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On this episode of Expedition X, my team treks deep inside the longest cave system in the world.

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It is over 400 miles long.

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So this is the edge of the map right here.

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That is a steep drop.

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To investigate 5,000 years of strange phenomena.

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There's places that we really shouldn't go.

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A shadowy figure.

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This is exactly where it was.

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And a paranormal force that's claiming victims.

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They completely disappeared.

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I just saw something pass right in front of my face.

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I want to get out of here.

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Out of the shadows comes this presence.

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What is that?

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It's like going cave crazy.

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This isn't good.

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We've got to get out of here right now.

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Water's coming in. Let's go.

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Holy f***!

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My name is Josh Gates.

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In my travels, I've experienced strange things that defy logic and made me question everything.

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Oh my God.

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Now, I've put together a team to investigate the stranger side of the unknown.

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Let's go!

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Phil Torres is a scientist who hunts for rational explanations.

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I'm a criminal.

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I'm actually found.

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I'm still.

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Jessica Chobot's paranormal research has made her a true believer.

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There is a monster living in this forest.

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Phil, Phil, Phil.

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I just saw something right across.

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Together, we're searching for answers.

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What is that?

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To the world's most extraordinary mysteries.

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This is Expedition X.

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One of the things that people ask me all the time is,

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haven't we explored everything?

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Haven't we mapped everything?

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Haven't we been everywhere at this point?

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And of course, the answer is, no.

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Take the Amazon rainforest, for example.

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Over a billion acres and huge areas of it have not been explored a modern times.

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For example, this area called Vale do Javari in Brazil.

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There are over a dozen uncontacted tribes living there today.

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Yeah, and I think a lot of people have the tendency to just think of land.

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I mean, I always think of the ocean.

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It's huge.

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We've just started exploring the depths of it.

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We're finding new species living there all the time.

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So, you know, who's to say what else we might find?

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And in fact, the topic of unexplored places is really at the heart of today's case.

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So, a few weeks ago, I received a message from a guy named Mark Wenner.

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Now, Mark is a caving expert.

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He has explored caves all over the world.

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He lectures around the world on caves and cave safety.

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And in particular, he has spent thousands of hours in a place called Mammoth Cave.

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So, you may know Mammoth Cave.

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This is in Kentucky.

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It is actually the longest cave system in the world.

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Now, Mark knows his stuff.

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This guy is a real deal expert, which is why I was so surprised to hear about his team's

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recent experience down in the cave.

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We've been mapping Mammoth Cave for 14 years.

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Initially, the first couple trips were pretty standard operation.

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The second or third trip, though, we experienced some things that were very unexplainable.

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Measuring 420 miles and counting, the Mammoth Cave in central Kentucky was inhabited by

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Native Americans starting about 4,000 years ago.

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They used the caves as shelter and for burial rituals, a spiritual realm where they could

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commune with the dead.

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Then, about 2,000 years ago, they suddenly abandoned the caves.

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Some descendants say their ancestors were driven away by ancient spirits deep within

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the darkness.

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A more conventional explanation is that changes in climate drove game animals away, and the

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people followed the food.

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Whatever the reasons for their abrupt departure, Mammoth Cave remains a place of mystery.

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In the past few centuries, there have been numerous deaths and disappearances, and many

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claims of paranormal activity.

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In the deepest uncharted parts of the cave, people have reported feeling like they were

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stalked and even touched by a menacing, shadowy figure.

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While many chalk up such reports to colorful legend and lore, others, including cave experts

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like Mark, disagree, having experienced this terrifying presence firsthand.

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So the four of us were walking down the passage, and out of the shadows comes this presence.

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It's the only way that I can explain it.

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It was as real as the guys standing next to me.

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In fact, so much so that I had to turn to see if one of those guys had walked behind me.

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So I said, you guys feel that person that just entered our party?

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And Matt, who was on the end, said, absolutely.

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Really strange stuff.

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Now, I've spent a lot of time in caves over the years, and look, they are extremely strange, mysterious worlds.

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I mean, this is quite literally the underworld.

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Wow. It is spectacular in here.

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But this is something I've never experienced.

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No, this is the next level.

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I mean, I definitely have heard of Mammoth Cave before.

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A lot of people have reported shadow figures, strange sounds, and like obviously even Mark

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and his team experienced some sort of presence down there.

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So all of that stuff combined, I don't think you can dismiss it.

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To me, that's very much worth investigating.

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Phil, what do you think?

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Caves are the exact type of place you'd expect a story like this to kind of come alive.

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They are incredibly dark.

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They are disorienting.

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And throughout history, people all over the world have always looked at them as mystical or portal to the other side.

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So to me, it's no surprise that people would think a deep dark cave is haunted or has something living in it,

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but it does give me pause when a caving expert like Mark has a story like that.

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Right. This is a really credible guy and part of a team of scientists, right?

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This isn't just one person having an experience.

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So the mission is simple.

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What's going on in Mammoth Cave that has these scientists so spooked?

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Or is nothing going on?

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Is it nothing more than campfire stories and folklore?

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So to find out, I'm going to have you join Mark on his next mission to an uncharted section of the cave.

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You up for it?

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Absolutely.

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Let's go caving.

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Jessica and Phil make the 800-mile drive from the big city to Cave City, Kentucky.

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Here, beneath the tree-lined streets and country stores, this small city hides a secret.

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The longest cave system in the world.

