Earlier this month, two members of the Park County Search and Rescue team joined with their counterparts from Big Horn and Teton counties for some educational spelunking.

On Aug. 7-9, the search and rescue members attended a three-day Orientation to Cave Rescue class, taught by the National Cave Rescue Commission (NCRC). The NCRC develops and maintains national curriculum for cave rescues and offers qualified cave instructors.

The intensive training started on the first day with the students having to “prove” their single rope technique abilities. Then, over the next two days, they spent a total of 12 hours inside the famous Fossil Mountain Ice Cave and the Darby Wind Cave. The caves — which connect but have independent openings — are situated in the Teton Range within the Jedediah Smith Wilderness of Caribou-Targhee National Forest.

At a balmy 34 degrees, the Fossil Mountain Ice Cave contains ice all year round; the floors and the walls are constantly cold and slippery. The Darby Wind Cave contains a maze of small to large openings and passageways.

At one point, the trainees reached a small opening that required removing their packs and pushing the gear in front of them; the opening was so tight that the trainees were unable to crawl and had to use their elbows and knees to push their way through. This went on for more than 20 feet, requiring what the Park County Sheriff’s Office described as “astounding” endurance.

Park County has a publicly accessible cave system that sees visitors every year and search and rescue leaders here say they want to prepare for as much as they can.

“It’s an excellent start to providing more safety for the citizens of Park County and we were humbled to be introduced to such expert [cave rescue] training,” said Park County Search and Rescue Coordinator Bill Brown.