When the ice cracked beneath Darven Miller's feet on December 13, 1979, it triggered a cascade of events that seemed impossible to survive. The 11-year-old remained trapped under the frozen surface of Duncan Creek for nearly 30 minutes, his body temperature plummeting to 82 degrees. By the time rescuers pulled him from the water, he had no pulse, no breathing, and pupils fixed and dilated—clinically dead by every measure. What the medical team at a small Wisconsin hospital did next, and what happened 70 minutes into their desperate resuscitation attempt, would challenge everything doctors thought they knew about the limits of human survival. This is a story about the microscopic margin between death and life, and about a boy who became a man determined to live every moment to the fullest.

00:00 Welcome to Crux

00:31 Ice Breaks Open

02:09 Setting the Scene

03:26 Under the Ice

04:19 Rescue at 30 Minutes

06:10 ER Fight Begins

06:54 Acidosis Explained

08:07 Rewarming and Defib

10:50 Heartbeat Returns

11:43 Wakes Up Asking Water

13:15 Rehab and Full Recovery

14:57 Why He Survived

17:40 Life After the Miracle

19:01 Lessons for Medicine

25:34 Final Takeaways

27:26 Listener Wrap Up

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Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com

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REFERENCES:

1. "45 years pass since boy survived cold water drowning," WEAU, March 23, 2024

2. "Boy who almost drowned as good as new," UPI Archives, December 15, 1980

3. "Recovery of a 62-year-old Man From Prolonged Cold Water Submersion," ScienceDirect, November 4, 2005

4. "Hypothermia. Cold-water drowning," PubMed, PMID: 2054134

5. "Survival after prolonged submersion in cold water without neurologic sequelae," PubMed, PMID: 7387271

6. "Ice Water Drowning Survival After 147-Minute Submersion and 7°C Hypothermic Circulatory Arrest," JACC: Case Reports, 2025

7. "How to bring cold water drowning victims back to life," MyPoolSigns Blog, March 11, 2025

8. "Cold water immersion: sudden death and prolonged survival," The Lancet, December 1, 2003

9. "Anna Bågenholm," Wikipedia, November 6, 2025

10. "Successful resuscitation after drowning with severe hypernatraemia," PMC, December 2019

11. "Hypothermia – Core EM," coreem.net

12. "Duncan Creek Trail," GO Chippewa County Wisconsin

13. "HSHS St. Joseph's Hospital," Hospital Sisters Health System website

14. "St. Joseph's Hospital memorialized in exhibit at History Center in Chippewa Falls," Chippewa Herald-Telegram, November 29, 2024

15. "Our History at HSHS Medical Group," HSHS website

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On July 17, 2006, 29-year-old Dave Buschow collapsed and died from dehydration less than 100 yards from water during a Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS) course in Utah. Despite showing clear signs of severe dehydration for hours—pale skin, muscle cramps, slurred speech, and hallucinations—his guide never offered the emergency water he carried in his pack. This episode examines how institutional philosophy can override basic safety protocols, and asks: who is qualified to make life-or-death medical decisions in the wilderness?

00:46 The Tragic Story of Dave Buschow

01:29 Understanding Wilderness Survival Schools

02:36 The Appeal of Survival Challenges

06:46 The Psychological and Physical Risks

07:54 The Boulder Outdoor Survival School

12:38 Dave Buschow's Final Journey

18:45 The Effects of Severe Dehydration

21:24 Dehydration and Volume Shock

22:53 Recognizing and Reversing Symptoms

25:40 The Tragic Collapse

27:02 Emergency Response and Aftermath

29:01 Legal and Institutional Repercussions

31:41 Lessons and Changes

35:56 Ongoing Debate and Reflection

41:09 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

• Garfield County Sheriff's Office Investigation Report, July 2006
• Utah Office of the Medical Examiner Autopsy Report (Dr. Edward Leis), July 2006
• Associated Press FOIA Documents, May 2007
• Hebert/Buschow v. Boulder Outdoor Survival School, Federal Lawsuit, May 2007
• US Forest Service Permit Suspension Documents, 2006-2007

