
to sink). The victim was wearing fins, a wetsuit, mask, and had one light. 2012.
His tank was floating near the ceiling, still with 500 psi. 2. Andrea Rance, email communication, 15 August 2012.
On their next dive, Sorensen and Bull went back through the constric-
tion while Wickman waited on the other side. Because rigor mortis had set Comments: The reporting of this incident on CaveDiver.net gener-
in, Sorensen and Bull had to strap the victim’s arms down in order to get ated a lot of discussion and speculation as to how a father/open water
him through the restriction. They also fitted a rope harness around him dive instructor could lead his children into such a situation. One month
and passed a tether from this out to Wickman. Bull then joined Wickman later, the father wrote a response and emailed it to the CaveDiver forum’s

NSS News, August 2013 29

moderator for posting. exit, but when the fourth did not surface, they called Cave Adventures.
In his response, the father assumes full responsibility for the events Sorensen, the owner of the dive shop, and his manager Frank Gonzalez,
that transpired that day and analyzes the chain of events that led to the grabbed their rescue gear and headed to the scene. With Sorensen driv-
incident. These actions include not getting enough information about ing (admittedly well above the speed limit), and Gonzalez lying in the bed
their intended dive site, and not properly communicating with his son of the truck putting together gear, they reached the dive location and
and daughter about the intended dive plan. When he asked his daughter Sorensen was in the water only eleven minutes after receiving the call.
later why she had entered the cave she responded, “Dad, I’m sorry that Sorensen found the lost diver, who had already run out of air but
I acted like a dare-devil. But all I could think was this was my last dive of managed to find a very small air pocket. The diver knew with the carbon
the year. So, I just went for it.” dioxide building up in the pocket that he would not survive long. When
The father then makes an interesting analogy between this and the Sorensen found him, he likely had only a few minutes left of air. He was
majority of snow skiing accidents taking place on the last run on the last brought safely to the surface a half hour later.
day of the trip or season. He concludes his response with the realization
that “. . . as her father I had conditioned a false sense of invincibility when 1. “Divers missing in the mill pond,” www.cavedivers.net, 15 October
she dived with me.” This last comment is something all responsible trip 2012.
leaders should consider. 2. Kelsey Peck, “Another Cave Diving Rescue At Blue Springs,” www.wmbb.
com, 16 October 2012
3. Bergen Baucom, “Marianna’s Own ‘Aquaman’: One Cave Diver’s
15 October Miraculous Rescue and the Man Who Saved Him,” www.wjhg.com, 16
Blue Springs, Florida October 2012.
diver lost, out of air, stranded, aid, no injury 4. Steve Cushman, email communication, 29 October 2012.
According to many divers, before 2012, only four successful rescues
of cave divers have ever occurred. Yet, on 15 October 2012, Edd Sorensen Comments: In January 2013, the Aquatic Science Association
saved a fourth cave diver that year. presented Sorensen with the Edd Sorensen Award. This award will be
A group of four cave divers entered Blue Springs that day, and made given annually to “a person who demonstrates the quality of outstand-
a wrong turn from their planned route. Three of the divers were able to ing achievements.”

2012 Caving-Related Accidents and Incidents

4 February alive. After a week, the search began to focus on just finding his body.
dirt cave, California In his incident report, Anmar Mirza explains: “The high probability caves
were checked several times, and the fact that all of the caves on the state
trapped by collapse, fatality property had been closed for three years both aided and hindered the
Two 11-year-old boys were enlarging a small dirt cave in a creek bed
search. It aided it in that since there had been so little traffic in many of
when it collapsed. One of the boys was able to escape and ran for help.
the caves it was possible to eliminate them readily because they showed
The other remained buried from his legs to his head until two adults dug
clear evidence of not having seen traffic in months to years. It hindered
him out. They performed CPR until further assistance arrived and the boy
the search because the pool of cavers who were familiar with the caves
was taken to a local medical center. He was then flown to the Children’s
in that area has dwindled markedly, and now what caving activity there
Hospital in San Diego in critical condition. He did not survive.
is tends to be highly secretive with information not readily available.”
On 5 February 2012, a group of amateur cavers made an illegal trip
1. Brian Rokos, “Boy buried in cave-in still critical,” The Press Enterprise,
to Breathing Hole Cave. In a remote section of the cave, they discovered
6 February 2012.
a body. Fearing they would get in trouble for visiting the cave, which is
2. Brian Rokos, email communication, 8 March 2012.
officially closed, they waited until returning home to alert authorities.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Officers
Comments: Whether in a creek bed or a cave, digging can be a very
entered the cave that evening and confirmed that a body with a shotgun
hazardous endeavor. A person buried under even a small amount of dirt
lying nearby was found. The body and evidence was bagged and cavers
can be difficult to rescue as shifting dirt can rebury the victim as fast as
with rescue experience were called to help with the evacuation. The cavers
he or she is uncovered.
arrived on scene around midnight.
Through the night, cavers transported the body through a river
5 February passage, up short climbs and steep slopes. One rescuer received minor
Breathing Hole Cave, Indiana injuries when she slipped on unstable breakdown but was able to exit
suicide the cave under her own power. Constrictions and loose breakdown in the
Indiana caver, Kevin Eve (25), was reported missing on 1 October entrance series eventually brought progress to a standstill. By 4:00 a.m.,
2011. His vehicle was found two days later in the Wyandotte Woods no progress had been made for two hours. The cold, wet, tired cavers
State Forest. Eve was familiar with many of the caves in the area and had exited the cave for some rest and rehabilitation.
reportedly been working on a few dig projects before the state closure Later that morning, cavers experienced in “rock modification” arrived
of caves due to White-nose Syndrome. A search was begun of the woods to enlarge the worst of the constrictions. The evacuation resumed and
and nearby caves, although other possibilities for his disappearance were the body was brought to the surface at 6:00 p.m. February 6. Further
considered. Eve was an Iraq War veteran and may have been suffering investigation confirmed that the body was Kevin Eve.
from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Concerns that he may have
been suicidal or faked his disappearance in order to start a new life else-
1. Drew Douglas, “Body Found In Cave Identified As Missing Spelunker,”
where were considered.
www.WLKY.com, 7 February 2012.
Hundreds of volunteers assisted authorities, hoping to find him
2. Anmar Mirza, Incident Report, 2 August 2012.

30 NSS News, August 2013

 Comments: Mirza concludes his report with these comments: “ . . Comments: This was the first caving trip for both Yale and his owner,
. any cave rescue event, even a body recovery, places responders at risk and certainly one to remember. The incident also provided the park an
and creates emotional stress for everyone involved from the family on to opportunity to meet local cavers and discover that cave rescue resources
the searchers and the people tasked with recovering the body. Technically are available should they need them in the future.
speaking this was not a caving accident as the death and location were
intentional, but it had significant impact on the caving community as a 23 May
whole. We are glad the Eve family was able to find some of the answers sinkhole, New York
and what we could do to help was gladly given. We would beg of anyone
who is troubled to seek help, the caving community is full of people who calf stranded in sinkhole
care and we take care of our own.” Shortly after returning home from rescuing a dog in a cave, Emily
Davis received an email asking for assistance with a 10-day-old calf that
had fallen into a sinkhole - what are the odds? Davis and Mike Warner
19 April arrived at the scene and were joined by Jay Siemion and Ken Fortuin.
unspecified cave, Arizona Davis worked her way down a 25-foot-deep fissure and found the calf
fell hiking to cave, injury and aid standing at the bottom unharmed. Fortuin joined her and tied the calf’s
Graham Schindel (24) was hiking to a remote cave when a rock ledge legs with a rope and then hoisted it out. The calf was then carried in a
he was traversing broke free. He fell about 20 feet and landed on his side. bucket loader to a nearby field where its mother came running to greet
Schindel suffered a broken wrist and two, very deep puncture wounds to it. The little calf was later named Splunk.
his back and abdomen. One puncture, 6 inches deep, was caused by an
agave. The other was caused by a rock and was about 3 inches deep. His 1. Emily Davis, “cave rescue redux,” email communication, 24 May 2012.
companions were able to help him back to their vehicles where Schindel
turned on his SPOT personal tracker. He was transported by helicopter Comments: The calf’s owner was very appreciative and rewarded
to a hospital. the rescue team with, ironically, grass-fed beef.

