The day before Thanksgiving in 2009 I was invited to assist with the Nutty Putty Cave rescue of John Edward Jones. I ended up being the last person to see him alive, though at the time I arrived he was mostly unconscious. Since that time I have received numerous questions from reporters and curious individuals. Recently there has been an uptick in those requests as a result of some viral videos that have been posted. This is my attempt to provide information and help answer the questions that I am qualified to answer.
The day after the rescue efforts failed I wrote up a detailed account from my perspective of the rescue while it was fresh in my mind. Keep in mind that this is only one perspective from someone who arrived at the scene toward the end of the rescue efforts.
For a more well-rounded perspective I would encourage you to read Lindsay Whitehurst’s two-part Salt Lake Tribune article.
I will provide some commentary below my report with the footnote number indicated in report in parenthesis.
WARNING: This report contains descriptions of John Jone’s condition, passing, and post-mortem condition that could be disturbing to some readers. Out of respect for John and his family, I have tried to keep descriptions as general possible while addressing the challenges we were up against.
Nutty Putty Rescue Report
Written for SAR on November 25, 2009
I received the first call at 9:00 or 10:00 AM from Spencer Christian and Rodney Mulder that there was a rescue underway at Nutty Putty. They asked me if I could assist, but after asking a few questions about what was going on it seemed there were already enough people on site to carry out the rescue. I told Spencer and Rodney that if the rescue went on for a while and people started getting exhausted, and they absolutely needed me, that I would come.
About 5 hours later Spencer called me up and asked me to respond, saying that people were getting tired and they really needed small cavers. So I left work at about 4:00 PM, ran home to grab my caving gear and then headed out to Nutty Putty. I arrived at the site at about 6:00 PM and was put on the next group to go in the cave at about 6:30 PM.
When I arrived to the main passage at the opening of the Birth Canal people were working on the 4 to 1 haul system they had installed. I assisted for about 5 minutes, until it was decided that the system didn’t seem to be working (1) and the people by John Jones (the victim) needed a break. So the cavers that were working with John headed out.
On the way out I spoke with Andy Armstrong. I asked him how John was doing and he said that he was quickly going downhill, that he was in and out of consciousness and had started talking about seeing angels and demons around him.
As soon as they were out, we decided that I would head in first to assess the situation and see if I had any ideas for removing him, and then Debbie would work with John, since she had already spent some time with him getting to know him and she thought he would feel more comfortable with her.
So I went in first. In the back of the passage, right before you arrive at where John now is, there is an extremely tight crawl perhaps 18 inches wide and about 8 to 10 inches tall that takes a sharp 90 to 120 degree turn that you have to enter feet first. You have to maneuver yourself very carefully and you cannot see where your feet are standing until you pass the restriction. As I wormed my way in I felt my feet touch something soft which ended up being John’s feet. I felt them move and immediately lifted my feet and worked my way horizontally into the crack.
John’s feet were about 6 feet past the constriction and I was able to shift myself to the side of him and down the 4 foot wide fissure. After stabilizing myself by jamming my body into a narrower section of the crack I began speaking to John asking him how he was and introducing myself. There was no response. I shifted my position a little and tapped him on the leg. I could hear him breathing a deep gurgling breath, as though his lungs were filling with fluid. Then his feet shifted as though he were trying to maneuver his legs out of the crack he was jammed in. The kicking looked fairly frantic and after a second he stopped and it looked as though he had drifted into unconsciousness. (2) I continued tapping him on the legs and hip to see if I could get a response, but there was no response.
From there I spent a few minutes studying the passage, the positioning of John, and the rig that was set up, to see how we could get him out from here. It looked very bleak. I wondered if it was even possible to get him beyond this point. We could continue trying the rig, but it looked like he could only be lifted another foot or two in his current position because of where the webbing was anchored around his knees. After a foot or two his feet would hit the ceiling. And then once he reached the ceiling, there was no way to tilt him to a horizontal position. He would have to do it himself, but he was now unconscious. And even if we could get him into a horizontal position, he would then have to maneuver the most difficult sections of the passage he was trapped in. If he were conscious and had his full strength there was a minute chance he could possibly do it. But even if that was the case it looked grim. It was even difficult for me, weighing 125 pounds, to get myself out. At the bend where the restriction was I had to creatively contort my body to slip through. So to get a 210 pound, unconscious person out seemed pretty much impossible. The other option I saw was to use a jack hammer to widen the crack he was and remove a couple of knobs and then widen the tight spot, and then pull him straight out. He would be cut up very badly and probably end up with several broken bones, but if nothing else would work, that seemed like the best option.