• Sean O'Neill (guide) written statement to Garfield County Sheriff's Office, July 19, 2006
• Course participant accounts (via FOIA documents)
• Deputy Ray Gardner, Garfield County Sheriff's Office

• Patricia Hebert (mother) and Rob Buschow (brother) public statements
• RememberDave.net (memorial website)

• Official website: www.boss-inc.com
• Course materials and policies (2006 and current)
• 501(c)(3) nonprofit filing (2018)

• Wilderness First Aid (WFA) vs. Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certification standards
• Standard medical protocols for dehydration and hypovolemic shock
• Wilderness medicine oral rehydration protocols

• Milgram obedience experiment (authority compliance research)
• Dave Buschow's BOSS application and medical clearance (May 2006)
• News coverage: Associated Press reports (May-November 2007)

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February 28, 1987. Miller Cave, Iowa.

Five college students, their geology professor Kathy McCluskey, and staff member Mike Price descended 112 feet into a vertical shaft in an Iowa farm field. What should have been a routine winter caving trip became a fight for survival when a storm shifted direction and water began pouring into the cave.

Student leader Chad Blietz (now Chad Darby) shares his firsthand account of climbing through freezing spray in complete darkness while battling severe hypothermia—making impossible decisions when conditions turned deadly.

Seven people entered Miller Cave that day. Only five would make it out alive.

This episode explores the technology limitations of 1987, the split-second decisions that determined who lived and who died, and the survival lessons that matter today: trust your gut, avoid sunk cost fallacy, and respect how quickly conditions can change in the wild.

We honor the memory of those lost that day.

Hosted by Kaycee McIntosh and Julie Henningsen

️ Contains descriptions of hypothermia, drowning, and death.

Share your survival story: thecruxsurvival@gmail.com

0:00 Welcome to The Crux: True Survival Stories

2:12 Miller Cave, Iowa, 1987: The Sinkhole That Became a Death Trap

4:04 Meet Chad Blietz (now Chad Darby) and the Grinnell Outdoor Recreation Program

7:06 The Haunting Breakfast: Plans and Futures

7:51 Inside Miller Cave: 112 Feet Down, 42°F, and Vertical

11:00 Prepared But Vulnerable: 1987 Gear and Technology Limits

17:22 Water on the Rope: The First Sign of Trouble

18:36 Chad's Climb: Total Darkness, Freezing Spray, and Hypothermia

22:05 Four Still Trapped Below: The Crisis Escalates

24:00 Mike Price's Climb and Chad's Impossible Choice

28:37 Survival in a Chimney: Bart and Stone Wait in Rising Water

30:20 No Cell Phones: Racing for Help in a Snowstorm

32:09 The Rescue: 75 Responders, Bodies Recovered

34:52 Aftermath: Guilt, Media Scrutiny, and Panic Attacks

40:03 The Thin Margin: Leadership, Intuition, and Split-Second Decisions

41:22 Chad's Second Chance and Final Lessons

43:48 Closing: Trust Your Gut, Honor the Lost

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On February 10, 2008, Fred Frederickson and James Osborne started what should have been a routine winter day hike on New Hampshire's Franconia Ridge. Within hours, conditions changed catastrophically—temperatures plummeted to single digits, winds reached seventy miles per hour, and both men were fighting for their lives on an exposed mountain ridge. As night fell and the storm intensified, rescue teams mobilized for a desperate search in some of the most dangerous conditions imaginable. This episode explores the cascade of small decisions that turned a beautiful Sunday hike into a tragedy, and the extraordinary efforts of the rescuers who risked everything to bring them home. A story about friendship, survival, and the unforgiving nature of winter in the White Mountains.