1. Geary Schindel, email communication, 21 April 2012. 30 May

2. Graham Schindel, email communication, 22 May 2012. unspecified cave, Tennessee
dog stranded in cave
Comments: Sometimes just getting to or returning from a cave can be Peanut, a pug and Chihuahua mix, had not been reading the news
the most hazardous part of caving. After this incident, each of Schindel’s reports of other dogs recently stranded in caves and ran into a Tennessee
companions also purchased SPOT locator devices. cave in pursuit of a small critter. Like the other canines, Peanut refused
to come out even after several days of her people calling to her. Curtis
13 May Winiger, a Kingsport paramedic, wormed his way through a tight, muddy,
unspecified sinkhole, Indiana belly crawl to reach Peanut four days after she had entered the cave. The
dog stranded in sinkhole pooch and her family were very happy to be reunited.
An Indiana Conservation Officer rescued a coon dog named MoMo
from a 20-foot-deep sinkhole early on a Sunday morning. The dog had 1. Rain Smith, “Kingsport paramedic rescues dog stranded in cave 4 days,”
gone missing the previous Friday night during a raccoon hunt. The owner www.johnsoncitypress.com, 30 May 2012.
and two other hunters heard the dog barking while searching for it on
Saturday and called police. An Indiana Conservation Officer carried MoMo Comments: Apparently one trick you can’t teach an old dog is how
up a ladder to the surface. MoMo was unhurt and very excited to be back to find its way out of a cave.
with his owner.
16 June
1. The Associated Press, “Ind. conservation officer rescues hunting dog Whipple Cave, Nevada
from sinkhole; dog was trapped more than a day,” 13 May 2012. cavers assist rock climber, aid, no injury
A group of Utah cavers were practicing rescue techniques at the
23 May entrance pit of Whipple Cave in Nevada, when a group of Utah boy scouts
Fools Crawl, New York arrived to practice climbing. The scout leaders were having the scouts
rock climb out of the pit instead of using ascenders. Several did not have
dog stranded in cave helmets. The scouts had rigged a top rope but, about 10 feet from the top,
Another dog needed rescuing this month, this time a pit bull named climbers had to traverse several feet to a handline to complete the climb
Yale. Yale had been hiking with his people at Thacher Park when the group out. If a climber failed to complete the traverse, they would pendulum
stopped to look into Fools Crawl. Here, Yale pulled away and ran into the back until the top rope caught them.
cave, disappearing about noon. Yale’s owners contacted park authorities One scout leader reached the traverse and could not continue due
who then called Thom Engle. Engle called Emily Davis and Mike Warner to exhaustion. The cavers rigged an etrier so that he could stand in it
who arrived at the cave shortly before 3:00 p.m. Davis put on a wetsuit and rest. The rest period did not help and he was still unable to continue
and entered the cave carrying dog treats. She encountered Yale about climbing, complete the traverse, or down climb. While one caver who was
300 feet in, but when the dog began growling and showing his teeth, she already on rope during a rescue exercise assisted the scout leader from
decided to back out. below, another caver anchored himself and was able to assist from above.
Since the owner was about the same size as Warner, Davis had Together they helped the scout leader finish his climb out of the cave.
him put on Warner’s gear and enter the cave with her. They found Yale
another 100 feet further into the cave. He was so happy to see his owner 1. Jeff Baird, Incident Report sent to Utah National Parks Council (a council
he practically dragged him out of the cave. Everyone was out by 4:00 p.m. of the Boy Scouts of America), undated.
1. Emily Davis, “Cave rescue report,” email communication, 23 May 2012. Comments: Baird reports that the climb was poorly set up for the

NSS News, August 2013 31

scouts. The top rope was placed so that it could not be used for the entire 19 August
climb. The climbers had to traverse to a handline to exit the cave. If a Atlalaquia de Atikpak, Puebla, Mexico
climber fell during the traverse, they would pendulum back, which would
be especially dangerous for those not wearing helmets. The handline was
drowning
Efraín Martínez Martínez (19) was swept away by the current of
redirected at 90 degrees around an unstable rock such that if the rock
a rain-swollen river and washed into Atlalaquia de Atikpak (Sumidero
moved, anyone on the handline would also pendulum. Also, those persons
Atlalaquia) in Alcomunga, Ajalpan, Puebla, Mexico. A week later, a
standing at the lip between the pit and the handline would be knocked
recovery team from Espéleo Rescate México (Mexican Cave Rescue)
down the 60-foot-deep pit. Baird and his group remained at the cave until
still harbored hopes that he might be found alive, despite unsuccessful
they were satisfied that all of the scouts had exited safely.
recovery attempts by other groups.
Technical rigging was required to enter the cave due to the high
24 June water levels. About 600 feet into the cave, they found the lifeless body
Secret Caverns, New York of Martínez, nine days after he disappeared. The river flowing into the
fawn stranded in cave cave continued rising even as the recovery operation took place, requiring
Who knew New York caves could be so enticing to animals? On June additional rigging for safety and to extract the body. Local people helped
24, a fawn needed rescuing from the Ice Cave entrance of Secret Caverns. carry the stretcher with the body away from the cave.
Scott Keefer took a rope and duffle bag and found the fawn after crawling
100 feet into the cave. Keefer explains: “I took the rope, full-nelsoned the 1. Translated and abstracted by Mark Minton from “Reporte
deer, and looped it up around the back and made a handle so I could carry Operativo Sumidero Atlalaquia, Sierra Negra, Puebla, 17, 18 y 19 de
him. Put the bag over his head and pulled him back out. On the outside agosto de 2012,” Espéleo Rescate México, http://xa.yimg.com/kq/
some other guys pulled on the rope to get him up and out of the 30-foot groups/27864331/1628325727/name/Reporte_Operativo_Atlalaquia.pdf
drop. No broken bones, and we released him shortly thereafter in some
tall grass . . .” Keefer was assisted by the cave’s owner, R.J. Mallery, and 1 December
two guests of the cave, Steve and Mac. Double Sinks, New Mexico
1. Steven Millet, “yet another animal rescue in NY,” email communica-
murder victim found in cave
When a University of New Mexico student was reported missing on
tion, 25 June 2012.
November 10, police began tracking his credit card activity. Two men were
2. Scott Keefer, email communication, 23 July 2012.
arrested after using the missing student’s cards at a Walmart in Grants,
New Mexico. The two suspects eventually led police to the missing man’s
Comments: Carrying a baby deer out of a cave may sound like an
body, which they had thrown into the cave after murdering him.
adorable rescue, but remember, wild animals are unpredictable and can
be dangerous. This little fawn tried very hard to get away from Keefer,
1. “Body Found in Cave South of Grants,” www.abqjournal.com, 4
cutting itself on the limestone walls as it jumped about, looking to escape.
December 2012.
2. Kim Vallez, “Murdered man in cave may be UNM student: Pair of Cibola
14 August County men charged with killing,” www.krqe.com, 4 December 2012.
storm drain, New York
flooding, aid, no injury Comments: Double Sinks was popular with visitors to the El Calderon
A husband, wife, and their 24-year-old daughter were hiking in the area of El Malpais National Monument until it was closed to visitation due
Genesee Gorge when they entered a storm drain in pursuit of a geocache. to White-nose Syndrome concerns in December 2010.
While they were underground, a heavy rainstorm passed through the area.
Water rose quickly in the storm drain and the family became afraid they
would be washed out of the cave and down to the river, 70 feet below.
The family was able to get a cell phone call from inside as the water rose
to waist level. Members of the Rochester Fire Department’s rope rescue
team rappelled 40 feet down to the entrance. The family was calm and
unhurt and they were hauled up the embankment one by one. The smooth

Dave Bunnell
rescue operation was attributed to extensive training in the gorge by the
rope rescue team.

