JOSH: On this episode of Expedition X,
my team treks deep inside the longest cave system
in the world...
PATRICIA: It is over 400 miles long.
So, this is the edge of the map right here.
That is a steep drop.
JOSH: ..to investigate 5,000 years of strange phenomena.
There's places that we really shouldn't go.
JOSH: A shadowy figure...
This is exactly where it was.
JOSH: ..and a paranormal force that's claiming victims.
PHIL: They completely disappeared?
JESSOCA: Just saw something pass right in front of my face.
I wanna get out of here.
MARK: Out of the shadows comes this presence.
JESSICA: What is that?
It's like going cave crazy.
This isn't good. We've gotta get out of here right now.
Water's coming in, let's go.
JESSICA: *bleep*!
My name is Josh Gates.
In my travels I've experienced strange things that defy logic
and made me question everything.
Oh, my god.
Now I've put together a team
to investigate the stranger side of the unknown.
Let's go.
Phil Torres is a scientist who hunts for rational explanations.
Jessica Chobot's paranormal research has made her a true believer.
There is a monster living in this forest.
Phil. Phil, Phil. I just saw something run across.
Together we're searching for answers...
What is that?
..to the world's most extraordinary mysteries.
This is Expedition X.
is, haven't we explored everything.
You know, haven't we mapped everything,
haven't we been everywhere at this point.
And of course the answer is, no.
Take the Amazon rainforest for example.
Over a billion acres
and huge areas of it have not been explored in modern times.
For example this area called 'Vale do Javari' in Brazil.
There are over a dozen uncontacted tribes living there today.
Yeah, and I think a lot of people have a tendency
I mean, I always think of the ocean.
I mean, it's huge.
We've just started exploring the depths of it.
We're finding new species living there all the time.
So, you know, who's to say what else we might find?
And in fact the topic of unexplored places
is really at the heart of today's case.
So, a few weeks I received a message from a guy named Mark Wenner.
Now Mark is a caving expert.
He has explored caves all over the world,
he lectures around the world on caves and cave safety
and in particular he has spent thousands of hours
in a place called Mammoth Cave.
So you may know Mammoth Cave. This is in Kentucky.
It is actually the longest cave system in the world.
Now, Mark knows his stuff.
This guy is a real deal expert which is why I was so surprised
to hear about his team's recent experience down in the cave.
Check this out.
We've been mapping Mammoth Cave for 14 years.
Initially the first couple of trips were pretty standard operation.
The second or third trip though we experienced some things
that were very unexplainable.
JOSH: Measuring 420 miles and counting,
the Mammoth Cave in central Kentucky
was inhabited by Native Americans, starting about 4,000 years ago.
They used the caves as shelter and for burial rituals,
a spiritual realm where they could commune with the dead.
Then about 2,000 years ago, they suddenly abandoned the caves.
Some descendants say their ancestors were driven away
by ancient spirits deep within the darkness.
A more conventional explanation is that changes in climate
drove game animals away and the people followed the food.
Whatever the reasons for their abrupt departure,
Mammoth Cave remains a place of mystery.
In the past few centuries,
there have been numerous deaths and disappearances
and many claims of paranormal activity.
In the deepest uncharted parts of the cave,
people have reported feeling like they were stalked
and even touched by a menacing shadowy figure.
While many chalk up such reports to colourful legend and lore,
others, including cave experts like Mark, disagree,
having experienced this terrifying presence first-hand.
MARK: So, the four of us were walking down the passage
and out of the shadows comes this presence.
It's the only way that I can explain it.
It was as real as the guys standing next to me.
In fact, so much so
that I had to turn to see if one of those guys had walked behind me.
So, I said, "You guys feel that person that just entered our party?"
And Matt, who was on the end, said, "Absolutely."
Really strange stuff.
Now, I've spent a lot of time in caves over the years
and, look, they are extremely strange,
mysterious worlds.
I mean, this is quite literally the underworld.
Wow. It is spectacular in here.
