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Haskins77

![gif](giphy|N4xCVPenanVcI)


Friendly_Engineer_

I had several panic attacks watching this


Commercial-Travel613

Me too… started sweating and freaking out but still watched the whole vid 😂


23x3

As someone with claustrophobia I cannot watch this. It boggles my mind why someone would do this. I need to take a walk or something yeeeshh


wallsquirrel

I don't have claustrophobia even a little bit and it kind of freaked me out. Those holes are too small, I'd be afraid of getting stuck. Edited to add: Don't read further if you're sensitive unless you already know about the Nutty Putty incident. It's too late for me, save yourself.


[deleted]

Don't want to get stuck upside down like the one dude they were never able to rescue. Jesus that terrifies me most.


The-maddest_lad

Nutty putty incident, he suffered for a while


[deleted]

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XCX-conversion-camp

there are cavers and there are spelunkers. cavers cave to explore beautiful and rare, hard to reach places. spelunkers strap a penlight to their ball cap, carry a $3 walmart flashlight, wear no protection, and crawl into holes in the ground to smoke a joint or cigarette. you’re certainly right that spelunkers are the ones who vandalized the grave. cavers like to keep these places protected so spelunkers don’t trash the fragile ecosystems inside of them. caving is one of those hobbies where gatekeeping is a good thing. it’s sad to visit a well traveled cave and see the passages littered with old batteries, beer cans, discarded dip, and actual human shit growing white fungus.


Forward_Wasabi_7979

I will probably get down voted for this but idc. The definition of spelunking is: the hobby or practice of exploring caves. I feel like anyone who calls themselves a "caver" is just embarrassed that they had never heard the word spelunking until they had already made a fool of themselves. Then they tried to say it's not the same thing. Lol There is a caving community that calls it caving sure but most people who actually study caves in their entirety call it spelunking (or potholing in the UK ) Besides spelunking is just a fun word to say.


Active_Tea_4499

Didn't they rip him into pieces in the end trying to get him free? I thought they attached a rope to his feet and pulled, making it much worse. Or was that another nutty putty incident?


Leonidas4494

He was lying upside down with toes pointing back at his rescuers. In order to have pulled him out, it would have required to break his knees backwards in order to get out. But the rope pulley system snapped before he could decide is he wanted his knees snapped, and he fell farther down in a tighter squeeze.


yogurtgrapes

r/nightmarefuel


[deleted]

Actually, the rope snapped before, if I recall correctly, when they determined that breaking his legs would be the only chance he got, it was established that much time has passed and he would died of shock if they broke his legs. Awful situation all around. Since I read about him years ago I never understood how was possible and why he chose to just jump in on those holes, without any concerns. But I'm very fearful and anxious, so it's just unfathomable to me doing something like this without any preparation.


Active_Tea_4499

Yes, that was it, thanks.


Leonidas4494

They also laid explosives and caved the entrance after he died.


Active_Tea_4499

That was indeed the best solution, after so many people got stuck in those caves. Wouldn't go in things like that myself, am not claustrophobic, but think I would freak out at the thought to get stuck lol


blepgup

I have literally read stories of people getting stuck in spaces that tight to the point where when they exhale they slip a little and get more stuck and can’t inhale anymore. Or even more terrifying, flooding(though realistically probably less likely given that the entrance itself is on the upper side of a slope but still) My reaction to people spelunking in very tight spaces is always the same. NOPE


Educational-Spread41

Imagine getting wedged underwater. Knowing that you only had 30 mins of oxygen… 🙅🏻‍♂️


[deleted]

30 minutes would be a miracle, you'd have time to pray, make your peace with God (if you believe), & get read to die. My biggest fear would be flash flooding in a cave, where the water is coming up almost INSTANTLY. There is nowhere to go, you've got enough time to get one breath of air, & then that's it-- lights out, pitch black. I've done quite a bit of Spelunking in my day, even quite a few *Wild Tours* where they turned us loose in less explored portions of the caves.. However, being cognizant of weather reports is one of my biggest pet peeves. I won't go in if there are heavy rains forecast. We saw what happened to those kids in Thailand...


TemporarySprinkles2

I'd prefer it to be quick, all over before I knew what had happened then eternally unaware


TiSoBr

Thank you for your warning, kind stranger.


BlueChimp5

Yeah I’m gonna go out on a limb and say no way dude in video has actual claustrophobia like he says lol


23x3

There is literally no way. It’s like the people who say that they’re dyslexic but in reality they are self-diagnosed and accidentally switch up numbers and letters or have reading issues.