1. Mark Gruba, “Cave Rescue in Genesee River Gorge,” www. rochester-

homepage.net, 15 August 2012.
2. Lynette Adams, “Firefighters talk about Tuesday cave rescue,” www.
whec.com, 15 August 2012.
3. Sean Carroll, “Three Hikers Rescued From Cave Were Geocaching,”
www.13wham.com. 16 August 2012.
4. Joe Giunta, email communication, 16 September 2012.
5. Michael Elio, email communication, 26 September 2012.

Comments: Note that every news report describes this incident as a

cave rescue. Local cavers have confirmed that while this feature may have
started as a natural drain, it is actually a tunnel built in 1931 during the
construction of Route 104’s Veteran’s Memorial Bridge. Fast-rising water
can trap persons in natural caves as well as storm drains. Always check
A caver begins the 60-foot rappel into Whipple Cave, Nevada. The wide
the weather forecast before heading underground. pit entrance is divided by a natural bridge.

32 NSS News, August 2013

 Previously Unreported Caving Incidents
19 May 1985 Time spent away from caving packs should be minimized, especially
Schoharie Caverns, New York when all backup lights are in the packs. Many cavers wear two lights on
their helmets in order to reduce risk of losing light while away from their
caver fall, injury and aid packs, or when their packs are otherwise not easily accessible (while on
A 20-year-old Canadian woman and six companions were explor-
rope, for example). Some cavers wear an extra light attached to a lanyard
ing Schoharie Caverns when she slipped and fell, breaking her leg. One
around their neck, in case they lose their helmet down a pit.
member of the party exited the cave to call for help while another, who
was an emergency medical technician, splinted her leg. Five volunteer
members of the Scho-Wright Ambulance Service responded and two of 10 November 2007
them entered the cave. Although the woman was only 15 minutes from the Candlelight Cave, Utah
entrance, it took the two rescuers 4 hours to carry her out in a stretcher. difficulty on rope, no consequence
A group of cavers were descending a 240-foot-deep mine shaft in
1. Joe Mahoney, “Rescuers carry woman from cave: Spelunking accident order to access Candlelight Cave, located about 90 feet down the shaft.
leads to four-hour ordeal,” Times Union, 21 May 1985. The last caver to rappel was about halfway down when excess webbing
2. “Cave Explorer ‘Satisfactory’ After Mishap,” Gazette, 21 May 1985. from his helmet’s chinstrap jammed in his figure 8 rappel device. This
3. Chuck Porter, email communication, 9 April 2013. happened so fast that, when the chinstrap caught, it jerked his head
4. Bob Addis, email communication, 9 April 2013. quickly enough that he momentarily lost consciousness.
He called down to his friends that he could not lock off or perform
Comments: Schoharie Caverns was purchased by NSS member Jim a changeover, even though he had a Croll chest ascender and hand
Gage in 1958 for development as a show cave. After his death, the cave ascender attached to his harness. He also could not get his chinstrap
and surrounding property were donated to the NSS and became the undone, because it did not feature a quick-release mechanism. While
Schoharie Caverns Nature Preserve. other members on the trip prepared to climb up to him, he called down
and asked for a knife.
1998 A small pocket knife was attached to a carabiner using twine and
Cueva del Viento, Puerto Rico clipped to a prusik knot on the rope. The stuck caver then pulled the rope
equipment problems, stranded, aid, no injury up, retrieved the knife, and carefully cut his chinstrap. He was then able
In the summer of 1998, Samuel Oliveras and Félix Flecha Astacio to complete his descent.
decided to explore Cueva del Viento in the municipality of Florida, Puerto
Rico. This would be their fourth visit to the cave, but their first time to 1. Kent Forman, Incident Report, 1 November 2012.
rappel the 80-foot drop leading to an underground river. Before entering
the cave, they ate breakfast and bought a box of batteries at a local bakery. Comments: The abilities to lock off one’s rappel device and success-
They entered the cave at 8:00 a.m. on a Monday morning. After fully perform a changeover are considered by many to be minimum
reaching the bottom of the pit, they discovered a small passage that was prerequisite skills for vertical caving. This caver called for a knife, even
too tight for their packs, so they left them behind. The packs contained though he was wearing two ascenders. Knives should be considered a last
their spare batteries, food, and water. resort in vertical situations, not the first tool to be reached for. Finally,
After traveling about 60 feet, Oliveras’s light (with the newly quick-release helmet chinstraps have become the standard for multiple
purchased batteries) went out. A few minutes later, Astacio’s light also safety reasons.
went out. Stranded in the dark, they were unable to make it back to their Either the ability to change over or the possession of a quick-release
packs. Oliveras later reported that the “60 feet was like one mile in the chinstrap would have prevented any need for help from other cavers.
darkness.” Trip leaders would do well to ensure that cavers on their team have the
The cavers had left a call-out time of midnight. When they did not proper equipment and know how to use it.
return, their families waited a few more hours before calling authorities.
Although local authorities were notified, a search was not immediately 30 August 2009
initiated. By Wednesday, friends of Oliveras and Astacio learned they Whipple Cave, Nevada
had not returned from their cave trip. Karel Hilversum and Norman Veve difficulty on rope, aid, no injury
arrived at the cave shortly after 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday. While Veve Members of the Southern Nevada Grotto and Lund Volunteer Fire
waited at the entrance, Hilversum rappelled the pit and made voice Department spent a day and a half at Whipple Cave practicing cave rescue
communication with the two cavers. They exited the cave at 7:00 p.m. techniques. As they climbed the 60-foot-deep entrance pit at the end of
Wednesday and met a rescue squad, who were just arriving, along the day two, they passed a group of inexperienced persons ascending another
trail. Oliveras and Astacio had spent fifty-five hours in the dark. rope. The cavers and Lund volunteers were loading gear into their vehicles
when they heard a shout for help coming from the cave.
1. Samuel A. Oliveras, “ atrapados . . . en la Cueva del Viento,” They returned to find that a 45-year-old male from Las Vegas had
Espeleorevista no. 7, July-December 2012, p. 40-41. ascended a short distance, but was unable to continue or change over to
2. Samuel Oliveras, email communication, 9 April 2013. rappel. The man was climbing a dynamic rope with a climbing harness,
3. Karel Hilversum, email communication, 10 April 2013. two handled ascenders, and no chest harness. He soon became exhausted
using this inefficient system. Using a 3:1 haul system and belay, the group
Comments: Oliveras provides his own analysis of what they did wrong had him up the pit within 10 minutes.
and offers suggestions for future cave trips: “One could not anticipate
that freshly bought batteries would be defective. Never leave your pack 1. Gretchen Baker, Incident Report, 16 January 2011.
behind, even in tight spaces. Do not make your call-out time for rescue
too late.” This is still good advice over a decade later.

NSS News, August 2013 33

 Comments: A 60-foot-deep pit is probably not the best place to learn Two adult leaders, a man (47) and woman (49), led one 13-year-old and
to ascend. A better practice is to teach novices on a rope that is rigged two 14-year-old boys to Burroughs Cave. They negotiated a long, tight
in such a way that they can be lowered in case they encounter trouble. passage to access the main part of the cave. After some exploring, they
could not find the passage leading out. The group said they could hear
13 March 2010 rescuers searching for them later that night but could not make them-
selves heard. They were found the next evening, 24 hours after being
Grutas de la Puente, San Luis Potosí, Mexico reported missing.
falling object, injury, no aid
A group of teenagers were visiting the well-known Grutas de la 1. “Tragedy in the Adirondacks,” www.adirondackbasecamp.com, 24
Puente in the state of San Luis Potosí. They had no helmets and insufficient August 2010.
light. They entered the main entrance at about 8:00 a.m. and toured the
front part of the cave. They were leaving via a back entrance called Las Comments: The referenced article concludes, “In caves use string or
Escaleras (The Staircase) when a metal bar used as a step on the steep other markers to help find your way back. Remove the material on your
climb fell and hit 15-year-old Francisco Nava Lomely on the head. way out.” Despite the added conservation message about removing such
Six of the group continued out and hiked back to their camp, where material, the use of string in caves is generally a poor idea. Even with the
they called for help. The injured boy and four others turned around and best intentions, string is often left in the cave when it becomes difficult
went back out the main entrance, where there was a Jeep waiting to take to roll up after it has soaked up water, dirt, or mud. Do not justify leaving
them to camp. Espeleo Rescate México (Mexican Cave Rescue) and Red string in a cave as being helpful for the next group.
Cross personnel arrived after midnight just as the injured boy arrived A much better practice is to make sure everybody in the group, not
back at camp. He was examined and treated for a contusion and mild just the leaders, are paying attention to the route. Take the time to observe
hypothermia. Another boy who had sprained his ankle on the hike back landmarks and look behind you often to familiarize yourself with what
to camp was also treated for pain. the cave will look like on the way out.