But this is something I've never experienced.
No, this is next level.
I mean, I definitely have heard of Mammoth Cave before.
A lot of people have reported shadow figures, strange sounds
and, like, obviously even Mark and his team
experienced some sort of presence down there.
So, all of that stuff combined, I don't think you can dismiss it.
To me that's very much worth investigating.
Phil, what do you think?
Caves are the exact type of place
you would expect a story like this to kind of come alive.
-Right. -They are incredibly dark,
they are disorienting
and throughout history,
people all over the world have always looked at them
as mystical or portal to the other side.
So, to me it's no surprise
that people would think a deep, dark cave is haunted
or has something living in it.
But it does give me pause when a caving expert, like Mark,
has a story like that.
Right. This is a really credible guy
and part of a team of scientists, right?
This isn't just one person having an experience.
So, the mission is simple.
What's going on in Mammoth Cave
that has these scientists so spooked?
Or, is nothing going on?
Is it nothing more than campfire stories and folklore?
So to find out, I'm gonna have you join Mark on his next mission
to an uncharted section of the cave.
-You up for it? -Absolutely.
Let's go caving.
Jessica and Phil make the 800 mile drive from the big city
to Cave City, Kentucky.
Here beneath the tree-lined streets and country stores,
this small city hides a secret.
The longest cave system in the world.
What do you think you would do if you actually...
had something you couldn't explain happen to you?
I would have somebody check the oxygen reading.
I would assume that we're in an area of the cave
where, like, there's some other gas and so you're starting to, to trip.
What I'm really excited about is what Josh was saying
where there's still exploring left to be done
and I don't like exploring just for the sake of saying,
"I've been there".
This is exploring for science, to document something
and to map something no-one's ever done before.
So, I love that bigger contribution
to what we're adding to solving the mystery here.
And I think it's really, really cool
that we're going into a section of the cave
-that has never been gone into. -Oh, yeah.
JOSH: To date the Mammoth Cave system has 25 known entrances
that are spread out over 82 square miles of Kentucky.
Phil and Jess are headed to this one,
nine miles to the west of Cave City.
They're here to meet with Mark Wenner's colleague,
Doctor Pat Kambesis.
-Hi. -Good to meet you.
Good to meet you.
JOSH: Pat teaches geographic information system mapping
or GIS at Western Kentucky University.
She also runs Kentucky's Cave Research Foundation
and has personally explored and mapped caves all over the world.
Welcome to Mammoth Cave, the longest cave in the world.
It is over 400 miles long
but you understand, it's not like 400 miles in a straight line, right?
It's like 400 miles stacked on, like, five levels.
JOSH: Geologists estimate
that the origins of the cave system date back 15 million years
to when the Green River
carved its way through a thick cap of sandstone below,
exposing a 600 foot layer of soft limestone.
Over the course of the next 10 million years,
flowing water hollowed out the stone,
creating a labyrinth of stacked subterranean passages
that are still being mapped to this day.
Let's go see some cave.
-Alright. Thanks. -Let's do it.
Whoa.
Wow.
So, what was the cave like before all the modern construction?
Well, it was a lot more rugged than what you see now.
The original Native Americans were the explorers.
You had to be really *bleep* to come here (LAUGHS)...
-Mm-hm. -..with cane torches and barefoot.
There's no light, so you have to figure that
they had to overcome a lot to just to come in here.
JOSH: The caves were occupied by ancestors of the Cherokee tribe.
They mined the upper three levels of the cave system,
seeking minerals such as gypsum and selenite,
which were used for trade, rituals and even medicine.
And then after about 2,000 years ago,
there isn't a lot of evidence of their activity.
So it's like they completely disappeared from here?
We don't know. So, there's a lot of mystery.
-I mean, there's a lot of things... -Yeah.
..that we know but there's a lot of things that we don't know.
Did they ever use the cave for burials at all?
There have been some mummies found in here
-but they didn't mummify them. -Really?