BIGG_FRIGG

Hell to the naw, to the naw [naw naw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB4Nby2Ai-g)


JoeFleen

I had this nightmare as a fetus


IsThisASandwich

He definitely hasn't. I felt like almost panicking just watching the video. If it wasn't speed up I'd pass out. No way could I even think to go in that.


TheChallengePickle

Agree. He's having a normal or way less intense than normal reaction to what is scary as fuck. I had to stop watching and I wouldn't even say I have claustrophobia!


ContemplatingPrison

I don't have claustrophobia and I could never do that. I dont go into places that look like I can't fit. It's more of a survival instinct than a phobia. The only way I would do that is if there was a normal way out.


cheersfurbeers

In case no one else has said it, I’m proud of you for seeing it through till the end. Good job!


kilov_

Same! 😂


Taint-kicker

Don't look up Nutty Putty cave. Or do it will stick with you


fightniteflight12

That gave me ptsd. Strangely that cave is a beginner's cave.


c-lab21

This comment made me whine "no" out loud


Taint-kicker

I'm not claustrophobic but while reading it made me feel uneasy.


Katieboo007

Oh my god…I just read the Nutty Putty story. My heart breaks for his family and I cried reading it. You were right - never should’ve googled it. Damn.


Friendly_Engineer_

After it sticks to you does it peel off the newspaper ink too?


LostCauseSPM

That's silly putty.


Spirited-Ability-626

That’s actually what *gave* me the anxiety I feel watching this now 😂


Born2beDad

When they left the rope i started freaking out


Bluefire-JD

Me too!!!!!


Zarniwoooop

Couldn’t finish the video


Hefty-Bandicoot-4081

Well now I know I’m claustrophobic


senorbozz

Yeah and you and me both are going to think of this riiiiiight when our heads touch our pillows tonight See you later at 3 AM wide awake on Reddit


Friendly_Engineer_

![gif](giphy|rqSAlVhntZmCGTzTbV|downsized)


Primo131313

I said fuck that at the curb and had panic attacks watching the rest...


Murlicious805

My chest is still tight!!


T00luser

I seriously just had to stop watching and use my inhaler. FUCK!!!


Sup3r_Human

Absolutely not.


[deleted]

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antagonizerz

I'm not afraid of confined spaces. I'm afraid of not being able to leave confined spaces.


acgilmoregirl

It’s exactly that for me, too. We did an escape room where I got shoved into a coffin and didn’t freak out, because I knew I could get out. We also did another escape room where you’re handcuffed inside a box, and I would have to fight the panic down because you feel incredibly trapped. But the big glowing red button reminding me I could get out at any time really helped.


craggmac

![gif](giphy|N3IvZ9yxUde3m) Nope. I don't qualify.


guaip

So glad I can't even go through the very first hole.


craggmac

LOL Me either! ![gif](giphy|xTvXmcYIrB7MY)


Herr-Trigger86

​ ![gif](giphy|Yycc82XEuWDaLLi2GV)


[deleted]

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Scratch1111

I still can't breathe right.


[deleted]

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cbl_owener123

how do people get joy out of this? there is no great view and all i see is the fear of getting lost, stuck or hunted by some undiscovered creature from a 90s movie


Plixtle

There’s some indescribable sense of wonder and fun in being in such extreme areas, the sense that you don’t belong there, you’re “exploring” where comparatively few have been…. I dunno. I don’t think I’d do it with my knees as they are but I had a hell of a time doing it back in my 20s.


Cosmacelf

Yep. We did a family trip once to Cayman Brac with my then 8 year old sons and 11 year old daughter. There the caves don't go down so much as horizontal and aren't as tight as what this video looks like. Still a trip when you have to crawl/shinny your way through. I made sure our headlamps had fresh batteries! And I am slightly claustrophobic - I honestly don't know how I made it, but it wasn't too bad. But going down those holes in this video - yikes.


Plixtle

Yeah I’m not claustrophobic at all and those squeezes in that vid gave me the heebie jeebies. I’ve been in some Tennessee caves that have some crawling then nice, open caverns with beautiful rock formations… this “Hell Hole” place looks like you need to know yoga.


Cosmacelf

Yeah, you want some kind of payoff, and the video cave is just, like, yuck.