00:46 Welcome to The Crux + Listener Shoutout
01:25 Eyelids Frozen Shut on Little Haystack
02:17 Meet Fred & James + The Franconia Ridge Loop Plan
04:47 Overdressed, Sweating, and Wet Layers
05:46 The Forecast They Missed: 70–100 MPH Winds Incoming
06:40 Above Treeline: The Storm ‘Switch’ Flips
08:48 No Shelter, No Fire: Hypothermia Signs and the Fight Back to Haystack
11:12 Night in a Rock Cave: Deep Hypothermia and Rewarming Basics
15:24 Missing from Work: Search Teams Mobilize in Brutal Conditions
17:37 Found on the Ridge: Black Hawk Night Landing Rescue
19:07 Hospital Battle: ‘Warm and Dead,’ Rewarming, and Frostbite Losses
20:58 Aftermath & Lessons: Hike Safe Tips
27:14 Final Takeaways + Book Rec

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1. Boston Globe, September 15, 2008 - "Hiker recounts horrific struggle for survival on icy N.H. ridge"
2. Boston Herald, February 18, 2008 - "Hub hiker escapes death"
3. New Hampshire Public Radio - "Author Ty Gagne on The Last Traverse: Tragedy and Resilience in the Winter Whites," December 31, 2020
4. Union Leader, November 29, 2020 - "A tale of life and death on Franconia Ridge"
5. Conway Daily Sun, January 17, 2021 - "The Last Traverse chronicles wintry search-and-rescue mission"
6. SkinnyMoose.com, February 12, 2008 - "Missing Hikers Found In Franconia Notch – One Dead"
7. WhiteBlaze.net forum discussion, February 2008
8. VFTT (Views From The Top) forum, September 14, 2008 - "James Osborne & Fred Fredrickson Follow-up Story"
9. Boston Globe, December 23, 2024 - "White Mountains, New Hampshire search and rescue data"
10. Mount Washington Observatory weather archives
11. NH Fish and Game Department rescue reports
12. Nashua Telegraph, September 14, 2008

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On a snowy Black Friday in November 2024, a 22-year-old experienced hiker from Quebec set out alone to climb one of the most remote peaks in New York's Adirondack Mountains—a challenging 18-mile journey he expected to complete in a single day. When he didn't return as planned, what followed was one of the most extensive search operations in Adirondack history, involving dozens of elite forest rangers battling brutal winter conditions for over a week. This is the story of Leo Dufour, a university student studying to become a teacher who had already conquered 32 of the legendary 46 High Peaks, and the extraordinary efforts to find him in a wilderness that doesn't always give up its secrets. It's a reminder that even the most prepared among us are never more than one wrong turn away from the unforgiving power of the mountains.
00:00 Introduction to Disaster Strikes
00:42 Leo Dufour's Quest in the Adirondacks
03:00 The Challenge of Allen Mountain
07:09 The Search and Rescue Efforts
12:47 The Aftermath and Lessons Learned
24:37 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/

Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/

References:

• "New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Statement on Recovery of Missing Canadian Hiker Leo DuFour." DEC Press Release, May 10, 2025.
• "Update: State Police seeking the public's assistance in locating a missing hiker in the town of Newcomb." NYS Police Press Release, December 2024.
• Lynch, Mike. "Remains of missing Canadian hiker found." Adirondack Explorer, May 2025.
• Lynch, Mike. "Missing hiker: What we know so far, as search enters 5th day." Adirondack Explorer, January 22, 2025.
• Lynch, Mike. "Search for Canadian hiker shifts to recovery." Adirondack Explorer, March 28, 2025.
• "DEC: Body of missing hiker Leo DuFour found May 10 off Mt. Allen Mountain trail." The Adirondack Almanack, May 12, 2025.
• "Due to treacherous conditions, search for Leo DuFour transitioned to recovery mission." The Adirondack Almanack, December 10, 2024.
• "Extensive search underway in the Adirondacks for missing Canadian hiker." NCPR News, December 4, 2024.
• "Rangers had to divert resources during Allen Mt. search to rescue solo searcher." NCPR News, December 10, 2024.
• "DEC: No signs of missing hiker Thursday." Adirondack Daily Enterprise, December 5, 2024.
• "Hikers find body of missing person on Allen Mountain." My NBC5, May 2025.
• "Body of Missing Hiker Is Found 5 Months After He Vanished in the Adirondacks." The New York Times, May 29, 2025.
• The Globe and Mail (Canada): "U.S. authorities find body of missing Quebec hiker in New York state's Adirondacks." May 11, 2025.
• Advnture: Clarke, Julia. "Body of 22-year-old Canadian hiker found 5 months after vanishing on snowy Adirondacks mountain." May 2025.