-It's because of the, of the... -The atmosphere?
..the atmosphere of the cave.
JOSH: Although the exact number
of people who have died in Mammoth Cave is unknown,
caving experts are certain
the number of deaths is vastly under-reported.
The bodies of most people
who disappear in and around the caves
are never found.
What are your thoughts on paranormal activity in the cave?
Well, first, you know, I'm a scientist.
Mm-hm.
However, I like to keep an open mind
and so I wouldn't totally discount it.
-Hm. -I mean, you know--
You're my favourite kind of scientist.
(LAUGHTER)
-(LAUGHS) I'm right here. -Do you need a job? (LAUGHS).
-Obviously I'm just kidding. -Not really.
We've heard reports of people seeing things in here,
hearing things in here, chanting or even being pushed.
Especially when they go into unmapped sections of the cave.
So, what are your thoughts on that?
You know, a lot of it, it could be psychological.
If you stay in the cave long enough,
you start to hear things and you start to see things.
-I don't know. -It's like going cave crazy.
Yeah.
Because you're sensory deprived,
your mind starts to play tricks on you...
and so maybe you could go a little cave crazy.
Oh? That's pretty terrifying actually.
JOSH: Sensory deprivation can cause anxiety
and even hallucinations in as little as 15 minutes.
The brain seeks out sensory patterns
and when none exist, it creates its own.
Whoa.
Have you had any experiences while down here
-that you can't really explain? -I actually have.
PATRICIA: I was on a trip where we were down there and we...
-JESSICA: Mm-hm. -..were just kinda sitting around
on, on this flat rock
and it just kinda got really weird,
like, there was some sort of, like, "Is there somebody here?"
You know? Everybody got that feeling.
-We got a little bit spooked. -Yeah.
And then we started hearing, like, rockfall and we were like,
"Ooh," you know, 'cause all of us are here.
Yeah.
The feeling was too strong and we were like,
-"OK, we're out of here." (LAUGHS) -PHIL: Wow.
So, bad and actually scare you out?
-Oh, yeah, we left. -OK.
PHIL (NARRATING): In an encounter similar to Mark's,
Pat said she too sensed a dark shadow
and felt the presence of some type of entity.
Whatever is down here,
seems to have scared this extremely experienced caver enough
that she and her team wanted to get out immediately.
JESSICA (NARRATING): Tomorrow, we'll join Mark and Pat
on a two day expedition
to explore unmapped sections of the cave.
In the meantime,
they've arranged for us to meet with a Native American expert
named Braveheart
to help us understand the locals' view
of what's really happening in Mammoth Cave.
Tcha!
(HORSE WHINNYING)
She lives in the hills
directly above the caverns where her ancestors once lived.
Supposedly if we keep heading west from the stables,
we'll find her cabin just past a fresh spring.
Right, so there's the spring.
We just gotta go west, I guess, from here.
Keep going west. Run into it eventually.
-See that? -Yeah.
PHIL (NARRATING): We see smoke rising from a cabin
off in the distance
but as we get closer to the hills and the caverns,
our horses suddenly seem hesitant to go on.
Come on. Come on.
Let's go.
She's freaked out.
Stop. No. No, no, no, no, no.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa, whoa.
Whoa, whoa.
We're good.
PHIL (NARRATING): So, we tie up our nervous horses
and hike the last 50 yards through the woods.
I think we have found her.
Yeah. Look at this place.
Hi. Braveheart?
-Yes. Nice to meet you. -Thanks.
-I'm Phil. -Nice to meet you.
It's not an easy place to find.
You wouldn't have found me if spirit hadn't sent you.
How long have you lived out here?
I've lived here 20 plus years.
JESSICA: So, from your perspective what's going on in these caves?
A lot of these caves were used as burials.
They're shamans,
there's medicine people that has been buried here
long before Europeans ever came to this country.
I believe that in these caves...
there is actually a portal to the afterlife.
