
#NUTTY PUTTY CAVE ACCIDENT FREE#
The rescue took its toll on crews working at the cave, many of whom were grieving and struggling with their inability to free Jones. where the cave peters out to virtually nothing," said Valentine, who said he'd been in Nutty Putty some 25 times over the years. "This particular area is very, very difficult. Jones found himself in one of the areas off the cave's main passage during an outing with 11 friends and family Tuesday night and was unable to get out. It reopened in May and had once again become popular, especially among amateur cavers, said Mike Leavitt, who managed access to the cave.Īlthough the cave was popular, it had never been fully mapped. On Tuesday, November 24, John took off with a crew of 10 other people to navigate the recesses of Nutty Putty Cave, about 80 miles south of Salt Lake City. The cave hosted 5,000 to 10,000 visitors per year until 2006, when it was temporarily closed while managers implemented a stricter system of access that included a permit system, requirement that cavers be with someone experienced and a locked gate. This was following the death of caver, John Edward Jones, in 2009. The last time was in 2004 when a teenage boy had to be pulled out of an area not far from where Jones got stuck. 'Nutty Putty Cave and John Jones Incident' But what happened to a keen young explorer deep in the bowels of Utahs famous cave system must surely take the cake as the worst death of all. The Nutty Putty Caves had been a popular spot for cavers, but have now been sealed off with concrete.

The narrow passage on the fringe of Utahs West Desert had been the site of a high-profile caving accident. While the initial historic Lechuguilla Cave that possessed only 400 feet of passageways, was dry, boring, and lifeless, the newly explored Lechuguilla Cave featured rare formations, including sulfur deposits, gypsum chandeliers, hairs, and beards, exquisite underwater speleothems, as well as rare microbiology, such as rock-eating bacteria and other bacteria that may help in developing treatments for cancer and HIV.Although Jones' death is the first known fatality since cavers began exploring Nutty Putty's narrow passageways in the 1960s, rescuers have been called to the cave five times in the last 10 years. Transcript and discussion of Bonus episode 3: Nutty Putty Cave from Cold podcast.

The total surveyed length of the Lechuguilla in 2019 was 149 miles (240km). This article describes the Nutty Putty Cave accident in which a 26-year-old caver named John Jones tragically lost his life in 2009. Nutty Putty Cave had been a popular spot with. The Nutty Putty Caves had been a popular. Formerly popular with cavers and known for its narrow passageways, Nutty Putty has been closed to the public since 2009 following a fatal accident that year. The cave has since been closed after the horrifying caving accident.

Nutty Putty Cave is a hydrothermal cave located west of Utah Lake in Utah County, Utah United States. His death is a sobering reminder of how dangerous caving can be and why we should follow safe caving practices at all times when spelunking. This suspicion led to an approved dig, carried out by a group of Colorado cavers in 1984-1986, resulting in a breakthrough on May 26, 1986, which unearthed (no pun intended) one of the largest cave systems in the world. / 40.09750N 112.03694W / 40.09750 -112.03694. Free Technical Day at SpanSet - May 23rd For those cavers working in Height Safety. This article describes the Nutty Putty Cave accident in which a 26-year-old caver named John Jones tragically lost his life in 2009. It had been already suspected that the entirety of Lechuguilla wasn’t explored as cavers and miners there often heard rumbling wind, indicative of a larger cave system. Up until 1986, Lechuguilla was only a small cave, unknown to most, with just 400 feet of passageways. It has been nearly seven years since John Jones, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, entered Nutty Putty Cave in Utah County on Tuesday, Nov. Image copyright: Max Wisshak, LocationĬarlsbad Caverns National Park, Eddy County, New Mexico.

A caver standing next to a pool and some formations in Lechuguilla Cave.