Between me climbing out and Debbie taking my place there was a request to take the radio down to John so that his family could say some words to him. I think it was his father, mother, and wife who spoke to him, telling him that they loved him and were praying for him and that his father had given him a blessing. His wife mentioned a feeling of peace, that everything would be OK. She talked to him about 5 to 10 minutes before I told her that we needed to get back to working at getting him out.
At that point I crawled out to let Debbie squeeze past and take a look and assess the situation, but when she got to the tight hole, both legs cramped up and she was unable to make it down. At that point I decided to try using the jack hammer. So we waited for it to arrive and then I carried it down to where John was located. The tool was much heavier than I anticipated and to hold it up while wedging my body in the crack took everything I had. Even then, I couldn’t get a good angle on the rock because of the confined space and limitations in my own mobility and positioning. I only got three tries at a small lip just below Johns foot, but because of my angle the hammer just kept sinking into the sand at the side of the rock lip. I tried shifting my position, but it seemed like everywhere else I moved I couldn’t get a handle on the jack hammer because of it’s length. I only had about 2.5 feet of space between me and the rock that needed drilled and the jack hammer was probably 3 to 4 feet long. And then trying to hold it in such an awkward position wore me out pretty quick.
At that point I requested something smaller, but there didn’t seem to be anything available, and even if there had been I don’t know if a small hammer drill would have done much against the solid limestone walls. So we returned to the Birth Canal to have a quick meeting to decide what to do.
At that point it sounded like the drills were having issues or something like that, and the only option we had for drilling was to use the compressed air hammer. It took probably an hour or so to get hose down so we could use it. While we waited, we decided that perhaps the best bet was to try widening the hole from the top down, working our way towards John instead of away from him. Once the drill arrived Debbie, Max, and I spent about an hour and a half chipping at the passage a couple of feet above the tight spot – about 7 to 9 feet away from John. Areas where the rock was softer came apart fairly easy, but the harder formations took an incredible amount of effort. The main problem was that because space was so limited it was difficult to hit the rock at the right angle, so instead of chipping off the knob you would end up cutting a hole straight into the floor.
After an hour and a half we had only knocked off about a 18” x 4” section of rock on the ceiling and on the ground. And that was at the wider section of the passage. From that point on the cave was even tighter so that if you were laying in the passage and weighed 125 pounds you only had about 3 to 6 inches of space above you. Not very ideal for holding a jack hammer or even being able to choose the most effective angle. To continue the process, or even if we switched to micro-blasters, my estimate was anywhere from 3 to 7 days to get back to where John was. So once again we regrouped to decide what the next plan of action was.
By now it was close to midnight and we were asked to check vitals on John. They sent in a smaller paramedic to see if he could get back to John. In the event he couldn’t he showed me how to use the stethoscope and thermometer and where to check for a pulse. It was 11:30 PM when we left the group by the birth canal and ventured down the passage. It took about 15 minutes to get to John. I went first to check, just in case the paramedic couldn’t fit. I first tried the stethoscope and was only able to get it about 3 inches up and to the right of his naval. I didn’t hear a distinct heart beat, only some ruffling, fluttering sounds that were probably a result of me shaking as I tried to steady myself in an awkward location. I then jammed my hand between the rock and pressed as far up his torso I could go to feel for breathing. I didn’t think I felt anything, but again it was difficult to tell as I was shaking from trying to steady myself. His chest, where it was pressed up against the rock, felt warmer than the rest of his body and was sweaty, but every where else his body temperature was close to the temperature of the rock on the cave walls. From there I removed his shoe and attempted to check his temperature. The thermometer read nothing, which the paramedic said was because the temperature was below the range. As I took his shoes off and moved his feet I noticed that his feet and legs were significantly stiffer than they had been earlier and it was difficult to his leg more than a few inches.
I reported my findings to the paramedic above and then crawled out so that he could see if he could squeeze in. He was able to get dow to the point where he could feel his feet and confirm he had passed away. John Edward Jones was pronounced dead at 11:52, I believe it was.