JOSH: The caves beneath this region
have historically been a sacred space
for tribes like the Cherokee,
a place of refuge from the elements
but also a place where groups conducted mystical funerary rituals,
rituals that some believe unleashed powerful unseen forces.
There was a conflict between both sides of the grass,
as we call. The dead and the living.
And it became a... almost a spiritual warfare.
The dead, they wanna be alive
and some of them hasn't officially crossed over
so they're jealous and they're angry.
JESSICA (NARRATING): She tells us that the deeper into the cave we go,
the closer we get to this spiritual underworld.
For generations her family has told stories
about hearing dead ancestors chanting...
warning of danger in the deepest parts of the cave.
So, there are obvious risks of, of cave-ins or getting lost
or floods and all sorts of danger to us being in there
but you're saying
there's kind of a different type of danger as well.
Yes. Yes. It's a very real thing.
OK, there's places that we really shouldn't go.
And you will excuse me when I get emotional.
The places that y'all are possibly going into...
it's not friendly.
(SNIFFS) There's deaths, murders.
These energies kill people.
So, I'm gonna set you up with things
that I want you to go into the cave with.
I wouldn't go without them.
JESSICA (NARRATING): Braveheart leads us to a nearby spot
where she conducts a blessing
and helps create a protective talisman for me and Phil.
Grandmothers of the North.
She uses a combination of sacred herbs
and even a lock of our own hair.
-Just a little snip is all you need. -Oh, that's fine.
It's an unusual gift,
but considering her description of what's lurking inside the cave,
I'm feeling thankful for the gesture.
JESSICA: The next morning we drive back towards the outskirts of town
to join the team about to map more of Mammoth Cave.
I'm legit feeling way better going to the caves
after getting these bags for protection.
Do you feel protected?
-I feel good. -Do you really?
I mean, I think it was a really nice gesture, really...
very meaningful.
I'm actually really surprised to hear you say that
that was, like, a meaningful visit.
I would have thought you would have been like, "Blah, blah, blah...
-It's always-- -..I'm Phil, I'm a scientist."
(LAUGHS)
But instead you're, like, totally down.
When I hear the stories of portal or the spirits of the dead
in these places, I wonder, like, what's the seed of truth to it.
What was really happening back then?
There could have been rock slides.
-There could have been floods. -Mm-hm.
There could have been disease
from the dead that they were storing in the caves.
I do think there's a seed of truth there
but what's the paranormal or mythological seed?
-To me it is-- -Why does it have to be something...
Real?
But I would counter that in regards to the caving team
we're gonna be meeting up with,
they themselves have mentioned weird experiences
that they can't explain that they've had in the cave.
They're scientists and yet they're still mentioning this.
So, explain that one. See, that's what I'm saying.
These things are happening
and you still turn a blind eye to them.
It's not a blind eye. It's a critical eye.
It's a sceptical eye.
And I, I just think we need more evidence
so that's why we're going into the cave, to get more evidence.
PHIL (NARRATING): We're meeting with Josh's contact,
expert caver Mark Wenner.
Welcome to Mammoth.
He believes that when his team
started mapping an unexplored area of the cave,
they encountered some type of dark spirit.
Now, they're heading even deeper inside
and we're joining their expedition.
We're gonna camp overnight,
the first night after traversing
some relatively difficult passage
and then we're gonna end up the second day in this area,
completely unexplored.
We'll be the first ones in there.
PHIL (NARRATING): Not only that but to get there,
we'll pass through the areas
where he experienced the unusual phenomena.
Well, part of the reason
why we're wanting to go down there
is that I also wanna do a paranormal investigation.
Have you had experiences while you've been down there?
Numerous. So, it didn't just happen once.
The last time we had an experience, there were three other guys with me.
I felt a presence, same exact thing happened
and I just looked at Matt and I said, "You feel that again?"
He says, "Yeah."
Alright.
JESSICA (NARRATING): We're eager to get down into the caves
but first we check in with Josh and update him
on the various eye-witness accounts we've heard in the field.