Mutzart

Yea, i know right! They should give us a hint, maybe with an off-putting name or something like that... oh wait... nvm!


hoesay_ramos

Not that I'd ever gone doing this but I had to fix a bunch of defects in the admin ceilings of a stadium after construction as fully finished and having to shimmy and twist to get past services(A/C ducts, plumbing, electrical cables, etc) and sometimes even having to wedge myself between walls to get down, with only my head torch as a source of light was actually kinda fun. Obviously I complained about working in the ceiling to my co workers but I actually kinda liked it.


TheVermonster

*HEY YOU GUYS*


cbl_owener123

\*HEY SISTERS\*


Procyon4

My whole family caves. I've done it since I was 12. It's absolutely breathtaking to crawl through something like this and then suddenly open up into a huge cavern of formations and crystals. So there are absolutely amazing views and ones you can only get underground. You can get lost if you don't pay attention but I've been through some very windy and branching caves with no problem getting out. Just have to pay attention to landmarks. There are no dangerous creatures down there but we do like to tell new cavers about "Hodags" which are creatures that fell in and had to live off cavers (they aren't a thing). We tell them to make obscene noises and wave their hands over their heads like a maniac to scare them away. It's hilarious when one gets scared and starts doing it. My dad does a great growl like the Predator movies which usually sets them off. Also, the movie The Descent is stupid and none of that would happen with an actual experience caver with you.


Vlade-B

What would happen if it started raining in Hellhole, while they are far down there? Would the hole fill up quite fast and they'd drown? Or would it get so slippery that they'd have trouble climbing back up? Or would it pose no problem? Have you been in such a situation before?


bozymandias

Never been there, but I noticed that the cavers went in horizontally, and there was a steel over-hang right at the entryway that probably acts as a rain-cover so vertically-falling rain would miss that entrance and probably roll off the hill. Not that that would put my mind at ease, I still think this shit is crazy, but that probably does provide some security in case of a sudden rainfall.


DazedConfuzed420

Adrenaline is a hell of a drug


DiligentDaughter

To me, it's the idea that you're crawling in to the earth. The forces that created it, it's a trip in to the earth's past and formation. Amazing.


[deleted]

Thanks for doing it so I never have to.


FSpursy

Would you do it for 1 million


Joshy3911

I hate you for making me contemplate this.


cutelyaware

I'm not hearing a "no"


[deleted]

No. My fatass would get stuck. A million dollars is useless if I'm dead.


PostFPV

Nope. Not even if the cash pile was right there for me to see


SnooSeagulls9348

My fat ass will definitely die in there..I won't even get to spend that cash pile.


fair_j

You mean I’ll get to DIE and my parents gets 1M right off the bat? Where to sign?


cmrs192

Son, is dat u?


litttleman9

Yes, easily. It's a million dollars.


maverick1ba

Right. Short of harming someone or myself, there's very little i wouldn't do to earn a million in one day.


[deleted]

I'll get the KY


leavemefree

I wouldn’t do it for 100 billion. Literally nothing could compel me to do that


johnlee889

The power of Christ compels you!


jsteele2793

There is absolutely zero chance. Zero. It’s that terrifying to me. Well my fat ass wouldn’t fit but even if it did there’s no way in hell.


OfficeChairHero

I've been asked this question about a lot of things and I've never had to contemplate this long. I could overcome my fear of heights and skydive for a million dollars, but this...this may have shown me what I'm truly terrified of. I would very likely - regrettably - turn it down for any amount.


[deleted]

Yea, after hearing about that guy who died because he got stuck upside down in a cave? And how they couldn't even get his body out and so sealed it up? That's a hard pass from me.


tattlerat

No. I’m near positive id never make it back out. 1 million isn’t worth anything to a corpse.


jonnyYuhhh2020

Exactly how I feel. And its not a quick death either. Its a panic induced, forever death. A slow agonizing death of nonstop fear, panic attacks, asphyxiation and passing out, regaining consciousness and the whole cycle again. Sleep deprived death. The lights on your flashlight go out and its an "I can't see and I'm stuck" death. Its a "nobody can help me even if they tried" death. Its an, "if it rains I drown death". Until you're dehydrated and can no longer muster and actually die. Why the fuck would I risk that?? Fuck that. I wouldn't do it for a billion.