At that point we decided to return topside for a debrief to discuss what our next plan of action would be. As everyone headed out, the paramedic and I went back in to take pictures of the passage and John’s position.
With John now deceased the effort required to remove his body would be exponentially more challenging. His stiffening body wouldn’t be able to make the bend through the tight spot above his feet, without significant alterations to the passage, which could take days or weeks with a hammer drill, perhaps slightly faster with micro-blasters. Any swelling would make it next to impossible to get him out of the crack he was wedged in until the swelling had reduced. There was no way to connect him to a rope other than by his feet. After a few days, we would need a hazmat suit and masks to work with the body, which would severely overheat any rescuers trying to get him out. With pants and a short sleeve shirt a person is usually dripping with sweat in about 10 to 15 minutes and can work for about 30 to an hour before needing a break. With a hazmat suit and mask you could probably work for 5-10 minutes before needing a break, not to mention the limit to your mobility. The body recovery idea looks very grim. (3)
Photos from the Rescue
NOTES
- The 4 to 1 haul didn’t work because there were so many twists and turns in the cave between where there was room for a group to stand and haul and John’s position that the friction, even with pulleys in place was enough to render the haul system ineffective.
- This was the moment he passed away.
- Ultimately it was decided it would be too risky to rescuers to attempt to remove the body, and to this day Nutty Putty Cave is the final resting place of John Jones.
RESOURCES
VIDEOS
COMMENTS
Comment about Comments Below
I really appreciate everyone’s kind and encouraging words in the comments below, as well as your questions. Unfortunately, I no longer have time to respond to questions and comments. I will continue to approve the comments you post as long as they are family friendly, but just know that I only log in to approve comments every few weeks.
Thanks again for your kind words!
Thank you for honoring John’s life. Thank you for being a witness of what he experienced. I’m pretty sure I went to elementary school with you or volunteered at Timp Cave with you. Your story is an inspiration to me as I navigate my own nightmare in life. Things sure don’t turn out the way we expect.
The film shows you and him talking a lot, but here, you say that he was unconscious the whole time. Did he manage to speak to any of the rescuers?
Hi Brandon,
Thank you for providing all of this information. Your work to save John is remarkable. I have two questions for you.
1. The rope pulley system used to lift John took a lot of time to set up and was only able to lift him until his feet hit the top of the cave. Some wondered whether they should break John’s legs to get him out. What do you think about the possibility of using two ratchet straps, attached to two separate anchor points? They could be either bolted directly above John or ran through two pulleys directly above John and anchored nearby. This setup has the advantage of taking less time to set up and can be operated by the one person by John. Using two would allow you to tie the first to John’s knees, pull up a couple of inches, then attach the second to his waist, pull up a couple of inches and then his legs would be able to bend the way they would need in order to get him out. What do you think? Would something like that have been possible?
2. Do you think John could have turned around before he went headfirst into the place in which he got stuck? At the place where the cave “takes a sharp 90 to 120 degree turn that you have to enter feet first,” do you think John went head first? Or do you think he could turn there and went down feet first? You say “John’s feet were about 6 feet past the constriction and I was able to shift myself to the side of him and down the 4 foot wide fissure.” Do you think John could have turned around in that four foot wide fissure before entering the passage in which he got stuck? Ultimately I’m wondering whether he couldn’t turn at any point and so proceeded head first in hopes of being able to find a place to turn around OR whether he could have turned around at either of the two spots I just mentioned but decided to keep going in hopes of exploring more of the cave.
All the best!
Thank you for your write up, and additionally for the work you do in SRS. This incident has been a morbid fascination of mine since childhood, in fact probably since the incident occurred. Reading through this answered a lot of lingering questions for me and I’m sure several others. Thank you as well for your patience in answering so many questions here in the comments, your insight adds incredible perspective to this tragedy.
Thank you for the testimony and your devoted attempt to save John.
I only wish there were some markings and glowing signs inside the cave directly pointing to birth canal and clearly warning of the “false dead end fissures”. I assume that the Ed’s push and the deadly drop were known for their existence. Perhaps if those were placed to prevent explorers taking the route of anything other than the birth canal, the tragedy could be avoided.
For me personally, the rule of cave exploration is the ability walk and climb all the way through and back. No crawling. As a person of 210 lbs and 184 cm, I know that crawling through narrow passages may become my grave.