Phil, what's your take on this?
As Mister Science, you are off the map here, my friend.
Talking to all those cavers, they all have years of experience,
they're all very sceptically-minded
but they all say something kinda happens to you
when you're down there.
Look, when you're in those utterly dark places
and those narrow winding tunnels,
it is easy to lose a sense of time and space.
It's complete sensory deprivation.
Into the darkness. Are you ready?
Things can go sideways pretty quickly, guys,
especially if you are moving into unmapped areas of the cave.
Use your eyes and ears as well as the tools that you have
and I'll see you on the other side.
-Alright then. -Sounds good.
PHIL (NARRATING): We grab our gear and link up with Pat
and the rest of Mark's team
who will be mapping the unexplored area of the cave.
Let's do it. Let's gear up.
-OK. -Alright.
JESSICA (NARRATING): Our plan
is to head to the spot where Mark saw the apparition
and record any anomalous sounds or heat signatures
that we come across.
Before we know it, we're entering a world
of darkness and an expedition where anything could happen.
This place is *bleep* terrifying.
PATRICIA: So, you see all the rocks on the floor?
-Yeah. -They came from up there.
-Wow. -Oh.
So, you see that one sticking right out like a...
-Yeah. -..like a little tooth?
-Yeah. -We call it a widow-maker.
'Cause if you happen to be standing under it at the wrong time--
Yeah. We're standing in the perfect place for...
-Yeah. -...more of these to fall on us.
Yeah. By all means, let's continue to...
-Yeah. (LAUGHS) -..have this conversation elsewhere.
(LAUGHTER)
Wow.
-Oh. -MAN: It's blinding me.
(INAUDIBLE CHATTER)
Nuh.
OK.
(JESSICA WHIMPERING)
(BREATHES HEAVILY)
Ah. OK.
OK.
OK. OK.
(INAUDIBLE CHATTER)
(BREATHES HEAVILY). Wait, wait, wait, wait.
PHIL (NARRATING): After a few minutes,
Jess feels steady enough to get back up and we continue onward.
JESSICA (NARRATING): The closer we get to the unexplored area,
the more treacherous the ground becomes.
(JESSICA GRUNTS)
One false step could easily result in a serious injury or worse.
-Here's the little slide here. -Super slidy?
Super slidy.
PATRICIA: And it's kinda slippery here, guys, so.
-OK. -Three points of contact.
Whoa, *bleep*, got it. Ooh.
-You good? You good? -Yeah. Sit down and slide.
OK. Whoo. Like, legit slide.
Like, let me get back up before you get your good butt down here.
PHIL (NARRATING): The only entrance to the passageway
where Mark said he encountered the spirit is straight down.
We tie a rope to a secure section of rocks
and descend into the unknown.
-Phew, alright. -What's it look like up here?
Ah, I think you can go through.
-Yeah? -Yeah, yeah, I think so.
Just be really careful where you step.
There's a lot of people think caving will look
like going down a big tunnel,
take a right or a left and that's caving.
Really, the passageways will look something like this.
JESSICA (NARRATING): As we get further into the cave,
the tunnel curves and we're suddenly heading up again.
A thin layer of water coats the rocks,
creating a slippery mud.
PHIL: Real careful here.
JESSICA: Phil, I'm almost out.
PHIL: Alright, I'm trying to make my way over.
How do you fit through here?
I can.
Oof. (GASPS).
Alright, I'm up.
That is a steep drop back here.
Yeah, yeah.
See those little grip prints that I made in the mud?
-Yeah. -Knee and hand crawl,
all the way up with them.
-OK? -OK.
-This is real slippery. -Get ready. Hold on.
Got it?
(GRUNTS)
(SIGHING) Whoo!
PHIL (NARRATING): Mark, Pat and the other two crew members
catch up with us
as we continue through this maze of disorienting tunnels.
What's up?
This is where I felt the presence.
This is exactly where it was.
MARK: Came up, out of the shadows there.