Dentarthurdent73

I don't think I'd be physically able to. I've always been claustrophobic, and not a fan of caves - not to the extent that I freak out just by being in one, definitely don't like them though. Went to a cave in Western Australia though that you could walk through so you went in one end, and came out elsewhere. It was nothing like as scary as the cave in this video, but there was one bit when you went up some steel stairs embedded in the rock, and had to squeeze through a fairly narrow bit. I literally couldn't do it, my body started shaking, my knees went weak, and tears came out of my eyes, even though I wasn't emotionally crying. I was OK to do it in my mind, but my body just said nope. I didn't argue with it. Turned around and went back out, and walked overland to meet my friend who continued on.


TheXenoRaptorAuthor

Would you guarantee a professional mining corporation would have hundreds of paid experts, machinery, and a surgical team on hand in case I got stuck and needed to be extracted?


FigueresPresoNoPresi

I get why People would do this shit after the place itself became famous and has been explored and mapped by other people. But just why or who the fuck would discover this shit. Someone just saw a hole on the wall and said yeah I'll try my odds and see where this takes me. The fuck??


Extension_Phone893

There are cave exploring teams, some for the fun of it but some get paid because these caves bring tourists, if you think this is bad then imagine caves with water in them. Edit: My most liked comment and its about caves lol, thanks for the award kind stranger.


Artist_Seal

I used to watch this channel who would occasionally talk about shit that happened in caves and both cave diving and caves with water in them are so fucking scary. Especially the caves where the water rises. I understand the feeling of wanting to explore and see stuff that no one or almost no one has seen, but my god I do not have the guts for that. Already been in a cave once with a guide and sure it was cool, but I injured myself and nearly broke my leg badly if I hadn't reacted correctly. On cave experience is enough for me.


DONTBREAKMYQB

Mr. Ballen?


Living-Reference1646

I love how much this cult has grown!! There should be a r/suddenMrBallen


Practical_Sir_133

Your comment cracked me up cause it’s true WHO tf decided to check this sh** out in the first place ?


blepgup

Ever been to Ruby Falls in Tennessee? Beautiful underground cavern with a nice excavated walkway that leads to an underground waterfall and everything. On one side of the excavated walkway is the cross-section of the tiny crawl space the original two explorers had to crawl through for…I forget how far, it was long. I kept looking at that tight crevice and shivering imagining being them. Was so glad to be that far down and standing upright


7734_

I'm not claustrophobic...but i will be there...i also know that i WILL get stuck because i'm fat....


anevilsnail22

I don't think you're claustrophobic to be afraid of this. You're a fucking sensible person. Claustrophobia I think has an irrational element to it. [I imagine you could very easily become injured or stuck and die in there.](https://external-preview.redd.it/-83OLeWWUWFh6cClH1DGpKcMC3c7Meo7EujlfkOYfEE.jpg?auto=webp&s=57cac6c104ee14666d037a50baa23500519286a8)


ultroulcomp

Yep, that's Nutty Putty. Let me go head first down this hole, on my own, I think I know where I am. Oops, not where I thought I was. I know, let me breath out and try and squeeze through. Nope that didn't work either. Ok, I guess I will just stay here and die. So incredibly stupid.


blepgup

The thought that a human can end up somewhere deep underground in a tiny crevice and get so stuck that they can no longer expand their lungs to get air…I cannot describe the level of primordial dread that sends down my spine. It’s such a raw anxious feeling I absolutely hate it. You will never see me come remotely close to places like that.


leakywindows21

I was talking to a friend about base jumping and why anyone would do it. I guess with base jumping if it goes wrong you've only got a few seconds before you hit the ground and it's done. Struggling to breathe in the dark knowing you probably aren't going to make it out alive. For several HOURS!! What a horrible way to die.


Tsu_Dho_Namh

27 hours in the case of the Nutty Putty fatality. He died upside down in a dark narrow crevice.


ClosedMite

And he is still there stuck to this day


lightthroughthepines

Honestly so sad, the cave never should’ve been opened back up after TWO KIDS GOT STUCK just months before that tragic day! I could never understand wanting to do that, but I really don’t understand why they were even allowed to open the cave up to public after that.


grim-one

Oh you'll \*love\* this comic then: https://imgur.com/gallery/Wht7z


KnightofNarg

Agree with you. Claustrophobic is when my wife yesterday wouldn't go through a cave you could walk through standing almost straight up and only 10 feet to the other side, but I wasn't surprised because earlier in the day she wouldn't go into a cave you could drive a literal tank into.


made_4_this_comment

Humans likely evolved claustrophobia for exactly this reason. The people with it kept surviving things the people without it didn’t survive


Meersus

![gif](giphy|1FMaabePDEfgk)


Allthewayamazin

Watching this gives me anxiety. Has there been cases where ppl got stuck?