1. Translated and abstracted by Mark Minton from a list of incidents

previously posted on an Espeleo Rescate México web site: http://espe- Previously Unreported Caving-related
leorescatemexico.org/. The site has since been taken down.
Incidents
Comments: Wear a helmet. You never know what will fall and hit
you in the head. 23 October 2009
unnamed pit, Veracruz, Mexico
28 March 2010 fell into pit, fatality
Sótano del Popoca, Veracruz, Mexico Three children were chasing a rabbit at night in the village of
stranded, aid, no injury Cimarrontla, Veracruz. While in pursuit, one of them fell into a pit. Espeleo
A group of young tourists were on a commercially guided trip to Rescate México (Mexican Cave Rescue), public safety officers, and the Red
Sótano del Popoca in the state of Veracruz. They were lowered down a Cross were called to the scene. The pit was especially dangerous because
200-foot-deep pit with a pulley system at about 3:00 p.m. When it was of the mud and rocks that fell readily from the lip while rescue personnel
time to leave, the distracted tourists failed to grab a pack being lowered were inside. This was partially due to local people approaching the edge,
to them, which contained the equipment they would need for the ascent, trying to watch the rescuers in action.
and it was lost in an underground river, leaving them stranded. One of the After the bystanders were kept back, the body of 12-year-old Eloy
guides called for help and Espeleo Rescate México responded along with Panzo was located at a depth of 400 feet. The body was placed in a Sked®
public safety officers, volunteer firefighters, and the Red Cross. stretcher and hauled to the surface with a block and tackle system, assisted
They waited nearly twelve hours until help arrived. The tourists were by rescue personnel at various rebelays. The body was turned over to local
cold and hungry but not injured, and it was determined that they could authorities before being returned to the family for burial.
climb out of the pit under their own power. Food and hot drinks were
taken down along with vertical gear. The tourists climbed out on their 1. Translated and abstracted by Mark Minton from a list of incidents
own, with assistance at a rebelay and at the lip. Everyone was out safely previously posted on an Espeleo Rescate México web site: http://espe-
by 6:00 a.m. the following morning. leorescatemexico.org/. The site has since been taken down.

1. Translated and abstracted by Mark Minton from a list of incidents

previously posted on an Espeleo Rescate México web site: http://espe-
leorescatemexico.org/. The site has since been taken down.

Comments: It is preferable to have each caver keep track of their own

ascending system, and to wear that gear on the way down the pit. When
group gear is being utilized, it is very important to make sure someone is
keeping track of it. Sometimes, when gear belongs to everyone, it ends
up belonging to no one.

14 July 2010
Burroughs Cave, New York
lost, aid, no injury
On the evening of 14 July 2010, a scout group was reported missing
when they did not return from exploring caves in Essex County, New York.

34 NSS News, August 2013

 INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL

2013
RESCUE SYMPOSIUM
albuquerque, new mexico • november 7-10, 2013

The International Technical Rescue Symposium (ITRS) gathers

a wide variety of professionals from law enforcement, fire service,
military, mountain, cave, swift water and industrial rescue, along with
equipment manufacturers and distributors, to discuss performance,
safety and improvements, and to share knowledge and test results
on a variety of related topics.

ToPIcS Include

I
✓ New Developments in Equipment Presented jointly by
✓ Medical Considerations in Rescue

T ✓ Comparative Team Techniques

R
✓ Analysis of High-Angle Accidents
✓ Development in Helicopter Rescue

Three more images taken by Jansen Cardy during the 2012 NCRC
S ✓ Industry Standards
✓ Improved Techniques
weeklong seminar mock rescue in Pettijohn Cave in Walker County, ✓ Equipment Testing
GA. It shows an elaborate highline system in action. The mock ‘patient’ Sponsored in part
wrapped in the brown tarp with red and green webbing restraints is by the national
Instructor Qualification (IQ) class student (now NCRC instructor) For more information visit www.ITRSonline.org Speleological Society
Thomas Evans from Bozeman, Montana.

NSS News, August 2013 35

 Killer Bees at GuaguasI Headquarters Update Handler ([email protected]) for oppor-
In regard to your comments about “killer tunities to help. We can use everyone, so
bees” at Guaguas in the May 2013 issue of As I write this in June our new roof is please come by and lend a hand.
the NSS News, they can indeed be quite now in place. Several summer storms have
hazardous when active. Back in March 2000 proven the impermeable liner is indeed Fundraising
on a Cullman Grotto trip to Mexico, this was waterproof. See the photos for details of We are 2/3rds of the way toward
one of the pits we did. Climbing up the high how this was installed. our Team 404 goal. Help us top off this
side (660+ feet) some bees started to circle One of the first areas will be a remodel thermometer and we’ll quickly pay off the
around my face (about the only thing not of the “serving kitchen” next to the audito- mortgage. Any donation of $300 a year
covered up - I had a rag around my neck). rium. Let’s go back a few months… OVP or more automatically adds you to this
By the time I got perhaps 40 feet from the Dave Luckins worked with Stephanie Rubio, program. You’ve read it nearly every month
top, there were two dozen bees orbiting my our Facilities Manager, to host a caterer’s and the math backs it up—if every member
head inches away (much like flies). Patrick open house. While touring our new head- would sign up we’d pay this off in 7 months.
O’Diam, at the pit edge, told me to keep quarters they asked them what they looked Together we’re already making a big differ-
quiet (“The bees are swarming” he said, in a for when recommending an event venue. ence. If you’re not a Team 404 member yet,
subdued voice). Then one of the bees stung Turns out we are set up to handle their basic please take a moment, visit our home page
me in the back of my neck, above the rag. I needs, and with only a few changes we’ll (caves.org) and download a donation form.
could hear a huge swarm near the rig point be able to provide an optimum facility that You’ll receive a nice, monogrammed polo
and I could see no reason why they couldn’t they can recommend to their clients—easily shirt to wear to your next Grotto meeting
come over and join their friends where I was. a win-win for both the caterers and the NSS. and recognition on a special plaque at our
By then I was one notch below panic level. As part of our upgrade Dave also took new Headquarters.
I knew I mustn’t bother them even if they on the task of locating refurbished rolling Members have been purchasing a lot
stung me and I hoped I could do a change book stacks. Why rolling stacks? Not only of bricks and blocks in our new building.
over in time (there was no way I was going would we be able to store more in less You can inscribe 3 lines of 20 characters on
to continue on up to the top!). With the last space, by closing the stacks up we would a “Buy-A-Brick,” or reserve a block of the
ascender off I zoomed down to the bottom, add another layer of fire protection to our current building as “your own.” Every dona-
afraid the bees would follow. Normally, I am archival library. Our new library stacks will tion moves us one step closer to paying off
pretty careful when rappelling but that time I hold over three times our current volumes, our mortgage.
couldn’t go fast enough! They thought I was allowing us room to grow for many decades. We started our fundraising in force last
out of control (about a 45 second rappel). I New they would have cost over $190,000— summer in West Virginia at Convention. We
hid in a little grotto down at the other end well beyond our range. After a year-long want to top out the Team 404 thermometer
of the pit and refused to come back up until search he located exactly what we needed before the end of the year. Coming soon—a
the bees were gone. After the others had for $35K, very close to his original estimate mortgage gauge to show our progress…
started down the path a local came out of and within our proposed budget. Thank you for continued support,
the jungle and, without saying a word, went HQ Chairman Dave Haun has been
over to a tree and whacked it with one of breaking down the tasks for our new interior
those wicked curved machetes then started build-out. That list should be posted by the Wm Shrewsbury
following me with that thing in his hand time you read this. Watch our Facebook President
(still keeping silent). Patrick later told me he page for continual updates. If you’re plan-
just wanted to earn a little money carrying ning on being in the area contact Maureen
my stuff. Several years later I read about a
vicious bee attack at another Mexican pit
and thought, yes, that could have been me.
Gary Phelps
NSS #30170
Firefly Slaves for cave photography: FF 2 ($75) 703-241-3748 or e-mail [email protected]
and FF 3 ($110) for digital. CD “On Three: An intro Website: http://www.clickstersminingartifacts.
Karst Tours to digital photography for cavers” ($15). New: com
Cave Cards! individual ($3.50) or sets of six cards SPELEOBOOKS.COM 518 295 7978. Cave and
• SW China
($18) with stunning cave photos, envelopes. See bat gifts, books, clothing and jewelry. Prompt
• The Balkans newly updated website: www.pjcaver.com. V/MC/ personal service since 1973.
• Laos and Vietnam AMEX/Check. SITDCP, 80 Mountain St, Camden,
Science and culture for ME 04843. 207-236-6112. [email protected]
AD RATES: 50 cents per word, with a 10%
scientists, hydrologists, West Virginia Cave Books discount for prepaid ads running three months or longer.
cavers, and companions. www.WVASS.org The following count as one word each: P.O. box #; street
Visit karst institute, local TOP DOLLARS PAID FOR CARBIDE CAP address; city; state & zip; phone number. E-mail or web
LAMPS, oil wick/lard lamps, UMWA local mining addresses exceeding 10 characters count as two words.
experts, and tourist sites Payment must precede publication, but copy should be
in spectacular landscapes. ribbons, blasting cap tins, McDowell County e-mailed to the editor ([email protected]), to
miners scrip, scatter tags, carbide lamp parts and reserve space. Copy should be received six weeks prior
Led by Dwight Deal, PhD other small mining artifacts that we may need in to publication date (e.g., by May 15 for July issue). Make
our collection. We will pay more than anyone for checks payable to the National Speleological Society
303-632-9254
items needed. Contact Larry Click, 1021 North and send to: Att: NSS News Advertising, 2813 Cave
www.FocusedTours.com Jefferson Street, Arlington, VA 22205-2454, Avenue, Huntsville, AL 35810-4431.