And this is where I said, "You guys feel that?
There's a fifth person in our party."
And Matt said, "Absolutely."
Exactly right here. This is it.
Wow.
I've been caving a long time
and I've never felt anything like that before.
As real as you standing next to me.
JESSICA: Well, this would be an ideal place for our investigation
so could we set up base camp somewhere close by?
Yeah, there's a flat spot right back there and it's perfect.
In fact that's exactly where we were,
when we set up camp that night.
-What do you think we need for this? -Let's grab the thermal...
OK.
..just to see if we can get any changes in temperature.
-Yeah. -And let's grab the audio recorder.
-It's a good place to start. -OK, cool.
We're on top of the spot
where Mark believes he encountered some type of entity.
The question is whether it's still here
or whether any residual energy can be detected.
I think this is probably our best bet for a hot spot...
Yeah.
..for finding out why Mark was feeling those presences.
Sounds like a plan.
JESSICA (NARRATING): Phil plugs the thermal imaging camera
into his tablet,
while I record audio.
Even when an entity isn't viewable in the visible light spectrum,
it is theorized that it may be able to displace heat
which appears in red on a thermal camera.
The audio recorder I'm using, can also detect sounds
that are imperceptible to the human ear.
Did you hear that?
It's over in that direction.
That's where I keep hearing something.
-I heard it go. -Yeah, me too.
I still don't know if that was voices.
It's really hard to tell what it is.
It just keeps pulsing. It gets louder.
It's still going.
Whoa.
What was that?
That's like the sound Pat said she heard before her encounter.
And then we started hearing, like, rockfall and we were like, "Ooh."
And look at this. Look here.
What do you have? What you go?
There's a little hot spot here.
Oh, yeah, that light.
What is that? Over here.
Careful.
-Over there. -Oh, there it is. Yeah.
What is that?
Why did it come on all of a sudden? It's that rock right there.
-Seems. Yeah. -Yeah.
I don't see it anymore. That is so weird.
JESSICA (NARRATING): After another thorough pass
through the area of the cave
where Mark originally felt a mysterious presence,
we don't encounter any other anomalies.
So, we head back to camp for some much needed rest.
According to the cavers,
many of the strangest encounters happen
when they pushed into an unmapped section of the cave
and that's where we're heading tomorrow.
Even though I know it's...
should be nighttime, it's... it's, like, impossible to tell
what time it is in a place that is perpetually completely dark.
You just... You have nothing to relate to.
And after this crazy day,
just physical and mental exhaustion,
you'd think it'd be easy to sleep.
But then again, there are giant slabs of stone
hanging over me that could fall at any moment.
So, actually I might sleep with the helmet on.
That's better.
Good morning.
MARK: Hey, buddy.
PHIL (NARRATING): After a quick breakfast
of something that I would describe as, well, edible...
It's calories.
(LAUGHS)
..we head out for day two of the expedition.
-Alright. -PATRICIA: Well, let's go.
We head deeper into the cave to the location where Mark
and Pat's previous mapping efforts ended.
Almost every time someone has crossed into a new area,
there have been reports of odd sounds
and even sightings of a strange dark figure.
This is the side path that I was telling you about
and it goes to uncharted territory.
So, this is the edge of the map right here.
-Yeah. -Wow.
Ready for a crawl?
I'm ready for a crawl.
-I'm ready for a crawl. -Yeah.
JESSICA (NARRATING): The passageway into the next part of the cave
is extremely narrow.
To guard against losing the entire team
in case of a cave-in,
we go through in pairs.
PHIL: Wow.
OK, it is getting way narrow over here...
and we've been hearing water the entire time,
seeing it dripping from the ceiling,
we have no idea what's gonna be up ahead.
JESSICA: Whoa, OK. Shine a light down there.
Do you see... Does it go all the way through?
PHIL: Wow. It just keeps going.
PHIL (NARRATING): As the team catches up,
we continue to climb through the narrow passageways.