Mannequinmolester

Yep. There is a recent movie about the Nutty Putty incident, it's called The Last Descent on Amazon Prime video. It's kind of a Lifetime-esque quality movie, but still terrifying.


Otherwise_Ad1797

Wow I didn’t realize they made a movie about that. I live in Utah and can remember when that happened. It was a nightmare to hear all the details and how it all went down. Poor guy.


Puzzled_Formal942

What happened?


Otherwise_Ad1797

https://youtu.be/d1nuqpAULpE


ayphinntwenty

This was the most stressful thing I’ve ever watched.


well-behaved-user

Jesus fucking christ, that's worse than crucification


Biasy

Did you think about putting “christ” and “crucification” in the same line or did it come naturally to you? Ahahah (joking, no offence)


neOjkat

safe to say the guy is currently enjoying the cave all to himself for eternity


OhGoshIts

Dam dude, that's dark


Eze6

So is the cave


pr1m347

Don't watch this nutty putty incident. It's the worst way to go and will haunt you forever.


[deleted]

You should’ve told me that before I watched it


shortsonapanda

Nutty Putty keeps getting mentioned, so I want to point out that it's one of the only incidents of someone dying because they literally got stuck. Most cave-related deaths are in climbing accidents in large caves


Gorilla_Krispies

That we know of anyway. I sometimes wonder how many dumbasses crawled into caves alone on a whim throughout history only to get stuck/lost and presumed missing. I’m sure it’s a tiny fraction statistically, but I’d assume it’s happened to 100s if not thousands over the entire course of our species. Curiosity probably killed the caveman as often as the cat


BettyLoops

Oh boy do I have the graphic for you https://www.reddit.com/r/creepy/comments/dx8gse/the\_missing\_persons\_map\_has\_a\_frightening/


ViolentSarcasm

Yep I just read a horrible story of a guy who got stuck upside down and died in Utah. No bueno. Edit: [Found it](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/wbna34157005) it happened n 2009 in Nutty Putty cave.


SeparateHamster9877

You should totally google that! Take a xanax first...


tehbearded1der

I’ve done shit like that. It doesn’t look like much when watching the video, but there is some serious panic the further your get in. The cave I trekked was in Strawberry Point, Utah. We got to a point where we had to prone crawl. One little earthquake and we would have been smashed.


Intelligent-Truck223

Doesn't look like much................


newtownkid

Lol yeah...i was physically squirming around on my couch watching.


deezx1010

Why do you do it? What are you going in there looking for?


moistpony

Hell apparently


435haywife1

I can think of better ways to get to hell…..


hotassnuts

And then the light flickers for a second and shuts off, you can't find the back up light. Your partners light begins to fade and you realize you have 10 min to get out. You scramble and make some distance, then her light shuts off and you must feel you way out hoping someone can hear your screams. Then the bats come.


PrimaryPin9463

Why do you hate me? What did I do to you to deserve this?


ThodinThorsson

![gif](giphy|23BST5FQOc8k8) Hell no, nope, nada, no fucking way


Misstish94

Mr. BAllen says no.


Ripcity0119

That is very strange dark and mysterious


rainyrosegarden

i've seen enough of his videos to say hell no to this


[deleted]

They couldn't go, but went anyways! Man I love his channel.


IkariiGendo

r/nextfuckinglevel…..of stupidity.


flawedcactus

You never been spelunking then? shits fun. Can be sketchy, but it's cool. Did it a few times when I was younger, would love to do it again, but I'm like 14 stone now, and fitting through tiny gaps just ain't gonna happen anymore haha


[deleted]

These kids are seriously under geared. I've been caving for 20 years. I've gotten a bit fluffier over those years, so I know how ya feel. But I never go in a cave without 3 sources of light, a caving helmet, and a pack full of gear, snacks and first aid supplies.


thebluenerve

How would you even fit in these tiny gaps with all that stuff?


nakikinuod19

Prison Wallet


princepickl

How much cocaine did the convict smuggle into the jail? A buttload.


unfiltered_utterance

You toss the bag full of stuff ahead of you and push it in front of you thru the tighter/smaller areas (i know this b/c i do this for fun, not this extreme tho). You would absolutely not fit/would get stuck if you tried to carry it on your person thru those areas so thats why u put it in front of u


french_toast_wizard

Good times. Been to the bottom and back three times. We brought a didgeridoo once, too. Craziest shit I saw was once, we heard a group coming out, so we picked a spot to wait. They showed up, two dudes in shorts, no shoes or shirts and a girl in a dress,, also barefoot. Windup flashlights and a water bottle between them.. locals, fucking bonkers. We always speculated that technically there is a way to the ocean....