36 NSS News, August 2013

 team 404
GOAL
90%
80%
70%
60% The first few stacks of material are spaced out on our roof
50% – an insulation layer (white in background), the overlaying
fiber board (front right) and rolls of rubber membrane (upper
40% left) can be seen.

30%
20%
10%

68%
members
In this photo you can see the layers. First an insulating
layer of super dense Styrofoam-like material is laid in the
ridges of our metal roof. Next, another insulating layer of Photos on this page were
fiber board is secured over the first and held in place with taken by Liana Boop.
fasteners. Finally, a rubber membrane is bonded to the top A close up of the fiber board overlay and how it is secured.
of the hardboard in wide bands, and the membrane seams Once covered by the rubber membrane our roof is waterproof
are fused with a bonding agent and heat. This effectively for many decades.
gives us a single, impervious layer.

The final rubber membrane as it rolled out can be seen in this

photo. This will be bonded to the layer below it before being fused In the campground we have three pavilions, one of which has an
to each row. The added insulation and white rubber surface will also industrial kitchen. Here you can see Ms. Rubio and the renters
decrease our electrical needs significantly! viewing the facility.

Our new sliding bookshelf stacks. Once installed we will have over They are moved by turning the crank on the end. This turns very
3 times the shelf area we had before. When they are rolled together easily, even when loaded. Each unit is double sided with adjustable
they also add additional fire protection to our valuable archives. book ends on each shelf. These were used in a high-end law office
for just a couple of years. As a result, they are in excellent condition.
 Kelly Smallwood
VCA Newsletter Georgia Speleological Society, visit www. article are some excerpts from the original
Vol. 22, No. 1,2 & 3 caves.org/survey/gss. log book and some from the present day one.
Vermont Cavers Association If you are ever in TAG, a visit to The Liberty
Peter Quick writes about his push trips Southwestern Cavers is a must and make sure to ask your waitress
to South Vent Cave in Dorset Mountain, May-June 2013 Vol. 51, No. 3 for the Caver Log Book.
Vermont. He first visited the cave in 1979 Southwestern Region of the NSS
and was deterred by a wedged stone that Steve Peerman, the Project Director IKC Update
made access to the rest of the cave impass- for the Fort Stanton Cave Study Project, June 2013 No. 109
able. He later returned in July of 2012 to provides a very detailed report on the April Indiana Karst Conservancy
see if he could make the passage way bigger. 27-May 5, 2013 expedition. There were 66 Keith Dunlap reports that the IKC has
Throughout the summer months, Peter, his volunteers who gave nearly 5000 hours of surpassed the $102,600 fundraising goal to
Hilti hammer drill, and a few others were volunteer hours for the week-long expedi- cover the initial cost of the 50 acre Shawnee
able to push and explore the cave to over tion. This includes hours on the surface, Karst Preserve. All donations for land acqui-
140 feet. Accompanying his article is the hours underground, travel hours, and even sitions after June 30 will be credited to the
map of the cave and a scaled profile map hours preparing for, writing reports, and next project. Also included in this issue are
of the major caves of the Purgatory Plateau. dealing with equipment. Some of the activi- annual reports for IKC properties such as
ties for the week long event include survey Buddha Cave, Sullivan Cave, Wayne Cave,
Joel Flewelling notes that with the help instrument calibration, a dig at Cactus Cave, Robinson Ladder, Shawnee Karst Preserve,
of VCA members, the Vermont Fish and some reconnaissance in the Devils Canyon Upper Twin Cave, Suicide Cave, and
Wildlife Department were able to conduct area, ferromanganese sampling, water level Orangeville Rise.
winter surveys in 13 hibernacula this winter data logger deployment, radio location, bat
in Vermont. Vermont has been a confirmed monitoring, paleoclimate work, and instal-
infected state since 2008. A few sites lation of a cell phone booster in the field
showed a slight increase in bat numbers but house. There were also survey trips into the
the overall statewide numbers continue to Snowy River Passage and the MJ Passage.
decline. They did find banded bats in Aeolus The overall length of the cave has increased
and Skinner Caves. The bat in Aeolus was from 20.59 miles to 23.85. This bumped
banded last summer in New Hampshire and Fort Stanton Cave up from the 31st longest
the bat in Skinner was banded last summer cave in the US to the 21st longest all in one
in Rhode Island. Vermont is home to nine bat week!
species; six species spend winters hibernat-
ing in caves and three migrate south. TAG Caver
Summer 2013 Vol. 4, No. 2
Bulletin of the Georgia Speleological Sewanee Mountain Grotto (Tennessee)
Survey The SERA Karst Task Force (SKTF)
2012 has been busy this past winter with two
Georgia Speleological Survey cleanups. Cheryl Pratt includes an update
The 2012 Bulletin of the Georgia on the second cleanup at Cumberland Gap
Speleological Survey includes several great in Tennessee which took place in March.
articles. Matthew Niemiller, Dante B. 21 volunteers showed up to fill a dumpster
Fenolio, and Kirk Zigler include a detailed with over two tons of garbage. Troy Fugua
article on the obligate cave fauna of Georgia led the second cleanup effort at Devil’s Den
and Larry O. Blair writes about prehistoric Cave in Jackson County, Alabama where 13
throw-away tools found in Kingston Saltpeter volunteers showed up on Earth Day weekend
Cave. There is also an article written by Joel and removed over 1,100 pounds of scrap
Sneed on the discovery, exploration, and metal that netted over $100 for the SKTF.
mapping of Byers Cave in Dade County,
Georgia. The original map for Byers Cave Kelly Smallwood writes about the
was never published by Foxy Ferguson. caver log book at the Liberty Restaurant in
Brent Aulenbach later digitized her map Scottsboro, Alabama. One morning, while
and his version is included in the 2012 having breakfast with David Hughes and
bulletin with her permission. Byers cave is Marion O. Smith at The Liberty, she inquired
currently being re surveyed by the Georgia about the history of the log book. David origi-
Speleological Survey and is being led by nally got the idea to place the log book after
Marty Abercrombie, who also includes a seeing log books at The Court Restaurant in
report on his progress in the bulletin. Also Lewisburg, West Virginia. In May of 1976
included in this issue is an update on Brent he placed the first log book at The Liberty.
Aulenbach’s survey of Frick’s Cave. Because While he was living in Arizona, the log book
of the cave being closed due to WNS, this filled up so Marion O. Smith kindly mailed it
was the first trip into the cave in over five back to him. Marion has since replaced and
years. For more information or to join the kept up with the log books. Included in her