Suddenly it opens up
and we're standing in a giant cavern.
(EXHALES)
OK, guys, this is where
our new survey will start.
-So, this is where -Alright.
-the mapping begins? -Right.
Alright, well, if you guys are gonna go ahead and do the mapping here,
we're gonna go do our investigation...
-We'll head back a little bit. -..a little further.
-You got it. -JESSICA AND PHIL: Alright.
JESSICA (NARRATING): If Braveheart is right
and there really is some kind of portal to the underworld here,
I want to document it.
While Mark and his team start the mapping process,
we move ahead to a completely unexplored area
and prepare for whatever the cave has in store for us.
Alright, well, this looks good.
PHIL (NARRATING): It's pitch black in here,
the perfect place to test my theory
that Mammoth Cave's mysterious sights and sounds
could be explained by the effects of sensory deprivation.
At the same time, Jessica will be testing her theory
that there's a presence in the cave
that is the source of these phenomena.
So, what I'm thinking is we can set up the wireless surveillance system
and I'm gonna go back there and just sit in the dark.
I want you to mark down anything that seems weird.
JESSICA (OVER RADIO): So, how's three looking?
Three's looking good.
OK, I'm gonna go ahead and turn off my headlamp
and I'll start the recorder and we're good to go.
Alright, good luck in there.
JESSICA (NARRATING): The infrared cameras
show what's going on around me as I sit in complete darkness
in this uncharted area of the cave.
I'm hoping to encounter the strange sounds
or the sense of a dark physical presence
that both Pat and Mark described.
JESSICA (OVER RADIO): OK, recording.
Hello, I'm Jessica.
Braveheart made a prayer
asking if we could have passage into Mammoth Cave.
PHIL (NARRATING): We're allowing 30 minutes for our experiment
to see what might be physically present here
and what might just be in Jessica's head.
Is there anyone here with us?
JESSICA (ON RADIO): Phil, did you capture anything on camera?
So far nothing.
Lot of shadow play from the infrared around you
but I'll let you know if I see anything.
Is there anyone there?
Phil, did you hear that?
I'm pretty sure I heard something off to my left.
Hello? Is there anyone over there?
Are you hearing it again?
Yeah, and I know what you're gonna say,
that's the side with the water.
I know where the water is. It's not the water.
It's like an undertone to the water.
It sounds like there's almost a wailing.
(ON RADIO) Are you picking anything up on those cameras
because I am hearing a litany of voices to the right of me?
Absolutely nothing.
I am getting no visual signs of... of movement back there.
JESSICA (ON RADIO): Phil, did you see that?
I didn't see anything. What happened?
I swear to God I just saw something pass right in front of my face.
It was super close.
It feels like there's something standing right next to me.
I'm getting kind of freaked out.
If it's not OK for Phil and I to be here,
will you please send a sign?
-(GASPS) *bleep*! *bleep*! -Whoa!
Phil and Jessica's investigation into Mammoth Cave
is a stark reminder of something I've experienced first-hand.
Regardless of whether you believe a cave
might be home to supernatural forces,
it can certainly be a place that turns deadly in a hurry.
On a recent expedition to Ecuador,
my own team descended hundreds of feet into the earth
to explore the massive Tayos caves.
In places like this, every step counts.
The careless placement of a foot or a loss of balance in the dark
can mean the difference between getting out of a tight spot
and not making it out alive.
And while people think of caves as empty places,
they're actually teeming with life.
They are also treacherous conduits for water
and weather conditions above
can lead to unexpected flooding underground.
These realities were dramatically highlighted in 2018
when 12 boys and their coach were trapped underground
in a flooded cave in Thailand,
sparking a dramatic rescue effort
with thousands of volunteers and 100 trained divers.
So, if you're venturing into a cave, go with an experienced guide,
go with the proper gear
and always go with a plan for how to get back out safely.
Deep inside Mammoth Cave, Jessica is alone in the dark,
trying to determine whether there is a paranormal phenomena here
or if reports of phantom figures are a trick of the mind
brought on by sensory deprivation.
