February 28, 1987. Miller Cave, Iowa.

Five college students, their geology professor Kathy McCluskey, and staff member Mike Price descended 112 feet into a vertical shaft in an Iowa farm field. What should have been a routine winter caving trip became a fight for survival when a storm shifted direction and water began pouring into the cave.

Student leader Chad Blietz (now Chad Darby) shares his firsthand account of climbing through freezing spray in complete darkness while battling severe hypothermia—making impossible decisions when conditions turned deadly.

Seven people entered Miller Cave that day. Only five would make it out alive.

This episode explores the technology limitations of 1987, the split-second decisions that determined who lived and who died, and the survival lessons that matter today: trust your gut, avoid sunk cost fallacy, and respect how quickly conditions can change in the wild.

We honor the memory of those lost that day.

Hosted by Kaycee McIntosh and Julie Henningsen

️ Contains descriptions of hypothermia, drowning, and death.

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0:00 Welcome to The Crux: True Survival Stories

2:12 Miller Cave, Iowa, 1987: The Sinkhole That Became a Death Trap

4:04 Meet Chad Blietz (now Chad Darby) and the Grinnell Outdoor Recreation Program

7:06 The Haunting Breakfast: Plans and Futures

7:51 Inside Miller Cave: 112 Feet Down, 42°F, and Vertical

11:00 Prepared But Vulnerable: 1987 Gear and Technology Limits

17:22 Water on the Rope: The First Sign of Trouble

18:36 Chad's Climb: Total Darkness, Freezing Spray, and Hypothermia

22:05 Four Still Trapped Below: The Crisis Escalates

24:00 Mike Price's Climb and Chad's Impossible Choice

28:37 Survival in a Chimney: Bart and Stone Wait in Rising Water

30:20 No Cell Phones: Racing for Help in a Snowstorm

32:09 The Rescue: 75 Responders, Bodies Recovered

34:52 Aftermath: Guilt, Media Scrutiny, and Panic Attacks

40:03 The Thin Margin: Leadership, Intuition, and Split-Second Decisions

41:22 Chad's Second Chance and Final Lessons

43:48 Closing: Trust Your Gut, Honor the Lost

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