I salute all of the rescuers and speleologists who explore and chart the unknown paths and routes so that people like us can enjoy the beauty of subterranean world safely.
This was an incredible read. I value having been able to read your perspective of this tragedy. The only thing close to caving in my life was my teenage years here in NZ, exploring old mines near where I grew up. Now in my 40’s I know caving would never be something I’d be comfortable with, and honestly I don’t know how I even went into those old mines back in the day.
The people that map out these caves to help make them safer for others, and the rescuers that go in after them when trouble erupts, are absolutely incredible people. Bravo to everyone, and rest in peace, John. I may not be a caver myself, but your story captured me all the same for many years.
And Brandon, thanks again for posting all this information and also thanks for your work trying to help John and everyone else you’ve helped. You’re a good one, that’s for sure.
Only in the last few days did I accidentally become aware of the tragic story of John Edward Jones. For three nights now I have been unable to fall asleep at night from thoughts, as if I myself were experiencing trauma. This is such a difficult, sad and tragic case. I am sure everyone made every effort to rescue him, but there is still a feeling of such a great loss. It is very sad and painful for me.
Hi Brandon I seen in the film they sent a phone down to him was that actually the case in real life ?
Aslo was the entrance to Ed’s push really narrow from the get go or did it start out wide then get really narrow and tight ?
Is this an actual picture of john’s feet? https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:786/format:webp/1*[email protected]
if not, did it look similar?
Thanks for sharing such a detailed story. Honestly couldn’t do it I am petrified of small dark spaces. It sounds like he took a wrong turn to me as he told his brother and others to go it’s get very narrow and he would find a way to turn around. Sad story 😭
Brandon,
I’ve just read through all the comments and your responses. Your patience in answering all these questions is admirable from wher I sit. So too your ability to process trauma. Thank you for sharing your experiences and thoughts. I’ve learned a lot, not the least of which is that there are all kinds of people in this world.
Good caving.
Hi Brandon… i’ve been reading about this story for a while now and lost quite few nights sleep trying to wrap my mind around the entirety of this horrible tragedy and how and why it happened… i haven’t really been affected by a story like this in a while that i can remember.. trying to understand it all has been really tough due to the circumstances and the chaotic nature of the cave structures… Recently however i discovered the game Cave Crave and that put things in perspective in a way i never really thought possible.. after the Nutty Putty update this week i have been trying to understand it in greater detail and it answered most of my questions and also left me with a few.. it looks like everything has been recreated in great detail and there is an indicator of johns last path in the tunnel he took… on the way to this there is what seems like a straight vertical drop down a narrow chimney like tube to get to that spot… is this where he made the tragic mistake of going head first? is it that once he went down that shaft head first he couldn’t turn around so he decided to push forward? seeing that space in the tunnel seems very odd for someone to choose to go headfirst straight down like that.. i was picturing more of a linear tunnel that led to the drop but it seems like he would have been ok had he not chosen to go down that vertical shaft.. this has been so hard to process but it has helped a lot being able to experience the cave in VR.. it blows my mind that you guys do this for a hobby.. it terrifies me to my core.. and fascinates me just the same
>>>>>” The only safety measures are those that visitors bring themselves, preferably they are going with an experienced caver. I think there was a form they signed before they could get the key that warned them of the risks and encouraged them to go prepared and know what they are getting themselves into, but I highly doubt that many people read and considered those warnings seriously.”
People always want to find someone to blame, but the only one to blame was J.Jones. Unfortunately, he made a mistake. We all make mistakes. But where he was, the mistake was fatal. It’s unacceptable to post warnings at every cave entrance in the US or around the world. The warning was on the form he had to sign BEFORE going. In the end, it all comes down to the Dunning-Kruger Effect, which is a cognitive bias in which people with little skill in a given area overestimate their competence. This phenomenon occurs because a lack of knowledge prevents a person from accurately assessing their own incompetence.
Hi Brandon,
You had stated above that no explosives were used when closing the cave, but that is not accurate. They did use explosives to collapse the ceiling around the Ed’s Push area where John’s body was located.
This is mentioned in the following articles:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutty_Putty_Cave
https://ktar.com/national-news/cold-theory-of-susan-powell-in-nutty-putty-cave-debunked/2518488/
It’s not a question, but just wanted to make you aware.