JESSICA (ON RADIO): Phil, did you see that?
I didn't see anything. What happened?
I swear to God I just saw something pass right in front of my face.
It was super close.
It feels like there's something standing right next to me.
I'm getting kind of freaked out.
-*bleep*! *bleep*! *bleep*! -Whoa.
What the hell was that?
Something just touched me.
(BREATHING RAPIDLY AND HEAVILY)
Jess, are you OK?
(BREATHING RAPIDLY)
JESSICA: Oh, my god. No, no, no, no, no.
I wanna get out of here.
(OVER RADIO) I'm coming up.
-So, this is the area back here. -You see that?
PHIL (NARRATING): Jess and I looked through the footage
and from one angle,
we see what appears to be a strange shadowy figure.
That's right after I said
I feel like something's standing next to me.
So, that was kind of... kind of weird.
PHIL (NARRATING): We slow it down
and while the shadow doesn't seem to be Jess,
we still can't tell what it is.
JESSICA: Wow.
PHIL: That's crazy.
JESSICA: What is that?
PHIL (NARRATING): Mark and his team reach us by walkie
and ask us to meet back up with them, right away.
Almost immediately we run into something
that's definitely cause for concern.
-What's going on? -This isn't good.
This was dry when we came through here on the way in.
PATRICIA: We should get out.
-How much time do we have? -MARK: None.
-We gotta get out of here right now. -Alright, guys..
Alright, we gotta go, guys, come on, everybody.
Water's coming in. Let's go.
MAN: We've got to get topside. Let's go.
JOSH: Rain above the surface is causing a flash flood
in the caverns below.
Water levels can rise rapidly and quickly turn deadly.
Oh, it's rushing. It's going.
*bleep*!
Guys, it's getting deeper. Let's go.
JESSICA: Come on. Whoa. Oh.
Watch the gear.
Up to the knees.
Woo. Oh, it's cold.
Through here, a bunch of rocks, bunch of rocks.
-Big log. -Big log. Careful.
MAN: Oh!
Phil. Phil.
PHIL: Jess!
JESSICA: Phil!
I found one of those all white (INDISTINCT).
It's incredible.
We might be drowning.
Alright, come on, everybody.
Oh, that was...
Alright, come on.
That was so worth it.
Yeah, not really.
Up to the knees.
PHIL: Almost out.
Whoof.
JESSICA: Oh. OK.
JOSH: After two gruelling days underground
and a narrow escape from flash flooding,
the expedition team is exhausted but they've also gotten results.
PHIL: Woo.
JOSH: Mark and his colleagues have added to the map
that's providing a more accurate picture
of the world's longest cave system.
MARK: Did that do it for you?
JESSICA: Oh, my gosh.
PHIL: I've never experienced anything like that.
That was crazy.
JOSH: Jessica and Phil
have captured audio and video evidence
that may indicate some kind of strange phenomena.
Their thermal camera recorded an unexplainable hit in a passageway
where paranormal activity has been reported before.
(BANGING)
PHIL: Whoa!
JESSICA: What was that?
(MUFFLED VOICES IN RECORDED)
JOSH: The audio of strange disembodied voices
is consistent with what several eye witnesses reported hearing
in unexplored regions of the cave.
-JESSICA: What do you think? -I mean, it's weird.
And it's pulsing.
JESSICA: Uh-huh.
I have no idea.
Everybody interprets everything different.
JOSH: Perhaps most intriguing of all,
the shadow figure the infrared camera picked up
seems to corroborate the strange experiences
of Mark Wenner and his team so the question remains.
Are these just the tricks of light and shadow
to be expected in the inky disorienting depths of Mammoth Cave?
Or is there something extraordinary, something paranormal going on?
Phil puts his money on the power of superstition
and the science of sensory deprivation
Either way,
if you happen to find yourself
Subtitle Caption by ZestCorp