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Alex Cabrero Reporting"Because it was so scary for us being in there. We were scared for our lives."
The cave where four people died yesterday is now sealed, and others who've been in it are thankful they survived. The tragedy in what's often called the "Cave of Death" is now the worst of its kind in the country in more than a decade. Because of that reputation, other thrill-seekers could want to try to conquer it. That's why it's now sealed.
The reason people do this type of exploring in the first place is for the adrenaline rush. Now, with the cave's reputation, it would be even more of a rush for some.
The water is still coming from somewhere, but where, no one can see anymore.
Grafton Milne: “It was very dumb for us to do that.”
Grafton Milne is one of the few who have.
Grafton Milne: "You swim to the bottom and you finally pop up in this little cavern, and you're so happy to be alive because it's such a scary experience."
He and his buddy CJ Rogers were among the last people ever to explore the cave, which is maybe a hundred yards from their Provo apartment. They understand why the cave is now sealed because they had a close call.
CJ Rogers: "We were probably only in there 5 to 10 minutes, and one of us noticed we were getting light-headed and it was really stuffy in there, and that's when we decided to swim back."
Grafton Milne: “Your lips are this far above the water as you're creeping back, and then you take one last gulp of air, then you go under, and it's just so scary."
But scary, adventure, adrenaline--that's the draw of this place. It's probably also what brought Jennifer Galbriath, Scott McDonald, Arial Singer, and Blake Donner here. Now, their names are etched on the sealed off entrance to the cave. Friends also left flowers and a card that reads "go then, there are other worlds than these."
There are also other caves, caves that these two say they won't go in without being smart.
CJ Rogers: “No, not too much. I mean, I think we’ll think a lot more before we go and do something.”
There are thousands of caves like this one across the state and about 20-thousand abandoned mines. The state has a one and a half million dollar budget to find them and seal them up so we don't have anymore yesterdays in the future.