Brandon,
Thanks for creating the VR video! I greatly appreciate your commentary on the specifics of each passage. I watched a few other VR videos on youtube and was having a hard time aligning the VR experience with your maps and other references, including Jon Jasper’s 3D rendering and statements from other rescuers. The entrance to Ed’s push (upper level) was not what I expected. The near vertical drop in the middle of the corkscrew was also not expected. Thanks for the clarifying that the actual layout of these areas was different. I do appreciate the work that the Cave Crave people did in creating this virtual experience, as well as the direction you provided them.
Michael,
I believe I can assist you. The narrow chimney you reference was not an accurate representation, per Brandon. He describes this particular area at 13:12 and 15:30 in his VR video. This pit is clearly listed on Brandon’s map – straight to the left of the ‘E’ in Ed’s push. Regardless of the exact orientation and dimensions of the pit, this is not where John would have gone head first. After descending to the lower level of Ed’s Push via the aforementioned pit/crack, John would have gone head first where the terrain goes upward. This occurs at 16:07 – 16:22 in Brandon’s VR video. This also coincides with the shaded gray area on Brandon’s map (lower level). 16:30 is the infamous ‘sharp left turn’ where the steep downward slope began. In the VR experience, there seems to be a lot of headroom in this section, but it was substantially tighter in reality per Brandon’s comments.
I don’t understand how rescuers were able to get along side John if the space he was in was so small and tight? I read that he couldn’t move, had no wiggle room, yet a rescuer was able to make eye contact with him and give him a drink. I also don’t understand how he was able to slide back in when the equipment failed.
Hello brandon how are you? Wish the answer i always thinking,does are the photo from ed push or in the uncharted tunnel from ed push where john was standing ?
I am curious. After the third haul when the pulley system was still functional, a rescuer mentioned that they could look in to John’s eyes and speak to him. Then on the fourth haul the pulley system failed and John fell back down the hole deeper than before. That seems like they made significant progress before the pulley system failed. Why didn’t someone attach a safety rope to John after the third haul in case the pulley system failed? It seems at that point you would have had better access to attach a second safety rope to him and prevent him from slipping back down in case of a pulley or rope failure?
Hi Brandon! Thank you for such a thoughtful and thorough post/AMA. The time and patience it took to do this is much appreciated. I know it’s highly unlikely, but if you ever stumble across this, have the time, and feel like answering, I’m having trouble understanding the passage John took and I’m racking my brain trying to figure it out.
The Ed’s push passage is described to be a “30 feet long roller coaster trip with many turns and twists that are not easy to navigate”. From what I remember, beginning at the fork where you can either go to Ed’s push or bob’s push (to birth canal), you go left and it starts out very manageable. It leads to a slanted room with a hole at the very back corner. That hole leads to what I thought is the beginning of the passage (seems like the place where Ryan is photographed installing equipment posted in another comment). The VR seems pretty accurate other than the slanted room (or maybe it’s my memory that’s inaccurate).
– Is this hole where the “30 feet” passage begins? Or does it begin where the fork is, and the entrance off the hole is more like 20 feet until John’s location?
– Is the path off the fork to the slanted room the entrance to Ed’s push, or is the hole where Ryan is photographed considered to be the entrance to Ed’s push?
After the hole, the path goes up, bends, and starts heading back down. It widens a bit and a straightens (about 10 feet away from John’s location) leading towards the place where you and the paramedic are photographed between D5 and D6 shown above. That’s where you “spent about an hour and a half chipping at the passage a couple of feet above the tight spot – about 7 to 9 feet away from John”. So a couple of feet further down is where “there is an extremely tight crawl perhaps 18 inches wide and about 8 to 10 inches tall that takes a sharp 90 to 120 degree turn that you have to enter feet first. This is where you are photographed in the two pictures between D7 and D9. Then it drops about 45 degrees for about 5 feet, flattens for about 1 foot, and this is where the crevice where John is stuck is.
– Is this description accurate? If not, do you mind correcting me where I’m wrong?
– Since all the rescuers went in feet first, does that mean there was room past John’s feet (in the tunnel, not the crevice he’s stuck in) for you to back into and lie next to him horizontally or did you all have to go into the crevice feet first and stand to tie the ropes?
– In another part, you said you’d have to start jack hammering 20 feet back (seemingly where the entrance off the hole is) because it’s so tight, but then I see the photo of where you tried to chip away at the passage 7-9 feet back. Did you try both locations or am I getting things mixed up?