38 NSS News, August 2013

 In late April and early May, Mike Florida area reported that two homes in
Schriber posted to CaveChat.org a thread Seffner that were in danger of destruction
entitled, Releasable Rigging Using a Petzl from sinkhole collapse were demolished.
Stop, asking for advice on rigging a redirect These houses were condemned following the
using a pulley (forums.caves.org/viewtopic. previously-reported death of Jeff Bush, who
php?f=5&t=15203). Among other respon- was sleeping in bed when a sinkhole opened
dents, Scott McCrea offers a link to a neat up under his bedroom and swallowed him.
Web page that calculates the forces involved The sinkhole was said to remain unstable and
in redirects and depicts them pictorially. By possibly still growing (tinyurl.com/lvgfo7e).
dragging the pulley around, eight different CavingNews .com reports that Seffner, a
forces on the anchor and pulley are displayed suburb of Tampa, is within an area known
at lifeonaline.com/toys/deviation.php. locally as “sinkhole alley,” and accounts for
one-third (!) of all sinkhole-related insurance
Matt Bowers on May 1 brought to the claims in Florida (tinyurl.com/nx55n44).
NSSwest Forum the news from Jewel Cave
management that background checks and The BBC News and Archaeology, a Mexican freetails emerging from Bracken
fingerprinting would be done on all caving Web site of the Archaeological Institute Bat Cave
“trip leaders” to national parks and monu- of America, carried an article on May 23
ments. This was met with some annoyance mentioning that thousands of cave art paint- opment. BCI presented a 13-day old petition
by a few forum members. Two days later, ings had been found in Burgos, Mexico. with 13,300 signatures against the project,
Tom Evans, the NSS Government Liaison, A presentation at the second meeting of and was given the only standing ovation of
clarified things by noting that (1) all groups Historic Archaeology in Mexico’s Natural the evening. Andy Walker, Executive Director
must comply with the new regulations, not History Museum reported that a total of of BCI, and Environmental attorney James
just cavers, and (2) Jewel Cave management 4,926 depictions were found in eleven Cannizzo, who handles legal issues for the
had instituted new rules that require the caves, one of which contained 1,550 Army’s Camp Bullis, spoke to the possibility
security measures only for trip leaders that scenes. The images are of humans, insects, of acquiring the Crescent Hills property and
access the cave off-hours (when monument and other animals colored in red, yellow, placing it under protection. In addition to
staff are not present) (groups.yahoo.com/ black, and white. Dating the paintings was concerns about the bats, citizens also brought
group/NSSwest/message/4166). underway, but delayed by the absence of up the issue of water conservation. The prop-
associated artifacts. The depictions indicated erty is directly over the Edwards Aquifer, and
In the 1990s, the Gangsta Mappers three groups of hunter-gatherers lived in the the development will force the San Antonio
tackled major cave mapping projects that area. They “escaped the Spanish rule for Water System to extend water and sewer
included New River Cave in Giles County, 200 years because they fled to the Sierra hookups five miles from their current service
Virginia, a six-mile-plus cave with travers- de San Carlos where they had water, plants, area. None of the city council members had
able passages located on eight levels within and animals to feed themselves,” according ever visited the cave (batcon.org/).
a single fissure. Ken Walsh reported on the to Martha Garcia Sanchez: bbc.co.uk/news/
Tritrog blog on May 1 that the Gangstas world-latin-america-22632301. With all the sensitive caves and extreme
thought they had finished mapping the cave sports in the World today, caves must now
in 1997, but through a series of unfortunate The month of May saw a flurry of contend with a (new) threat at the hands, or
events, the final map was never produced. articles about a land development threat to wheels, of two happy-go-lucky Welshmen.
Dave West eventually took up that chal- Bracken Bat Cave in Bexar County, Texas. Reported in CavingNews.com on May 28,
lenge, but discovered a “good number” of Famous as holding the largest bat colony in they ride unicycles in the larger passages of
unmapped leads. So, on April 27 – 28, Ava the world, and also the largest concentration caves, and fast. One of the two off-handedly
Pope, Martin Groenewegen, Karen Willmes, of mammals in the world, the cave is home to remarked that, “people like it for the pretty
Bob Hoke, Jessica Chesnakas, and Walsh an estimated 20 million Mexican free-tailed things underground … there’s a lot of weird
joined Dave West to survey those leads. bats, which roost in the cave from March to things underground, but for me it’s just an
Among their discoveries were a formation- October. The cave and 697 acres of natural underground playground.” The video shows
filled room with aragonite bushes and a small habitats are owned by Bat Conservation the fellows cycling through a stream here,
hole in the floor that “promised certain burial International (BCI). The bats fly every year under soda straws there, unnecessarily
to anyone willing to drop down it,” and added from as far away as a thousand miles from dragging hands across ceiling and walls, and
500+ feet to the survey (tritrogs.blogspot. Mexico, and then give birth to their pups in speaking repeatedly about the challenges of
com/2013/05/gangsta-legacy.html). the cave. As many as 500 baby bats have their sport’s physical obstacles and danger.
been counted clinging to a single square One of them stated that if there is an injury
Anmar Mirza, National Coordinator foot of the cave’s walls. The threat comes such as a broken leg, there’s no way out,
for the National Cave Rescue Commission from Galo Properties, a land development although later in the video the other guy
(NCRC), announced a May 22 Webinar intro- company, which sought approvals to build mentions not wanting to bother volunteer
ducing the NCRC. The Webinar is 1:34:17 the 1545-acre Crescent Hills residential rescue groups. Right. I wonder if they can see
long and is available for downloading from development directly under the bat’s flyway. and avoid running over small cave animals
the NSS Web site (caves.org/webinars/). About 200 people spoke against the devel- that might be in their paths (cavingnews.
opment at a May 29 San Antonio City com/20130528-unicycle-caving-a-unique-
On May 22, WTSP of the Tampa Bay, Council meeting. No one spoke for the devel- combination).

