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Rescue
at Sloan’s
Commentary by John LaMar Cole (BGG)
When Kentucky Caver editor, Art Cammers, asked me to
write about the May 27-28 rescue in the Sloan’s Valley Cave System, I
was reluctant to submit a report regarding an incident in which I was only
peripherally involved, though I knew a good deal about it that the news
media had either neglected or just simply bungled beyond all reckoning.
Steve Gladieux, the leader of the ill-fated trip, is a friend of mine and
an up & coming caver of considerable talent and merit. We have
caved together several times, Steve always proving himself exceptionally
strong, intelligent, reliable and competent. I have no doubt that,
in short order, Steve will be widely known as a caver of the highest
calibre. So, instead of risking journalistic error, I decided to
call Steve and ask if he would write the report himself.
Handsome & hard-bodied, with charm and maturity far
beyond his twenty-one years, Steve is a multifaceted outdoorsman and
rockclimber with an impressive roster of experience and training. He
has already participated in a 50-hour survey trip in the Fisher Ridge
System and is scheduled for yet another such marathon later this month.
He is not some clueless college kid taking caving “shortcuts” that the
television stations portrayed him to be (any more than the rescue was
staged in “Greenhouse Cave”, as WKYT erroneously reported). He
is a damn good caver. I am sure today, after such an embarrassing
and challenging ordeal, he is an even better one.
I had lent Steve three helmets & lights to help
outfit his entourage when they rolled in from Ann Arbor, Michigan Thursday
night, May 26, on their way to the Red River Gorge. They planned to
camp behind Miguel’s and hit the sandstone the following morning.
After their day of climbing, they headed south to set up camp on Tom
Crockett’s property for a weekend of caving at Sloan’s. I
need explain no further as Steve does a superlative job in the trip
report. Saturday night found me reveling with cavers and other
kindred folk at a “Gemini Party” held at Natasha’s Café, in honor
of those of us celebrating birthdays in close proximity to the weekend
(mine was Sunday). Consequently, I was not aware of the rescue in
progress. Steve & crew had planned to join us at the restaurant
for a birthday toast but, when they didn’t show, I figured that their
day of caving had taken longer than anticipated. Little did I know.
I ventured home after one a.m. and did not check my phone messages.
Around seven in the morning, as I was enjoying my first
sips of coffee, I checked my voicemail. I nearly choked when the
robot announcer droned, “You have 15 new messages...” I had deleted
all my messages before leaving for Natasha’s, so all of these had to
have arrived after 9:00 p.m. It was then that the saga of the
previous evening began to unfurl before me, one disturbing voicemail at a
time. Jim Currens, Pat Horton (Johnson), Art Cammers, Tom
Crockett and Channel 27 were among the chorus of concerned voices, most
assuming I was already at Sloan’s in the thick of the rescue. I
immediately thought of Steve and his party of caving initiates, each
message making me more anxious than the last. I called Tom. In
spite of confirming my fears, I was very relieved to hear that the rescue
was over, that everyone was safe, and that Steve and his group had rented
a motel room for hot showers and some R&R.
Later in the afternoon WKYT phoned, wanting to
interview me as a “caving safety expert.” They did not mention
the rescue. When they showed up shouldering a videocamera, it was
breezily explained that they were doing a report on cave safety, asking me
if holiday weekends increased the risk of caving accidents. I
thought this a dubious, thinly-veiled premise, but half-heartedly agreed.
It was I who finally mentioned the rescue, a fact they were coyly
avoiding. I got the distinct impression they wanted me to say
something that would sound condemnatory, anything to increase the
marketable tension of a rescue effort already far overplayed in the media
coverage. The interviewer had cheerily grilled me about what
constituted safe caving, feeding me provocative scenarios, and I had
responded with the usual checklist, but none of that made the cut for the
actual broadcast. This confirmed my suspicion that this was not
about caving safety at all, but a disguised way of getting an
"expert" to discredit the behavior of the subjects of their lead
story.
After bringing up the rescue without prompting, I stated that
the Michigan cavers had obviously "exceeded their limitations",
but that they had otherwise done everything as they should. I
further remarked that they were led by a solid, experienced caver who had
notified the proper people of their caving route beforehand and, short of
a couple misjudgments en route (Steve and I had already spoken by this
juncture), that he had done an excellent job of assuring the group's
safety, had himself initiated the rescue effort, and that the rescue was
an unquestionable success. Accidents happen...even to the best of
cavers. What was kept under wraps was how serious the situation had
become in a matter of seconds and how Steve's heroic response had saved
the day. Nevertheless, I was pleased that the ten seconds of air
time culled from my half-hour interview stressed the positive aspects of
both the cavers and their rescuers. But mostly, I am overjoyed that
the lessons that Steve shares with the caving community in his report were
not at a greater cost than they were. My kudos to Steve Gladieux for
his meeting the challenges that befell him and his party underground, and
for his excellent and educational reporting.
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