Overview
- The hiker, who became trapped on May 17, was stuck about 400 feet inside Merlin’s Cave and was freed after nearly six hours when Forest Ranger Lt. John Gullen drilled away the rock pinning his body.
- Rescuers initially tried ropes, webbing and manual chipping but called for a hammer drill after a single nub of rock resisted movement and kept extraction from progressing.
- Three friends who stayed with the trapped man became hypothermic from roughly 50°F conditions and near 100% humidity and were removed for medical care before the final extraction.
- The rescued man remained conscious, kept a positive attitude during the ordeal, received warm fluids and food at the scene, and walked away without serious injury around 2:18 a.m.
- Merlin’s Cave contains extremely tight, slippery passages where experienced cavers sometimes gain permission to explore and this rescue highlights the technical demands of confined-space cave work and the risk of rapid hypothermia.