Post by Brad Tipton on Mar 31, 2008 20:10:22 GMT -5
Sunday I was invited on a trip to Johnson’s Crook Cave in Georgia. I had visited this cave over a decade ago when I was barely out of High School. It’s a nice little cave, full of tall domes, formation rooms, and a spectacular sinkhole entrance with a 100 foot bluff. It’s a cave with plenty of tales spanning countless years. But this story isn’t particulary focused on the trip or the cave, but more about a friend who invited me. My friend Rick.
Barely 8 months ago, Rick was mere minutes from an untimely death. Bleeding internally from a severely fractured pelvis. Trapped at the bottom of a 50 foot pit, Rick’s chance of survival was slim. Many good fortunes and a cast of dedicated friends came to his rescue while he lay silent on the bottom of that 50 foot pit. Rick’s accident and resulting rescue from Pryor Springs Cave was quite an arduous journey. His subsequent recovery from that near fatal plunge has been an incredible journey in itself. A pulldown trip through hell that only he could depict accurately.
Sunday I watched this same man donn a helmet and a seat harness for the 1st time since that accident. The sight, for me, was indescribeable. Rick’s excitement level was greater than that of a newbie caver getting a taste of his 1st grim crawl. Breaking in a brand new mudsuit, Rick even looked like a newbie! Chad was present for the trip. I can only imagine the emotions he must have felt witnessing his caving partner from that ill-fated journey taking those monumental first steps. Caving with Rick made the Pryor Springs Cave accident seem like a decade ago. Watching him get around with ease in the cave would make some question if he was ever injured in that fall at all.
We caved for over 4 hours. Rick felt great, he felt strong. I was honored to be a witness to Rick’s return the underground. I have a good feeling I will be seeing a lot more of him down there in the future. I hope to accompany him on the day he can finally finish his pulldown trip in Pryor Spring Cave. I can’t wait to see him walk out that lower entrance on his own two feet.
Barely 8 months ago, Rick was mere minutes from an untimely death. Bleeding internally from a severely fractured pelvis. Trapped at the bottom of a 50 foot pit, Rick’s chance of survival was slim. Many good fortunes and a cast of dedicated friends came to his rescue while he lay silent on the bottom of that 50 foot pit. Rick’s accident and resulting rescue from Pryor Springs Cave was quite an arduous journey. His subsequent recovery from that near fatal plunge has been an incredible journey in itself. A pulldown trip through hell that only he could depict accurately.
Sunday I watched this same man donn a helmet and a seat harness for the 1st time since that accident. The sight, for me, was indescribeable. Rick’s excitement level was greater than that of a newbie caver getting a taste of his 1st grim crawl. Breaking in a brand new mudsuit, Rick even looked like a newbie! Chad was present for the trip. I can only imagine the emotions he must have felt witnessing his caving partner from that ill-fated journey taking those monumental first steps. Caving with Rick made the Pryor Springs Cave accident seem like a decade ago. Watching him get around with ease in the cave would make some question if he was ever injured in that fall at all.
We caved for over 4 hours. Rick felt great, he felt strong. I was honored to be a witness to Rick’s return the underground. I have a good feeling I will be seeing a lot more of him down there in the future. I hope to accompany him on the day he can finally finish his pulldown trip in Pryor Spring Cave. I can’t wait to see him walk out that lower entrance on his own two feet.
