Opening Goliath: Danger and Discovery in Caving

Like caves themselves, this book is a tangential exploration of the world of Minnesota caves and managing the danger of exploring them. It starts with an account of what must be the most dangerous and frightening situation imaginable, caver John Ackerman diving blind in a narrow, silted-up, twisted underwater cave passage deep underground with zero visibility, getting tangled and immobilized in a net-like snarl of dive line, with air hose coming loose, far from help of any kind and with precious little air remaining. This harrowing scene is not for the claustrophobic, even in their imagination! After such a foretaste of danger to an experienced caver, the book shows us what can happen when inexperienced individuals plumb the depths of a wild cave, through a chronicle of a group of young people discovering a large abandoned cache of WWII-era munitions buried in St. Paul's caves. The abandoned cache, sitting quietly unknown in areas where teens and vagrants regularly smoke, have campfires, etc. is capable of creating an Oklahoma City-size blast until the authorities are notified and it is removed. Then we see the tragic story of the deaths of three teens (and near-death of two others) in Fandell's Cave in St. Paul in 2004, as the exploring teens (who walk right by a sign warning of the deaths of two teens there in 1992) are overcome by undetectable carbon monoxide buildup, and firefighters must risk their own lives to search the maze-like passages to rescue and recover them. Stories like these set the stage for an overall theme of conflict between the fascination of amateur cave exploration and the inherent danger that results in liability for landowners and the government. This results in an ongoing tension between those interested in caves and the government agencies that seek to stop, restrict or control access to caves. This dynamic reaches epic proportion with the discovery and exploration of Goliath's Cave (so named for a large flowstone formation within), a cave near Spring Valley in SE MN which may be one of the largest unexplored caves in the state. As it is explored and mapped by various cavers, the private landowners become increasingly worried about liability. Sections of the cave are accessed by traversing "sumps" or "water traps" (like the gooseneck section of pipe under a sink) that require going through an underwater passage to get to the further cave beyond. As water levels rise from underwater rivers in various seasons, these sumps can become impassable. Impatient with the need to wait for drier times, a group of experienced cavers develop a plan to pump out the sump water with a gas-powered pump. Their preparations miscalculate the dispersion of the carbon monoxide buildup, resulting in the near-deaths of two of the cavers and a desperate midnight rescue and a medical airlift flight to the Mayo Clinic. This incident exacerbates the landowner's concerns about liability and causes them to restrict all access to the

As a long time caver, I'm always interested in books about caving. I was unaware that there were any extensive caves in this part of the country. Cary Griffiths does a great job. I look forward to reading more books by him.

Griffith delivers! As a Minnesotan I was truly stunned to find the wild world that lies just beneath our feet! Probably the most interesting aspect of this book is that more writers aren't covering the subject. The real-life protagonists risk it all to crawl/dive/stand where no human has ever gone before. The true stories are worthy of a James Bond flick. It's a wonderful read for anyone and a must read if you consider yourself a Minnesotan. I hope this paves the way for more books on the subject!

Wow....you can't make up excitement and adventure any scarier than this real life adventure far under ground in Minnesota. Griffith has carefully researched and documented his exploration of the cavers and their caves.I personally have no need to experience the excitement and terror faced by these people, I was terrified enough just reading about it! A real page-turner. And a balanced reporting of the extreme politics involved in public/private ownership of the space under our feet.