UPDATE: Idaho Falls couple recounts being lost in cave for nearly 2 days
UPDATE: It was supposed to be a birthday celebration for adventure loving couple Jessica and Spencer Christiansen. They were in the Wyoming Darby Canyon Ice Case.“A lot of ice, very cold, the wall’s sparkle because it’s so much ice,” said Jessica Christiansen.
You can see from the above video what the inside of the cave looks like, dark and freezing surrounded by ice and water. The pair, who are experienced climbers suddenly found themselves lost and stranded.
“She’s digging random rocks and random dirt. She dug out maybe an inch and a half maybe just enough to get me to wiggle through,” said Spencer Christiansen.
The caves so dark they were disoriented then hypothermia began to set in, and the couple feared they might never see their one-year-old daughter again.
“So that’s terrifying to think that you’re leaving your kid alone with no parents,” said Jessica.
In a last-ditch effort to get out they tried to climb up near a waterfall, but Jessica who was so cold she couldn’t feel her hands fell.
I don’t remember anything until I smacked that rock. I couldn’t believe he had caught me,” said Jessica.
What would’ve happened if Spencer wouldn’t have caught her?
“She would’ve fell 30 more feet and probably broke…”
“Probably would’ve broken my back or died,” said Jessica.
30 hours after entering the cave, rescuers pulled them out.
“They were located about 25 feet up in a small hole or cavern and one of our team members had to ascend up a rope to do an assessment on them,” said rescuers.
“And they found us before we had to burn the last of what we had left,” said Jessica.
Both of their families were waiting, singing happy birthday to Spencer who thankfully lived to tell the story.
UPDATE: An Idaho Falls couple who got lost inside a mazelike ice cave in Wyoming for nearly two days before being rescued had planned the adventure as a fun way to celebrate the husband’s birthday.
Spencer Christiansen, who turned 31 on Saturday, said the best part about being rescued from the Darby Canyon Ice Case was when the rescue team sang “Happy Birthday” to him.
The Idaho Falls couple had entered the case on Saturday morning and were rescued late Sunday night.
Spencer Christiansen told the Jackson Hole News & Guide he had resigned himself to the fact that he and his wife, Jessica, might die in the cave.
Cold, wet and exhausted, they ate all the food they had and burned personal items in an unsuccessful effort to get warm.
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ORIGINAL:
A man and woman got lost inside a mazelike ice cave in Wyoming for nearly two days and were hypothermic when rescuers found them.
Teton County Undersheriff Matt Carr told the Jackson Hole News and Guide the Idaho Falls couple had burned their backpacks and other gear to stay warm after getting soaked by a waterfall in the Darby Canyon Ice Cave.
The 27-year-old man and his 24-year-old wife left Idaho Falls at 7 a.m. Saturday to explore the caves. Their family called authorities when they didn’t return.
Carr says rescuers found them shivering and “unable to move” and helped them out of the cave around 11 p.m. Sunday.
The undersheriff says the cave system is mazelike and unmapped and only experienced spelunkers are encouraged to enter.