NEED TO KNOW
- Fifteen teens explored Duffield Cave in 2000 as part of a youth group outing
- One teen got wedged in an area of the cave known as “The Pretzel” for its intestine-like shape
- “The passage had become a limestone straitjacket, holding her in a position that seems impossible to escape,” according to reports
One of the most unique rescues in spelunking occurred 25 years ago, after a teenager got stuck in an impassable canal in a Pennsylvania cave.
On Aug. 15, 2000, 15 teens went “on a youth group outing” at Duffield Cave in Franklin County, Penn. Despite one 17-year-old’s young age, she was one of the most experienced cavers in the group.
Things went according to plan for the first hour of the adventure inside the limestone cavern, until “a young female caver became stuck in a tight spot” in the passage, the National Speleological Society reported in its June 2003 newsletter.
The outing went awry when the group approached an intimidating area known as “The Pretzel” for its intestine-like shape, which forced spelunkers to turn their bodies in unnatural ways, according to the On The Verge YouTube channel.
Stock image of a woman hiking.
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Drawings of the Duffield Cave, as seen in the YouTube video, show that the section has a narrow entrance, then curves upward before flowing left, dropping down again and bending right before angling back up to a larger chamber.
Most of the group turned back, but the teen decided to try it out, reportedly relying on her experience, according to On The Verge.
Starting headfirst, she safely navigated the first few sections, contorting her body through the passageways, which got tighter the farther she climbed. As she got to one of the last bends, her breathing reportedly became shallow, restricted by the tight space, and suddenly, she was stuck, the video explained.
While her upper body was facing upward, her lower body was bent, putting her body into a V-shape. She had nowhere to move.
“Her right shoulder jammed against the wall, her left hip wedged against the opposite side. Her legs, still angled from the previous turns, couldn’t find purchase to push forward or pull backward. The passage had become a limestone straitjacket, holding her in a position that seemed impossible to escape,” a video from On The Verge, which shares “in-depth educational content examining devastating real-life disasters,” explained.
Her friends tried to grab her feet and pull her out, but that only wedged her into the space even more.
For four hours, multiple rescue attempts failed. In hopes of creating lubrication, water was poured on her, but the walls absorbed the liquid, according to On The Verge. The water also caused her internal temperature to drop to a dangerously low level and hypothermia crept in.
“She found herself having conversations with the cave walls, apologizing for intruding, asking them politely to let her go,” the video continued.
As her body began to shiver and her mind grew hazy, extraction efforts only became more difficult.
Stock image of a woman in a hospital.
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“Her friends were unable to free her, and alerted the landowner, who called 911,” the National Speleological Society reported. “A large-scale response by police, fire, and other emergency services personnel resulted. Eventually, local cavers were called in as well.”
Soon, a special rescue unit and local cavers descended on the area and realized that the water, coupled with her sweat, was expanding her size. A unique idea sprang, which proved to be the difference between life and death.
“The girl was finally freed after about four hours by the removal of most of her clothing and a liberal application of cooking oil,” the newsletter read. The oil made her body slippery, allowing rescuers to pull her out of the passageway by working in reverse and undoing all the contortions that trapped her.
Miraculously, she suffered only minor injuries and mild hypothermia.