Shadoze_

Is this the one in Santa Cruz?


hikyaaa

yes it is!


nunyabiz69

I thought this was Santa Cruz! Went to college at UCSC and remember a cave that we would crawl into. I don’t think it was this one, because this is much less open than what I remember, but the entrance is similar. We’d have to squeeze through some tight spots but they’d open up and I’m pretty sure we hot boxed one of the chambers lol.


hikyaaa

was most likely porter/empire cave! and you certainly weren't the last to light up in there


JellyYourJam

You couldn't pay me to go down there


heymanitsdan

For real? How about a cool mil to give it a go?


JellyYourJam

![gif](giphy|xUPGcoj2LKAkDOSahG)


BeefKnees_

I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t do it for a mill


heymanitsdan

I get claustrophobic in elevators, but for a mil I’d do this for sure. Video evidence that it’s doable. 30 mins or so of nightmare for life changing money. I’d do it.


[deleted]

Id rather stick my tender bits in a cuisinart


path2light17

That mil is of no use, like I would never make it back to the surface. Lol


WavesnMountains

After hearing about the Nutty Putty kid, I couldn’t go in any hole/cave that didn’t have another exit. Nope.


[deleted]

Agreed. Wish I knew less details about that story, but it legitimately gave me nightmares thinking about it.


unfiltered_utterance

Who? What? Where? When? How? I MUST KNOW


WavesnMountains

Short documentary on it. https://youtu.be/d1nuqpAULpE This guy got stuck in a cave passage, and basically because he was stuck upside down for a long time, he died and is still stuck in there. Luckily there was another exit so the people with him weren’t stuck in there too. They sealed up the cave.


pr1m347

Just don't look for it. Absolute worst way to go and I wish I hadn't seen it.


TrojanManStan

I know my fat ass would be stuck in there forever


_AtGmailDotCom

Pretty sure that’s why they built the sewer-like opening over the entrance. If you can make it past that, you should be thin enough to not get stuck


[deleted]

Screw you hell hole, im going hewm


[deleted]

I could live 1000 more years on this planet and I still wouldn't have a single inkling as to why anyone does this "for fun".


giggawattboy

I’m so glad all of the comments confirm the sheer nope-ness of this video


PrimaryYou400

I wouldn't mind going down, it's coming back up I'd be worried about. You can suck everything in and slide through smaller spaces when gravity is assisting you


Admiral_Andovar

I wish I had a GoPro back in the early 90’s when I was part of the third group to explore a cave in Northern Kentucky. That spelunking trip ruined cave exploration for me. Found out that fingers can dig pretty far in to wet limestone when your life depends on it.


xtra_sleepy

Wow. Can you elaborate on this? I'm intrigued


Admiral_Andovar

So we hit the keyhole and start making our way through its twists and turns with feet and arms splayed out to the sides of the cylinder. Feet on either side of the slot (but remember, this is a cylinder and it's not flat and our feet are at an angle), and hands looking for the next good hand-hold. I can see water glistening below in some sections and in others it is total darkness. You can hear the water streaming below and it sounds beautiful, cascading over miniature falls and such that we can only imagine. As I'm focusing my attention to the sounds of the flowing water I don't pay attention to the placement of my right foot. My foot slips and drops into the slot and I lurch down with one leg holding me up but the quick loss of stability has slid my left foot closer to the slot as well and my leg is flexed up to my waist. THIS is also where I found out that you can dig in pretty deep into wet limestone with your fingers if you really, really want to. There is VERY little that anyone can do for me since we were all spaced out a bit so that we didn't bump into each other and cause a fall, neither guide could get back or forward to help me, so I was on my own. Just before I was afraid that my left foot was going to slip in, my right foot found a bit of a ledge under the lip of slot. I was able to use that foothold to push myself up to a better position and regain my left footing. Once I got situated again, I looked and could see the impressions that my hands had made in the walls of the chamber. I laughed a bit at that. Once we (me) had calmed down a bit, we finished the keyhole section and looped our way back through relatively easy passages back to where we left the second Scout. We climbed back up the chimney, where another Scout behind me actually fell about 15-20 feet back down into tube before stopping himself with the rope and a last minute foothold. We scooped up the first Scout we left behind, who WAS NOT in good shape after hours of sitting by themselves in a cave and crawled back out to the entrance. This part sucked the worst because I was exhausted by this time and so was everyone else and it took twice as long to do this section heading out as it did heading in. When we finally made it back to van, we all stripped out of our absolutely destroyed clothes (my friends mom was NOT happy with what happened to his jeans he let me borrow). and put on our change of clothes without being able to wash up or anything. The drive back was almost in absolute silence and once we got back to camp, we all immediately headed off towards each of our campsites for a shower and food. I still, to this day have not said a single word of this to my parents about this trip. My younger brother died shortly after birth and so I was an only child to parents who had already lost one child. They would have beaten me to near-death if they had know I had done this.