NSS News, August 2013 39

 What is the most ridiculous a “Carl’s Bad Cavern” (at least the guy who Dave Crusoe: The most ridiculous name I can
named it had a sense of humor.) think of would have to go to Lego Puzzlepiece
cave name? Rocktopus Cave, a Berkshire-area cave-dig
Claude Koch: Skinmites Cave, Washington, Bob Gulden: Rubber Chicken Cave, in Massachusetts. The cave formed in
which is a renaming of Stalagmite Cave. Greenbrier Co. WVa. Named for the rubber wonderfully friable marble that breaks apart
squeeze toy found when digging open the in pieces that could (theoretically) be put back
Janice Curtis: Skagnasty Cave! entrance. together. But man, that would be a puzzle.
It also snags just about anything a caver is
Clinton Elmore: There’s lots of crazy cave Jonny Slumpff: Fixin’ to Die in Colorado. wearing. The name emerged naturally from
names in Tennessee. Here’s some random Really makes me want to visit... the friendly dig-side banter of the day!
ones: Hero Bucket Horror Hole, A Void
Pit, The Soul Scraper, Didn’T Go Well, Hal Love: A few silly names from a quick Adam Mcdowell: “Hell if I know” on the
Sounded Well, Hoe Ho Hole, Gills Ghyll, look at the Tennessee Cave Survey list are MO/AR line
Carlsgood Caverns, A Hole, Slut Slot, Gore Pickled Indian Cave, Beavis & Butthead
2-Crotch Pit.. Cave, Cold As A Witches Pit, and Gollums Johanna Kovarik: Stately Beaver Pleasure
Crack. I’m sure there are many more. Palace Cave
Bruce Kirchner: One of the entrances to
Maxwellton in WV was aptly named Cow Philip Rykwalder: Vir gil the Turtle’s Neil Marchington: Coochie Cave, OR. Fecal
Shit Pit. Greathouse Cave, Montana. After a character Cobble Cave, MT. Cactus Crawl, NV.
in a Vonnegut book.
Don Hunter: How about Afterbirth Cave, in Lee Florea: O-by-goth Biscuits and Gravy
Dade County, GA. Mike Crockett: Timmy’s X Pit Cave where Cave
X is a variable. It began as Timmy’s Pit Cave
Steve Millett: Perineal Descent then Timmy’s 2 Pit and 3 Pit Cave then more Stuart Marlatt: Buttress-Buttress-Gully Cave,
pits were discovered then the X was adopted. or Cave of the Cosmic Banana is also pretty
Andy Witt :Twilight of the Chicken Head X increased to 17 but has now gone down groovy (Colorado)
Cave on Pigeon Mtn, Georgia. due to an invading quarry. We think the
entrance to Timmy’s X Pit Cave has been Scott Linn: We were digging in the Marble
Valerie Haskins: we named one cave the rediscovered but the entry drop is blocked by Mountains, and the digger got excited and
“Chip Won’t Fit Pit” since the landowner’s chockstones. An effort to get by them and started throwing large rocks out of the dig,
son kept getting stuck in it. verify is forthcoming. So we thought it was hitting me, yelling “I can hear the spring
Timmy’s XX Pit Cave (the 2nd X meaning stream!”. I named it Bruise Spring Stream.
Jeff Cody: Buckets of Blood Cave in former) but now it may be Timmy’s XXX Pit
Tennessee Cave (the 3rd X meaning former former). Christina Richards “Bang Bang Blow Hole”
since it took a lot of bang to open up this
James Jasek: See My Shovel Cave Bradley Jones: Alabama has 12 caves with incredible pit.
the word chickenhead in them such as
Marian McConnell: When we began Dances with Chickenhead, Rootin Tootin Evan Gehring: 20 pound Tick Cave, Fix’n
exploring our property we found and named Chickenhead, Teach Your Chickenhead to Cry, Torch Ungal, P-Bar, Bad Medicine,
so many caves and sinkholes that we finally Well, Mad As A Wet Chickenhead, Blow Dog Trap, Bobcat Blowhole, Virgel, Little
named one, “For Pete’s Sake (How Many It Out Your Chickenhead, and Soda Top Cabbage Cave aka Lechuguilla, Tongue River
More Are There?)” Check out the map on Chickenhead Drop. Cave, Holy Sheep Cave
page 103 of the new book, “Murder Hole.”
Crash Kennedy: In my Mexican project area, Dave Bunnell: We assigned many interesting
Jim Pisarowicz: Larry Fish and I explored we have a Betty Crocker Cave, ¿Donde esta names to sea caves based on real or perceived
and mapped a cave in Colorado we called el Baño? Cave, Tarzan Cave, Jane Cave, dangers: Impalement Cave, Crack of Doom
“Chickens on My Mind”. I-don’t-know-if-it-is-Big Cave, Styrofoam Cave, Slam Dunk Cave, If you Dare Cave,
Cave, and many more. Suicide Crevice, Deathtrap, Thrashed
Jeremy Browning: “Left Tit Pit” and “The Dinghy. Others were based on shape, my
Cave Formerly Known As Bob” Nick Addington: In Rockcastle Co Kentucky favorite: Two Bedrooms and a Bath Cave.
there is a cave named Baby Head Voodoo,
Alan Staiman: “Burnsville Sarlacc Mighty for a disembodied baby doll head found there
Death Pit.. because all caves in Bath County
Our next Cave Chronicles Topic:
have to have B names. This one was named Pam Duncan: Mad as a Wet Hen.....well, the
by Loyahanna Grotto in the 90’s” story is priceless. Ask MOS If you could share a tip of anything
you’ve learned while caving it
Conrad Bateman: Smeagol (a cave in Al Goodcave: Small Dull Cave in Monroe would be...
the Dales).and another one there called County Indiana. It is nether small nor dull.
Crackpot, its a nice little cave Send your submissions to Philip by
Joel M. Sneed: My entry in this category is September 1 for publication in our
November issue: [email protected]
Chad McCain: In Perry County, MO we have Six Chicken Heads over Georgia.

40 NSS News, August 2013

 NSS News Apologizes to David Steinmann and Hedin, 2010) refers to two include the “About the Author” page at the
Steinmann for Book Review Mistakes new Colorado harvestmen species that end of the book. How can my name being
The review of my book Cave Creatures evolved and diverged from their surface mentioned five times out of over 2,000
of Glenwood Caverns in the Reading ancestors approximately 10 million years words get mutated into “The vast majority of
section of the May 2013 NSS News, by ago. the words in this booklet are used to describe
G.O Graening, contains a litany of unjustified Most of the new cave invertebrate the author....” I am not an egomaniac as
attacks on my personal credibility that are species I have discovered are not yet the reviewer implies. In reality, I go about
corrected below. An e-mailed apology was described, including at least 10 new Dipluran my cave life studies relatively quietly.
sent to me from Dave Bunnell, the Editor species. Dr. Lynn Ferguson presented 3. It is ridiculous for the reviewer
of the NSS News, regarding the personal the poster “A Preliminary Report on the to suggest that I “should consult a spele-
attacks in the review. I have been an NSS Cave Diplura of Colorado” at the 2009 obiologist for assistance” when I am a
member for 28 years, contributed thousands International Congress of Speleology, show- speleobiologist. The reviewer’s statements
of volunteer hours to learn more about cave ing that the 7 new species of Haplocampa “With such help, some of the animals....
life in Colorado., and received grant money dipluran I discovered in Colorado represent could at least be identified to the familial
for my studies from the NSS. For me to be 27% of all the known Haplocampa species taxonomic level,” and “more descriptive
disrespected in a demeaning book review in from caves in the world (Ferguson, 2009). names than “fly” can be employed,” ignores
the NSS News is wrong, and a rebuttal to I have collected approximately 45 new the fact that 14 of the 18 species shown in
the book review follows: springtail species as determined by Dr. Ken my book are specifically identified to family,
1. The reviewer writes “The author’s Christiansen, Dr. Jacek Pomorski and others. genus or species. My use of the word “fly”
boast of finding ‘100 new species’ is unsup- I collected about 10 new millipede species is intentional because the book is written for
ported in the biological literature,” suggesting with two new genera as determined by Dr tourists and non-scientists. I am more famil-
that I am not being truthful about my new William Shear. My findings also include iar with the cave invertebrates in Colorado
species discoveries, while in fact I have found several new centipede species with one in and the Southern Rocky Mountains than
over 100 new invertebrate species in the a family previously not known from North anyone else I am aware of.
caves of Colorado. I am a cave biologist America, as indicated by Dr. William Shear. 4. All of the species I collected were
and a Research Associate with the Denver My collections include at least 2 new properly identified and verified by taxono-
Museum of Nature & Science who has species of dung beetle as identified by Dr. mists from around the world, contrary to
worked hard studying cave invertebrates in Frank Krell and 2 new species of Leodidae the reviewer’s statement “even an avid cave
Colorado for the past 15 years. I was in no beetle as identified by Dr. Stewart Peck and animal collector cannot know he has a new
way “boasting” about my finds, I was simply Dr. Steve Ashe. I also collected 2-3 new species without consulting a taxonomist.”
quantifying my results. species of Harvestmen as determined by 5. The reviewer mistakenly writes
Ten of the new species I found are Dr. Shahan Derkarabetian, plus one new “There is no mention of any of the taxono-
named and published, representing a small spider species in the genus Hypochilus. mists who are doing the majority of the
fraction of the total number of new species A minimum of 2 new worm species were hard work that results in the publication of
I collected to date. New species I found discovered by me in Sulphur Cave, as deter- his new species.” I mention several taxono-
that are published and named consist of mined by Steve Fend with the USGS, along mists including Dr. Mark Harvey, Dr. Jacek
2 new pseudoscorpion species and 8 new with one new species of ostracod. The 20 Pomorski and Dr. Helen Pigage.
Collembola species. The pseudoscorpions new species of mites I have found are a 6. I take great offense to the reviewer
were described in the paper “Two new conservative estimate. Additionally, I found a belittling my work by saying “It is fun and
cavernicolous species of the pseudoscorpion new species of pseudoscorpion in the family relatively easy to collect a new species of
genus Cryptocreagris (Pseudoscorpiones: Larcidae which Dr. Mark Harvey has not yet cave invertebrate.” Maybe finding a new
Neobisiidae) from Colorado” (Harvey and formally described. I’ve also discovered 2 species is easy where the reviewer comes
Muchmore, 2009). The 8 new species of new fern species, one Cystopteris and one from, yet in Colorado legally collecting a new
Collembola were described in three sepa- Woodsia, growing on limestone near caves cave-adapted species is often quite difficult.
rate papers: a) Four new genera of North as determined by Dr. Michael Windham at First, I need to obtain a Special Use Permit
American Hymenaphorurini (Collembola: Duke University, and I am involved with two from the US Forest Service as most Colorado
Onychiuridae) with a description of new new moonwort (Botrychium) species being caves are on public lands. Just getting to
species and a key to the world genera of the worked on by Dr. Donald Farrar at Iowa many Colorado caves requires driving across
Tribe (Pomorski and Steinmann, 2004), b) A State University. the state, then 4-wheel driving on steep
revision of the genus Typhlogastrura in North 2. I am offended by the reviewer writing mountain roads, followed by long uphill hikes
American caves with description of five new that “a secondary goal of this book is evident: in difficult terrain at altitudes over 10,000’
species (Christiansen and Wang, 2006), to focus on the personal achievements of above sea level. Accessing the cold, wet
and c) Review of North American species the author,” and “The vast majority of the caves can require rapelling and ascending.
of the genus Onychiurus (Collembola: words in this booklet are used to describe One very dangerous cave I have been
Onychiuridae), with a description of four new the author, his accomplishments, and other studying has lethal levels of hydrogen sulfide
species from caves (Pomorski, Furgol and aspects of his life.” After reading these and carbon dioxide, requiring special safety
Christiansen, 2009). A paper I co-authored, statements I wondered “How could some- measures to enter the cave, and has sulfuric
“Repeated and time-correlated morphologi- one be so absolutely wrong, and why were acid drips with a pH of zero coming off the
cal convergence in cave-dwelling harvestmen these incorrect statements published in the ceiling. Once inside a cave, I must look
(Opiliones, Laniatores) from montane NSS News?” My name is mentioned only carefully for hours to find and collect tiny
western North America (Derkarabetian, five times in the entire book if one does not cave invertebrates, sorting and labeling the

