 "Photo: Jordan Smothermon")
UT students rescued on Sunday from Airman's Cave in South Austin are not deterred, but are a little embarrassed by their 31-hour adventure inside the tight cave, which ended with them emerging to a media circus of cameras reporting around the nation.
Jill Baggerman, a religious studies sophomore, and Jeff Brown, a biology sophomore, along with a third unnamed UT alumna, entered the cave at 11 a.m. on Saturday. More than 31 hours later they emerged to find lights and cameras shining in their faces and news that their adventure was drawing national attention.
Since then, they have been contacted by the Today Show, Good Morning America and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, but turned them all down.
"It was embarrassing it kind of exploded into something like that," the 19-year-old Baggerman said in an interview with The Daily Texan. "It's stressful dealing with all of this. There's already so many stresses with being a student and working. This was definitely not wanted." A simple enough plan When the three started out in the cave, everything went according to plan, they said. They reached the back of the cave - more than two miles long - without incident and turned around.
On the way back out, the three became disoriented when they reached an open area called Poetry's Pass because of numerous passages branching off from the room.
The three had marked their trail with fresh leaves, but none saw a leaf indicating which passage to take. So the three trudged forward in the same direction they were heading before entering the room, not seeing the right way - a two-foot by 10-inch hole.
"It really is a small hole," Brown, 20, said. "If you went in there and saw it, you'd kind of laugh."
Relying on logic and their memories of the journey to the back of the cave, the three attempted to narrow down their options, but they slowly began to realize they were not on the right track. Frustrations began to build when the three went in a circle finding themselves back in Poetry Passage, Brown said.
"I was frustrated that I wasn't in control," Baggerman said "I still felt like we were making good decisions. We were on top of our minds and pulled together. I guess I knew we'd get out and we'd be found." Deadline comes and goes Prior to entering the cave, Baggerman had notified friends she was going into Airman's Cave, and told them to call authorities if they did not hear from the party before midnight. Knowing that the time had probably passed, despite a broken watch, the three decided it would probably be best to stay put in Poetry Passage.
"Instead of running around in circles in a cave while somebody is trying to look for us, it's probably better to stay in the most obvious place," Brown said. "So we went to the room with the most passages connected to it, because we knew that when they were looking they were going to go to [Poetry Passage] and branch out."
They space was large enough for them to sit up, an uncommon attribute in the cave, which has an average height of 36 inches, said Wesley Schumacher, president of UT Grotto and UT Speleological Society, both organizations dedicated to the exploration of caves. Conserving energy, resources At that time, they had run out of water, so they needed to conserve their efforts, they said. To avoid wasting energy, they moved slowly and remained calm. While waiting, the three passed the time by taking periodic naps and telling funny stories to each other.
One of the obstacles of the tunnel is quick changes in temperature. Even though the cave averages a temperature of 68 degrees, the confined space can lead to rapid heating, Brown said. And while at rest, one can easily become cold because of the rocks.
"You lean against rocks that just suck the heat out of you," Baggerman said. Lost and found At about 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, UT Grotto member Mike Sisson found the three.
"It was a relief, and I was glad he was there," Brown said. "Him and the firemen were awesome."
The rescue effort coordinated by Emergency Medical Services and Austin Fire Department drew about 40 responders, said Frank Urias, division commander for Austin-Travis EMS. Their coordinated efforts included a 5,000 foot phone line laid throughout the cave, setting up water stations while meticulously searching every nook and cranny of the winding cave.
"The fireman and EMS definitely have rescue situations down to an art," Baggerman said.
Emergency responders requested the assistance of volunteer members of UT Grotto for their experience and expertise in caving.
"One had been in the cave 30 times that year, and you can't beat experience like that," Urias said. "I have nothing but praise for them."
Nine members of the club went into the cave with emergency responders, Schumacher said. Education, not overreaction Schumacher said that Airman's Cave is not dangerous, and it should not be closed off to the public. Unlike some more treacherous caves, there are no sudden drop-offs that could lead to falling injuries. The cave is more of an endurance and psychological test because of the extended crawls and tight places. Sometimes people entering the cave will panic because of the limited room, he said.
Schumacher's organizations concentrate on educating people on how to ethically and responsibly traverse caves, he said. And no matter what, do not call them "spelunkers."
"We say cavers rescue spelunkers," Schumacher said. "That's exactly what happened last weekend." The best laid plans go oft awry Baggerman and Brown said they prepared well, bringing maps, several flashlights, extra batteries and a compass, but said they probably needed an expert guide.
"I learned a lot about how to do caving and how not to do caving," Baggerman said. "I want to go caving again sometime, though I'll have someone who can guide me through it. It is risky. It's not for everybody. If you're considering it, I definitely suggest getting with UT Grotto and learning how to do it, and then going."
Schumacher said he would like them to come to some meetings before setting out again.
"We don't encourage people to just do it yourself at caves, so we don't have to waste taxpayers' money," he said.
Some critics have said the three should foot the bill of the rescue operation, but Urias said it is hard to distinguish between rescue efforts for which citizens should be liable and operations paid for by the city.
"I don't see the fairness in charging them for this rescue," he said. "For instance, during the summer season, there are a lot of rescues on Lake Travis, which can be very expensive. How do you start drawing the line? From our point of view, when we saw the looks on their family's faces - how do you put a price tag on that?"
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