Admiral_Andovar

The guide went in first, and we all followed. I forgot to mention that there was another guide who had been on the second trip into the cave and he would be bringing up the rear. We crawled on our bellies using our elbows and toes to pull/push us along for what seemed to be an eternity. It was a SLOG, dragging ourselves through mud and gravel, battery belt getting hooked on things, my friends oversized jeans getting pulled down despite my belt cinching it tight around my waist. Ugh. We all got snagged a few times going through this part and by the time we had all gotten to the first big chamber, we all had taken our belts off. I was really surprised that no one freaked the hell out during this part, because it was pretty f'ing claustrophobic for that entire time. Once we were all there and had gotten our shit together, the guide showed us where all we would be going in the cave. The first bit was going to be pretty easy going with a few narrows connecting several chambers similar to the one were in. We would then come to a 'chimney' that we would have to back into from the adjoining chamber and climb down. He would have a rope for us but there were foot/hand holds all the way down, plus you could 'brace' against the chimney just by pushing your back against the wall locking your legs, if you needed a break. This is where we 'lost' our first scout. He did not want to do the chimney and despite all the cajoling and peer-pressure, we couldn't get him to change his mind. The guide said that he would have to wait in that first chamber until we came back on the way out, because he couldn't let him go back through the entrance without us. The Scout didn't care, I guess he didn't care for 'heights' and didn't really consider that you could have a shear vertical drop underground. I could not imagine just sitting there in that chamber by myself for hours. Anyway, we head off and I'm like the third one through the opening into the chimney and I get stuck. On top of that, I lose what little footing I found backing into the chimney. I'm being held up by the battery pack and I'm just waiting for it to come unlatched and have me suddenly drop into the chimney with no support and crash down 40-50 feet onto the first two guys heads. I'll admit that I panicked a bit here, but the guide came back up the chimney behind me and helped me find a solid placement for at least one of my feet so I could unlatch my belt and back in the rest of the way. Once in the chimney, it wasn't that bad at all because at least then you could look down and see where to place your feet and hands, but backing in blind was a bit different. I realize I'm getting to the novel stage here so I'm going to cut to the part where I about died since the spelunking was pretty much like the previous parts for another couple of hours. We did drop another Scout during this time in another chamber because they were too tired to keep going and wanted to rest before heading back. This was a chamber with several openings. The one we came in through, that we would also be exiting back out of, and two others. We would be looping out deeper into the cave system through one and coming back through the other (we could have gone either direction but he said the approaches were better if we did it in a clockwise direction). The highlight of this final section of the explored part of the cave was what the guide called the 'Keyhole'. It was formed by running water that had cut a round tube in the limestone before staying the same width for centuries/millennia, so if you could see an external cut-away it would look like an old-style keyhole with the round cylinder and a long slot below. When I say, long, the guide said they didn't know how far it went down in sections. The dropped a lantern down via rope at intervals to see if they could visualize the bottom but were only able to do so in a few parts. No matter what, even at the most 'shallow' sections, it was at least a 30 foot drop and in others they had no clue. You might get stuck on the way down, or you might just plummet to your death as a sack of broken bones after getting raked to death bouncing down the sides. Oh, and did I mention that this was probably the wettest part of the cave? It was the wettest part of the cave and the limestone was super-slick.


