Wilderness Bonescapes Podcast

E78: Trapped in Darby Cave

A hidden cave beneath the mountains of Wyoming. A freezing underground maze of ice cliffs, waterfalls, and pitch-black tunnels stretching for miles beneath the earth. Most people who enter never realize one terrifying truth… Once you go down, there’s no turning back. For Spencer and Jessica Christiansen, the trip was supposed to be an unforgettable birthday adventure. They were experienced climbers. Experienced hikers. The kind of couple who celebrated life by chasing danger together. But deep inside Darby Ice Cave, one wrong turn changed everything. What started as a thrilling underground expedition quickly became a fight to survive. Trapped in total darkness, soaked in 38-degree water. Their bodies shutting down from hypothermia. The couple spent 33 horrifying hours underground searching desperately for a way out. In this episode, we uncover the terrifying true story of the Christiansens’ nightmare inside one of America’s most dangerous cave systems—a place so deadly that even expert cavers warn people never to attempt it. Because beneath Fossil Mountain, the mountain doesn’t care how experienced you are. Once it traps you… It may never let you go. . Wilderness Bonescapes Outdoor Sales ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://wildernessbonescapes.com/outdoor-stuff-on-sale⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://wildernessbonescapes.com/outdoor-stuff-on-sale%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0] . Audible ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/hz/audible/arya/mlp⁠⁠encoding=UTF8&purchaseType=MTRIAL&linkCode=ll2&tag=wildernessbon-20&linkId=dbb68da43653929fb3e8e59c2c5c70fe&language=enUS&ref_=as_li_ss_tl⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.amazon.com/hz/audible/arya/mlp%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0encoding=UTF8&purchaseType=MTRIAL&linkCode=ll2&tag=wildernessbon-20&linkId=dbb68da43653929fb3e8e59c2c5c70fe&language=enUS&ref_=as_li_ss_tl%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Amazon Music Unlimited ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/music/unlimited?&linkCode=ll2&tag=wildernessbon-20&linkId=dadc11e13b402d23e3446ad1517a5dd4&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl⁠⁠ [https://www.amazon.com/music/unlimited?&linkCode=ll2&tag=wildernessbon-20&linkId=dadc11e13b402d23e3446ad1517a5dd4&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0] . . . Sources: 1.           https://vnews.com/2018/08/19/how-an-idaho-couple-survived-30-cold-and-wet-hours-trapped-in-an-ice-cave-19526703/ [https://vnews.com/2018/08/19/how-an-idaho-couple-survived-30-cold-and-wet-hours-trapped-in-an-ice-cave-19526703/] 2.           https://guideposts.org/articles/inspiring-stories/stories-of-faith-and-hope/trapped-in-an-ice-cave-would-they-be-rescued-in-time/ [https://guideposts.org/articles/inspiring-stories/stories-of-faith-and-hope/trapped-in-an-ice-cave-would-they-be-rescued-in-time/] 3.           https://nrmg.org/darby-canyon-ice-cave/ [https://nrmg.org/darby-canyon-ice-cave/] 4.           https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossil_Mountain_(Wyoming) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossil_Mountain_(Wyoming)] 5. Chat GPT was used to enhance this episode.

E77: Devil’s Den Homicide

The woods are beautiful during the day.  Families hike the winding trails of Devil's Den State Park believing they’re safe. But on one terrifying summer afternoon, something evil walked out of the forest. This week, we travel deep into the rugged Arkansas wilderness to unravel the horrifying murders of Clinton and Cristen Brink — a husband and wife who had just moved to Arkansas with their three daughters, searching for a fresh start. Instead, their family outing ended in bloodshed. A remote trail. A frantic escape through the woods. Two terrified little girls running for help. And a killer seen fleeing the park… with blood covering his face. As investigators launch a massive manhunt across northwest Arkansas, chilling witness accounts begin to surface. A mysterious black sedan. A suspect wearing fingerless gloves. A license plate covered in tape. And somewhere hidden in the forests surrounding Devil’s Den… the answers to what really happened.  . Wilderness Bonescapes Outdoor Sales ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://wildernessbonescapes.com/outdoor-stuff-on-sale⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://wildernessbonescapes.com/outdoor-stuff-on-sale%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0] . Audible ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/hz/audible/arya/mlp⁠⁠encoding=UTF8&purchaseType=MTRIAL&linkCode=ll2&tag=wildernessbon-20&linkId=dbb68da43653929fb3e8e59c2c5c70fe&language=enUS&ref_=as_li_ss_tl⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.amazon.com/hz/audible/arya/mlp%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0encoding=UTF8&purchaseType=MTRIAL&linkCode=ll2&tag=wildernessbon-20&linkId=dbb68da43653929fb3e8e59c2c5c70fe&language=enUS&ref_=as_li_ss_tl%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Amazon Music Unlimited ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/music/unlimited?&linkCode=ll2&tag=wildernessbon-20&linkId=dadc11e13b402d23e3446ad1517a5dd4&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl⁠⁠ [https://www.amazon.com/music/unlimited?&linkCode=ll2&tag=wildernessbon-20&linkId=dadc11e13b402d23e3446ad1517a5dd4&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0] . . . Sources: 1. https://dps.arkansas.gov/news/asp-releases-additional-information-in-devils-den-double-homicide/ 2. https://kfor.com/news/local/aggravating-factors-discussed-in-devils-den-murder-suspects-latest-court-appearance/ [https://kfor.com/news/local/aggravating-factors-discussed-in-devils-den-murder-suspects-latest-court-appearance/] 3. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/teacher-who-authorities-say-admitted-to-killing-couple-on-a-hike-with-their-kids-to-appear-in-court [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/teacher-who-authorities-say-admitted-to-killing-couple-on-a-hike-with-their-kids-to-appear-in-court] 4. https://www.arkansas.com/state-parks/explore/parks/devils-den-state-park [https://www.arkansas.com/state-parks/explore/parks/devils-den-state-park] 5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil%27s_Den_State_Park [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil%27s_Den_State_Park] 6. Chat GPT was used to enhance this episode.

