Well a while back, I went solo caving and my main light went out. Only about four people die in air- filled caving accidents a year. Out of those, usually only one of the deaths involves a competent, experienced caver. The point is, our close caving friends are not being killed off left and right every time we go caving. This is the story of how it was almost my year.
All good stories start out in some peaceful, idyllic setting.
This one finds Gary Burwasser, Alan Cressler, Randy Heath, Terry McClanathan, Forest Platt, Shirley Sotona, John Stembel, Howard White, and myself at the entrance to Rocky River Gorge in Van Buren County, Tennessee. It was a beautiful Saturday morning in October. The fall colors were really fantastic. Yellow, red, and orange were splashed all around us. With the sun streaming through the leaves, the forest looked like a gigantic stained glass window.