What has me confused the most is this description from someone else on site: “After bending in an ‘L’ shape position, John managed to pass the Corkscrew compression. As the passage widened a bit and straightened leading towards a ledge, John knew he wouldn’t be able to turn at this point. He needed to find some opening ahead to make a turn back. Approaching the ledge, he had to exhale all air from his lungs and squeeze through. Unfortunately, after such a tight area, there was no opening, and the 45-degree slope started pulling John with gravity downwards. Already fatigued, John started crawling forward and noticed some sort of opening that gave him hope. Once he started getting inside the opening ahead, he realized that there was no way forward, but his torso was already inside. He began pushing himself upwards from this crevice, but his arms were in a useless position, one was pinned underneath him, the other forced backward by an outcropping of rock.”
This description makes it seem like the infamous “corkscrew” is that restriction with the 90 degree turn about 6 feet away from John’s feet. But that doesn’t make sense because as far as I remember, it doesn’t widen after the sharp turn and there’s definitely no where to turn around before it drops. It stays tight and drops about 45 degrees like how “the ledge” is described.
– Is “the corkscrew” the first bend where it starts sloping down and leads to the slightly wider cubbie area about 10 feet away from John? Or is the tight crawl with the 90 degree sharp turn about 6 feet away from John’s location “the corkscrew”?
– How much space is between the restriction with the sharp turn and the ledge where it drops 45 degrees?
– Was that 45 degree slope so tight that someone wouldn’t be able to take a full breath? Because that sounds more like the 70 degree crevice where John was trapped past the 45 degree slope.
If you’ve stuck with me this far, god bless and thank you so much! I think you’ve figured out by now that I’ve been there before, and I’m trying to see if I was trapped in the same place as john or in that 45 degree drop a few feet before the crevice where John was trapped
Merry Christmas Brandon !!
Can you make a video for us where you tell us where the different markings on the map are, for example D7 D8 D9 etc. You get a whole new perspective after playing crave cave and as usual you want to know more
I will look into that. Thanks for the suggestion.
It’s a shame about the drill bit being mismatched to the bolt size. But people make mistakes. I think that the real risk when he was put upright was him throwing a blood clot and having an embolism. The orthopedic surgeon i did cases with for 7 years died like that after a long plane flight. Having a surgeon brother as well as a niece and nephew in med school i find his level of risk taking to be almost breathtaking. This simply is not how that type of person normally operates. And i spent my career in medical sales around doctors. He seemingly just got caught up in the nostalga of yesteryear and forgot he was 215 lbs now. I admire your bravery to go in there and put yourself at risk. If there is one lesson to be learned from this it is the following. Never ever embrace the upside of a situation without fully contemplating the downside first. And the worst mistakes in my life i violated that and i just got lucky it did not get me killed. Unfortunately John did not get so lucky. I feel for his family. So sad
I explored Nutty Putty Cave as a college student in the mid-90s, and it was fun. The problem with Nutty Putty is that most people know it has a section called the Birth Canal—a tight squeeze that opens into a room at the end with enough space to turn around—but very few actually know its exact location.
If I’m reading Brandon’s map right, I was one of those people. I went through the passage labeled on the map as the Birth Canal and into the chamber beyond, but it felt way too easy to match the name, so I assumed it was something else. As I remember, right in or just after that passage, there was an opening in the ceiling leading to a long, narrow horizontal tunnel. I entered the hole in the ceiling and crawled about ten feet before deciding I wasn’t confident it was the real Birth Canal or that it would open up enough to turn around at the end. If there was not a room at the end for me to turn around, it would have meant wiggling backwards in a tight space for a long distance (granted it was all horizontal, but still).
John Jones also didn’t know where the Birth Canal was actually located so he kept pushing himself thinking that he must be in it and if he just went a little further it would open up. That was his critical mistake, and a common misunderstanding by many who entered Nutty Putty with only a vague idea of there being a “Birth Canal” somewhere inside.
I also recall exploring the general area where John got stuck, but I don’t think I went too far into the tight passages. I was only in Nutty Putty once and, at the time, I lacked desire to squeeze through super tight openings.
In your VR youtube video, at what timestamp does the corkscrew start and end?
intense story. leave the caves to the pros to explore, unless your educated and informed there is no reason to explore a cave not made for the public