E76: A 30 Foot Fall and a Son’s Courage

High in the unforgiving mountains of Idaho’s Frank Church Wilderness, a father and his 13-year-old son set out on the climbing adventure of a lifetime. But one crack of rock changes everything. A massive boulder tears loose from a granite wall and suddenly, veteran climber David Finlayson is falling 1,200 feet above the ground. His body shattered, bleeding out on the side of a remote mountain. Dangling alone on the cliff, his son Charlie hears only silence. No movement. No answer. Just dead weight hanging from the rope. What follows is an unbelievable fight for survival that pushes a 13-year-old boy far beyond anything a child should ever have to face. With no rescue beacon, No cell service, and no one coming to save them. In this episode, hear the harrowing true story of survival, resilience, and the extraordinary bond between a father and son that refused to break — even on the edge of death. . Wilderness Bonescapes Outdoor Sales ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://wildernessbonescapes.com/outdoor-stuff-on-sale%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0]https://wildernessbonescapes.com/outdoor-stuff-on-sale⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://wildernessbonescapes.com/outdoor-stuff-on-sale%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0] . Audible ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.amazon.com/hz/audible/arya/mlp%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0encoding=UTF8&purchaseType=MTRIAL&linkCode=ll2&tag=wildernessbon-20&linkId=dbb68da43653929fb3e8e59c2c5c70fe&language=enUS&ref_=as_li_ss_tl%E2%81%A0]https://www.amazon.com/hz/audible/arya/mlp⁠⁠encoding=UTF8&purchaseType=MTRIAL&linkCode=ll2&tag=wildernessbon-20&linkId=dbb68da43653929fb3e8e59c2c5c70fe&language=enUS&ref_=as_li_ss_tl⁠⁠ [https://www.amazon.com/hz/audible/arya/mlp%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0encoding=UTF8&purchaseType=MTRIAL&linkCode=ll2&tag=wildernessbon-20&linkId=dbb68da43653929fb3e8e59c2c5c70fe&language=enUS&ref_=as_li_ss_tl%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Amazon Music Unlimited ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.amazon.com/music/unlimited?&linkCode=ll2&tag=wildernessbon-20&linkId=dadc11e13b402d23e3446ad1517a5dd4&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl]https://www.amazon.com/music/unlimited?&linkCode=ll2&tag=wildernessbon-20&linkId=dadc11e13b402d23e3446ad1517a5dd4&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl⁠ [https://www.amazon.com/music/unlimited?&linkCode=ll2&tag=wildernessbon-20&linkId=dadc11e13b402d23e3446ad1517a5dd4&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl%E2%81%A0] . . Sources: 1.      https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/climbing/crashing-down/ [https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/climbing/crashing-down/] 2.      https://www.fs.usda.gov/r01/bitterroot/wilderness/frank-church-river-no-return-wilderness [https://www.fs.usda.gov/r01/bitterroot/wilderness/frank-church-river-no-return-wilderness] 3.      https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/eagle-teen-helps-save-father-injured-by-falling-boulder/277-175279639 [https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/eagle-teen-helps-save-father-injured-by-falling-boulder/277-175279639] 4.      https://www.click2houston.com/news/2015/08/28/scout-saves-dad-crushed-by-boulder/ [https://www.click2houston.com/news/2015/08/28/scout-saves-dad-crushed-by-boulder/] 5.      https://abc7ny.com/post/son-hailed-as-hero-for-saving-dad-on-idaho-hiking-trip-after-boulder-accident/960830/ [https://abc7ny.com/post/son-hailed-as-hero-for-saving-dad-on-idaho-hiking-trip-after-boulder-accident/960830/] 6.      https://abcnews.com/US/boy-13-father-alive-badly-hurt-falling-boulder/story?id=33369274 [https://abcnews.com/US/boy-13-father-alive-badly-hurt-falling-boulder/story?id=33369274] 7.      https://www.backpacker.com/survival/out-alive-podcast/13-year-old-saves-dads-life/ [https://www.backpacker.com/survival/out-alive-podcast/13-year-old-saves-dads-life/]