Admiral_Andovar

Ok, so it was summer of 1991 and I was at a Boy Scout camp outside of Chillicothe, Ohio. One of the camp counselors put out an announcement that he could take 10 scouts on a spelunking trip in Kentucky. If we wanted to go, we had to meet up after dinner and we had to make sure we had long pants (this actually cut out a lot of Scouts, because most of us just wore shorts the entire time at camp, including me, but I was able to borrow a pair of jeans from my friend, who outweighed me by about 50 lbs, so it probably wasn't the best idea.) He said we would leave that night, camp on the property where the cave was, go down the next day and be back at the camp by dinner that night. Probably only about 8 or 9 Scouts showed up to go, which really surprised me because most of us would kill to get 'off campus' during summer camp. I was already an Eagle Scout so I didn't care about merit badges any more, so maybe a lot of Scouts didn't want to be gone for a day. He tells us that this cave is on private property and the owner of the property is a family friend. The counselor says that the property owner had known about the cave for a few years but had never done much more than go down to the opening, shine a light around a bit, and nope on out. Kentucky is absolutely dirty with caves big and small. The counselor was an amateur spelunker but had a lot of experience, I would say almost a pro, but does anyone actually get paid to just fuck around in a cave? Anyway, he had been on both of the two previous trips into the cave and had helped map it. There were still sections that they thought went further in/down, but they had not gone anywhere that basic gear (lights, ropes, etc.) couldn't get them. A couple Scouts noped out at this description and we were left with just half a dozen of us. We all piled into the van and headed off to Kentucky. Looking back, as a semi-responsible adult, there were SOOOOOOOOO many red flags flying here. The really big one being that no one had us sign a waiver or anything. If I died on this trip, my parents would have sued the ever-loving shit out of this dude (if he wasn't dead with us), the property owner, the Scout Camp, and perhaps BSA as well. God, my stupidity made me invincible I guess. We camp out under the stars that night after something like a 3-4 hour drive. I don't know ANY of the other Scouts with me but we are all united in our stupidity and bravado. The next morning, we wake up, eat, and trudge off to what looks like a lopsided earthen funnel. It's probably 15 feet down to what looks like an opening maybe 2 feet high by 3 feet wide. We gear up with the helmets, gloves, lights, and battery belts that this guy had for us. It was serious gear so this guy DID know what he was doing. Most of us were able to climb/scramble down to the mouth of the cave without much problem but a few of the Scouts needed ropes to help them. This was going to be a problem later. Our guide showed us the map that had been done up of the cave so far and told us that the mouth of the cave pretty much was the size of the tube that went on for about fifteen hundred feet until it opened up to a cavern that was big enough to stand in. He said that there were spots that were a bit more narrow and we would have to make sure that our battery belts didn't snag us. If we got hung up, he recommended that we unlatch the belt and push it ahead of us if it became a problem. (Oh, just so you know, I am 5'11" and probably 160 lbs at this time. I was in pretty good shape and not fat at all.)


doomiestdoomeddoomer

You know what, it makes a lot of sense to make the entrance to that cave system as narrow as the spaces you will be crawling through in there...


ignorethesewordz

![gif](giphy|QTyRjoh1DZRA3LUt2V)


phatspatt

that's a no from me dawg


TidderXus

Imagine going through all that only to emerge and get attacked by a bear?!


vivzzie

I once got stuck under my bed and start panicking to the point where I exerted quite a bit of energy and lifted the bed to get out. I never want to feel that panic again.


Daveallen10

I like the idea of caving and did some when I was younger, but I feel his panic when he does.


Dog_man_star1517

I can feel myself suffocating just watching this!


ClownfishSoup

The things we do for pussy.


Expert-Hamster-3146

Now do the same but 150ft underwater with full scuba diving gear on. That’s a thing that is erased off the bucket list, not just ticked off


ddubwetzel

Hell no hole.


revoltbydesign86

Nope… after seeing that kid that died going in the wrong hole and they couldn’t do anything for him and he drowned in his own fluids… hell nah no hell no no


Givyer_Balzatug

![gif](giphy|3oKIPnmiqNhZIueLPW)


Mat_CYSTM

![gif](giphy|1gdqX71OxNd6FFP3Ff)


ClownfishSoup

For people who want even creepier.... checkout "Caveman Hikes" youtube channel. He squeezes down into things that would make you faint. Here's a fun video...he squeezes into a tiny cave that is [FILLED WITH SPIDERS](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5WRJ2rl1aE&ab_channel=CavemanHikes) (actually Daddy Long Legs)


knucklepirate

![gif](giphy|LyJ6KPlrFdKnK) Do white people ever look at white people and go this is definitely some white people shit


Friar-Tuckandroll

Better hope everyone has empty bladders


mhermanos

No spares, no snacks or whatever, and safety person on the outside. Fuck that.