On August 12, 1981 Harold Fox Jr. (21) and Sean Fridley (21) entered Big Springs Cave in Tucker County, West Virginia. As they explored they marked their route with flagging. On their return, they missed a marker and wandered off into an unfamiliar section of the cave. Finally, realizing that they were truly lost, they sat down to await rescue.
The two had left word of their objective and their parents called the emergency squad when they failed to return. The emergency squad and fire department personnel entered the cave but could not find the lost pair. The USFS was called and they called local cavers. The lost cavers were soon found.
George Dasher Personal Communication, Oct 10, 1983.
The cavers were using battery powered head lights and reportedly feared the total use of their battery supplies when they stopped, lost. With more light they might have been able to recover their route. The missed marker had been put on the wrong side of a rock.