NSS News, August 2013 41

specimens into vials, locating taxonomic rect in the book. I use the term accurately are no other animals living in the dark zone
experts to identify the specimens, and often to describe the cave creatures in my book of Glenwood Caverns capable of being a
needing to return to a cave multiple times to that lack pigment. The definition of albino predator of this pseudoscorpion. After more
collect find specimens of a rare new species. from Merriam-Webster dictionary is “an than a dozen collecting trips into the cave I
Publications and papers regarding the new organism exhibiting deficient pigmentation.” am certain this pseudoscorpion is the top
species also need to be written to document Numerous other cave biologists also use the predator in the cave.
my results. If finding new species in caves word albino to describe cave animals without Cave Creatures of Glenwood Caverns
is so easy, why am I the only person in pigmentation. is 32 pages with large color photos of
Colorado actively doing so? 10. The reviewer improperly writes that seldom-seen animals from one of the most
7. The reviewer writes “The author “A pseudoscorpion is not a top predator, popular caves in Colorado. It is $9.95 at
appears to be well-rewarded for his discov- but just a first-level predator” in reference Amazon.com and the NSS Bookstore. This
eries by a taxonomist who named several to my assertion that the pseudoscorpion book is great for both kids and adults who
species after Mr. Steinman(and even his Cryptocreagris steinmanni is at the top of are interested in caves, insects, and ecology.
son).” In actuality it was three different the food chain in Glenwood Caverns. There David B. Steinmann, NSS#27417
taxonomists who named three separate
new species in my honor, with a fourth new References: Harvey and Muchmore. 2009. Two new caver-
species being named after our young son. I Christiansen and Wang. 2006. A Revision of nicolous species of the pseudoscorpion genus
have no role whatsoever in the naming of the Genus Typhlogastrura in North American Crytptocreagris from Colorado. Subterranean
the new species I find, and I was pleasantly Caves With Description of Five New Species. Biology 7:55-64.
surprised to hear that new species were being Journal of Cave and Karst Studies. V. 68, no.
named after me.. 2, p 85-98. Pomorski, Furgol and Christiansen, 2009). Review
of North American Species of the Genus
8. For the reviewer to write that the
Derkarabetian, Steinmann and Hedin. 2010. Onychiurus (Collembola: Onychiuridae), With
“reader is constantly reminded of this honor Repeated and Time-Correlated Morphological a Description of Four New Species from Caves.
by such redundant statements as “Springtail, Convergence in Cave-Dwelling Harvestmen Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. (102)6: 1037-1049.
a tiny new species named Onychiurus stein- (Opiliones, Laniatores) from Montane Western
manni that was discovered by the author,” North America. PloS One 5(5):e10388. Pomorski and Steinmann. 2004. Four new
and “...named Cyrptocreagris steinmanni Doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0010388. genera of North American Hymenaphorurini
after the author” is inaccurate, given that (Collembola: Onychiuridae) with a description
Ferguson. 2009. Preliminary Report on the Cave of new species and a key to the world genera
these two quoted phrases are the only times
Diplura of Colorado (Hexapoda: Diplura: of the Tribe). Insect Systematics and Evolution.
such statements are made. Campodeidae). Longwood University, 35:1:16-27.
9. It is wrong for the reviewer to write Farmville, VA.
that my use of the term “albino” is incor-

Important Notice for Federal to the organizations of their choice during were submitted, electing Bill Putnam, Dean
Employees the annual charity drive, which runs from Wiseman, Mike Hood, Bill Jackson, and
NSS Joins Combined Federal Campaign September 1 through December 15. Nathan Farrar. Nathan will serve a 1-year
Federal & Military employees: You may What an easy way to direct your chari- term (filling a director vacancy), while others
now select the NSS to receive your donations table giving to support caves, cavers, and will serve 3-year terms. Those elected will
as part of the Combined Federal Campaign! your favorite society! For information on join current directors Bill Liebman, Peri
When the new Campaign drive begins this the CFC, visit www.cfctoday.org Frantz, Randy Paylor, Mike Crockett,
fall, please designate the NSS, # 10808, Dick Mitchell, Margot Geisler, and Carol
to receive your contributions. Thank you! New NSS Directors Elected in June Tiderman on the 2014 NSS Board of
For information on the CFC, visit www. Thank you for voting in the 2013 NSS Directors. More specifics of the election
cfctoday.org Board of Directors election! 1,900 ballots results can be viewed on the NSS web site.

NSS Joins Combined Federal Campaign

Donations made easy!
We’re proud to announce that the NSS
has been accepted as a recipient on the
2013/2014 Combined Federal Campaign
(CFC) National List. This means that now
federal (including Military) employees all over
the world may select the NSS, # 10808, as
the recipient of their donations.
Established in 1961, the CFC is the
largest workplace charity campaign in the
country and the only campaign authorized to
solicit and collect contributions from federal
employees in the workplace. Through this
effort, nearly four million federal employees
and military personnel are able to contribute

42 NSS News, August 2013

Support for the NSS News provided by Petzl

NSS News, August 2013 43

August 2013