E74: Trapped Deep in the Caves

Deep beneath the surface of the Earth, farther down than any human should ever go, lies a place untouched by sunlight, swallowed by silence, and carved by time itself. Veryovkina Cave—one of the deepest caves on the planet. In September, an elite team of explorers descended into that darkness. Among them, world-class Russian cavers and a photographer determined to capture a place no one had ever truly seen. For days, they pushed deeper, through suffocating tunnels, black chambers, and vertical drops that seemed to fall forever—until they reached the very bottom of the known world. And then, the cave changed. A warning came from above. A distant rumble followed. And suddenly, the Earth itself began to roar. A flood was coming. At first, it sounded like thunder in the distance. Then it became something else. A freight train of water… tearing through solid rock… with nowhere to run. Trapped more than two kilometers or 6561.68 feet underground, the team had minutes to react or be swallowed whole. What followed was a desperate race for survival—through rising water, collapsing air pockets, and vertical climbs that pushed the human body to its absolute limit. Some would make it out. Others… wouldn’t be so lucky. Because in one of the deepest caves on Earth… When the water rises— There is nowhere to hid. . Wilderness Bonescapes Outdoor Sales ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://wildernessbonescapes.com/outdoor-stuff-on-sale⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://wildernessbonescapes.com/outdoor-stuff-on-sale%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0] . Audible ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/hz/audible/arya/mlp⁠⁠encoding=UTF8&purchaseType=MTRIAL&linkCode=ll2&tag=wildernessbon-20&linkId=dbb68da43653929fb3e8e59c2c5c70fe&language=enUS&ref_=as_li_ss_tl⁠ [https://www.amazon.com/hz/audible/arya/mlp%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0encoding=UTF8&purchaseType=MTRIAL&linkCode=ll2&tag=wildernessbon-20&linkId=dbb68da43653929fb3e8e59c2c5c70fe&language=enUS&ref_=as_li_ss_tl%E2%81%A0] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Amazon Music Unlimited ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/music/unlimited?&linkCode=ll2&tag=wildernessbon-20&linkId=dadc11e13b402d23e3446ad1517a5dd4&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl [https://www.amazon.com/music/unlimited?&linkCode=ll2&tag=wildernessbon-20&linkId=dadc11e13b402d23e3446ad1517a5dd4&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl] . . . Sources: 1.           https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/flood-escape-deepest-cave-veryovkina-abkhazia [https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/flood-escape-deepest-cave-veryovkina-abkhazia] 2.           https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veryovkina_Cave [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veryovkina_Cave] 3. https://www.aol.com/articles/hikers-terrifying-death-halfway-down-060000752.html [https://www.aol.com/articles/hikers-terrifying-death-halfway-down-060000752.html]

Mini Episode 3: Plummeting Over 30,000 Feet

What if I told you… that a single mistake—just one name, one moment, one step onto the wrong plane—could send someone plummeting from over 30,000 feet… and somehow, against every law of nature, they would survive? This is not fiction. This is not legend. This is the story of Vesna Vulović—a young flight attendant who boarded a routine flight in 1972… never knowing it would explode midair above the frozen mountains of Europe. In an instant, the sky became chaos. A bomb tore through the aircraft. The plane disintegrated. Twenty-seven people lost their lives as the wreckage fell from the clouds. But one woman didn’t. Thrown from the sky, trapped in the shattered tail of a falling plane, Vesna plunged into a snow-covered mountainside—no parachute, no control, no chance. And yet… she lived. Rescued from the wreckage. Broken beyond recognition. With injuries that should have ended her life. And with no memory of the moment that changed everything. How does someone survive the unsurvivable? Was it luck? Fate? Or something we still can’t explain? Tonight, we unravel one of the most astonishing survival stories ever recorded—a story of tragedy, mystery, resilience… and a fall that should have been the end. But wasn’t. Sources: 1.      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesna_Vulovi%C4%87 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesna_Vulovi%C4%87] 2.      https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38427411 [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38427411] 3.      https://people.com/plane-exploded-in-sky-sending-stewardess-into-record-free-fall-11890928 [https://people.com/plane-exploded-in-sky-sending-stewardess-into-record-free-fall-11890928] 4. https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2022/4/how-vesna-vulovic-survived-the-highest-fall-ever-with-no-parachute-697786 [https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2022/4/how-vesna-vulovic-survived-the-highest-fall-ever-with-no-parachute-697786]