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In this unflinching episode of the Crux True Survival Story Podcast, hosts Kaycee McIntosh and Julie Henningsen delve into one of history's most harrowing survival stories. On October 13, 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 slammed into the Andes Mountains, leaving 33 survivors stranded at 12,000 feet in subzero temperatures. For 72 days, they battled avalanches, frostbite, and starvation. When their meager supplies ran out, they faced an unthinkable decision: consume the dead or die themselves. This episode chronicles the psychological torment, the impossible moral choices, and the superhuman trek of two survivors who walked ten days through the frozen mountains to find rescue. A raw testament to human resilience and the terrifying price of survival.

00:00 Welcome and Housekeeping
01:25 Introducing the Podcast
01:48 Setting the Scene: The Andes Flight Disaster
02:08 The Crash
03:11 Immediate Aftermath
04:05 Struggle for Survival
15:55 The Search is Called Off
18:16 Facing the Unthinkable
20:06 The Grim Reality of Survival
21:01 A Desperate Decision
23:35 The Psychological Toll
25:44 Avalanche Strikes Again
27:18 A Daring Escape Plan
28:38 Journey Through the Mountains
35:36 Rescue and Aftermath
39:22 Legacy of Survival

Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/

Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/

REFERENCES

Primary Sources:

• Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors by Piers Paul Read (1974)
• Miracle in the Andes: 72 Days on the Mountain and My Long Trek Home by Nando Parrado (2006)
• Out of the Silence: After the Crash by Eduardo Strauch (2019)

• Official Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 accident investigation reports
• Medical journals documenting survivors' conditions upon rescue
• Geographic surveys of crash site location
• Aviation records and flight data

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When a routine test flight goes catastrophically wrong, Army Air Forces Lieutenant Leon Crane parachutes into the Alaskan wilderness in the dead of winter—alone, with no survival gear, and temperatures at 40 below zero. The city kid from Philadelphia has never spent a night outdoors in his life. What follows is one of the most remarkable survival stories of World War II: 84 days in the Arctic, a 120-mile trek through brutal terrain, and a series of decisions that meant the difference between life and death. This is the story almost nobody knows about—the man who refused to die on a frozen mountain.

00:00 Escape Ads with Patreon
00:46 Introduction to Crux True Survival Stories
01:10 Leon Crane's Harrowing Fall
02:48 The Crash and Immediate Aftermath
03:48 The Struggle for Survival Begins
04:19 The Fateful Flight Details
06:12 The Plane's Descent and Crash
09:48 Crane's First Night in the Wilderness
14:14 Days of Waiting and Desperation
17:38 The Decision to Move
20:38 Finding the Trapper's Cabin
23:27 Recovery and Reflection
26:10 Surviving the Wilderness: Rationing and Isolation
28:04 A Glimmer of Hope: Discovering the Map
30:06 The Desperate Journey Begins
31:09 Battling the Elements: Falling Through the Ice
34:11 Miraculous Rescue: Finding Shelter
35:58 The Final Struggle: Marching Towards Survival
38:05 The Unbelievable Reunion
42:34 Aftermath and Legacy
47:25 Lessons from Leon Crane's Survival
48:03 Closing Thoughts and Acknowledgements

