Earl Suitor, formerly a firefighter & EMT, is an avid caver & the current Eastern Region National Cave Rescue Commission Deputy Resource Section Chief in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. We begin with why Appalachia's geology makes for good caving, then ruminate on the inherent mystery of caves, hear about the historical mining of bat guano, learn about fossils & ancient cat scratches, & the reasons behind secrecy in the caving community. In story form, Earl describes how a cave rescue plays out with examples from finding a lost couple in West Virginia to a shocking tragedy in Utah & the famous cave flood in Thailand. Earl then shares harrowing lessons learned from his firefighting & EMT days, opening profound conversations about "burn out," dying, & his interest in world religions.

If you'd like to go caving & learn more, reach out to your regional caving club [grotto] through Caves.org.

Music provided by Jan Laurenz

"First Song on Lyre Harp"
Written by Jan Laurenz
Courtesy of Jan Laurenz

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