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Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/

Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/

REFERENCES

1. Wikipedia - Leon Crane
2. Military.com - "How This Airman Survived 3 Months in the Alaskan Wilderness After a World War II Plane Crash"
3. Anchorage Daily News - "Lost in the wilderness for 81 days: The tortuous tale of Leon Crane's first Christmas in Alaska" by David Reamer
4. Adventure Journal - "Leon Crane Survived a Terrifying Plane Crash, Then 80 Days Alone in an Alaskan Winter"
5. Air & Space Forces Magazine - "Valor: Alone in the Arctic" (April 1997)
6. Heroes, Heroines, and History - "A WWII Pilot's Incredible Survival Story in Alaska's Frozen Wilderness" by Mary Dodge Allen
7. National Park Service - Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve documentation
8. Murphy, Brian. 81 Days Below Zero: The Incredible Survival Story of a World War II Pilot in Alaska's Frozen Wilderness
9. Valor Friday - This ain't Hell military history blog
10. Amazon.com - 81 Days Below Zero book listing and reviews
11. Hachette Book Group / Da Capo Press - 81 Days Below Zero publisher information
12. Goodreads - 81 Days Below Zero reviews and ratings

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In this episode of 'Disaster Strikes' on the Crux podcast, host Julie Henningsen delves into the harrowing story of David Sharp, a dedicated mountaineer whose third attempt to summit Mount Everest ended in tragedy. On May 15, 2006, Sharp was found unresponsive at 27,890 feet, seated next to the landmark known as Green Boots Cave. Despite attempts to help from several climbers, Sharp ultimately did not survive. The episode explores the decisions and conditions that led to this tragic outcome, the ethical dilemmas facing fellow climbers, and the broader implications for high-altitude mountaineering. Henningsen also contrasts Sharp's fate with the miraculous survival of Lincoln Hall, another climber left for dead but who managed to survive under similar conditions. The episode serves as a poignant reminder of the perils of mountaineering.

00:59 The Tragic Encounter on Everest

03:34 David Sharp's Background and Climbing History

06:25 The Final Attempt and Its Challenges

07:13 The Controversial Basic Package

14:33 The Deadly Climb of 2006

16:37 Green Boots and the Final Resting Place

19:12 David Sharp's Final Hours

19:54 Turkish Climbers' Dilemma

21:50 Controversy and Confusion

22:44 Efforts to Save Sharp

24:35 The Aftermath and Public Outcry

27:29 Lincoln Hall's Miraculous Survival

31:53 Comparing Sharp and Hall

34:20 Legacy and Reflection

35:32 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

• David Sharp (mountaineer) - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Sharp_(mountaineer)
• Lincoln Hall (climber) - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Hall_(climber)
• Green Boots - Ultimate Kilimanjaro https://www.ultimatekilimanjaro.com/green-boots-on-mount-everest-who-was-he-how-did-he-die/
• "Dying For Everest" (2007) New Zealand TV3 Documentary featuring interviews with climbers and expedition leaders
• "Everest: Beyond the Limit" (2006-2009) Discovery Channel series featuring Russell Brice's Himex expeditions, Season 1 includes David Sharp incident
• "Dead Lucky: Life After Death on Mount Everest" by Lincoln Hall (2007)
• "Dark Summit: The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season" by Nick Heil (2008)
• "Over the Top" - Outside Online (August 15, 2006) https://www.outsideonline.com/1909966/over-top
• "The Tragic Death of David Sharp" - Eight Summits https://eightsummits.com/bills-articles/the-tragic-death-of-david-sharp/
• "Lincoln Hall Rescue" - SummitClimb https://www.summitclimb.com/news/mef/lincoln-hall-rescue
• Alan Arnette - Everest Coverage https://www.alanarnette.com
• "Mortality on Mount Everest, 1921-2006: descriptive study" British Medical Journal (PMC2602730)

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