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What do you think you would do if you actually had something you couldn't explain happen to you?

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I would have somebody check the oxygen reading.

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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 trip.

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What I'm really excited about is what Josh was saying, where there is still exploring left to be done.

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And I don't like exploring just for the sake of saying, I've been there.

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This is exploring for science, to document something, to map something no one's ever done before.

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So I love that bigger contribution to what we're adding to solving the mystery here.

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And I think it's really, really cool that we're going into a section of the caves that have never been gone into.

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Oh, yeah.

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To date, the Mammoth Cave System has 25 known entrances that are spread out over 82 square miles of Kentucky.

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Phil and Jess are headed to this one, nine miles to the west of Cave City.

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They're here to meet with Mark Wenner's colleague, Dr. Pat Cambesis.

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Hi.

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Good to meet you.

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Good to meet you.

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Pat teaches Geographic Information System Mapping, or GIS, at Western Kentucky University.

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She also runs Kentucky's Cave Research Foundation and has personally explored and mapped caves all over the world.

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Welcome to Mammoth Cave, longest cave in the world.

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It is over 400 miles long, but you understand that's not like 400 miles on a straight line, right?

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Yeah.

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It's like 400 miles stacked on like five levels.

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Geologists estimate that the origins of the cave system date back 15 million years,

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to when the Green River carved its way through a thick cap of sandstone below,

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exposing a 600-foot layer of soft limestone.

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Over the course of the next 10 million years, flowing water hollowed out the stone,

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creating a labyrinth of stacked subterranean passages that are still being mapped to this day.

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Let's go see some cave.

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Alright, thanks.

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Whoa.

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Wow.

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So what was the cave like before all the modern construction?

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Well, it was a lot more rugged than what you see now.

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The original Native Americans were the explorers.

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You had to be really ballsy to come in here with cane torches and barefoot.

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There's no light, so you have to figure that they had to overcome a lot just to come in here.

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The caves were occupied by ancestors of the Cherokee tribe.

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They mined the upper three levels of the cave system, seeking minerals such as gypsum and selenite,

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which were used for trade, rituals, and even medicine.

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And then after about 2,000 years ago, there isn't a lot of evidence of their activity.

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So it's like they completely disappeared from here?

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We don't know.

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So there's a lot of mystery.

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I mean, there's a lot of things that we know, but there's a lot of things that we don't know.

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Did they ever use the cave for burials at all?

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There have been some mummies found in here, but they didn't mummify them.

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It's because of the atmosphere of the cave.

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The consistent temperature and humidity, as well as the salt found in the soil,

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means that Mammoth Cave is the perfect environment for mummifying a body.

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Although the exact number of people who have died in Mammoth Cave is unknown,

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caving experts are certain the number of deaths is vastly under-reported.

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The bodies of most people who disappear in and around the caves are never found.

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What are your thoughts on paranormal activity in the cave?

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Well, first, you know, I'm a scientist.

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However, I like to keep an open mind, and so I wouldn't totally discount it.

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I mean, you know...

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They're my favorite kind of scientists.

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I'm right here.

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You need a job.

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I'm not seeing you just kidding.

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We've heard reports of people seeing things in here, hearing things in here,

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chanting or even being pushed,

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especially when they go into unmapped sections of the cave.

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So what are your thoughts on that?

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You know, a lot of it could be psychological.

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If you stay in the cave long enough, you start to hear things and you start to see things.

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It's like going cave-crazy.

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Yeah.

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Because you're sensory-deprived, your mind starts to play tricks on you.

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And so maybe you could go a little cave-crazy.

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It's pretty terrifying, actually.

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Sensory deprivation can cause anxiety and even hallucinations in as little as 15 minutes.

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The brain seeks out sensory patterns, and when none exist, it creates its own.

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Have you had any experience as well down here that you can't really explain?

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I actually have.

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I was on a trip where we were down there, and we were just kind of sitting around on this flat rock.

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And it just kind of got really weird.

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Like, there was some sort of like, is there somebody here?

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You know, everybody got that feeling.

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We got a little bit spooked.

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And then we started hearing like rock fall, and we're like, ooh.

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You know, because all of us are here.

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Yeah.

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The feeling was too strong, and we're like, okay, we're out of here.

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So bad enough to scare you out.

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Oh yeah, we left.

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In an encounter similar to Mark's, Pat said she too sensed a dark shadow and felt the presence of some type of entity.

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Whatever is down here seems to have scared this extremely experienced caver enough that she and her team wanted to get out immediately.

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Tomorrow we'll join Mark and Pat on a two-day expedition to explore unmapped sections of the cave.

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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.

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She lives in the hills directly above the caverns where her ancestors once lived.

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Supposedly, if we keep heading west from the stables, we'll find her cabin just past a fresh spring.

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All right, so there's the spring.

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We just got to go west, I guess, from there.

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Keep going west.

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Run into it eventually.

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You see that?

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Yeah.

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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.

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Come on.

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Come on.

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Let's go.

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She's freaked out.

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Stop.

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What?

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Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope.

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Whoa, whoa, whoa.

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Whoa, whoa, whoa.

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We're good.

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So we tie up our nervous horses and hike the last 50 yards through the woods.

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I think we have found her.

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Yeah, look at this place.

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Hi, Braveheart.

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Yes.

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Nice to meet you.

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Thanks.

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Phil.

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Nice to meet you.

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It's not an easy place to find.

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You wouldn't have found me a spirit hat in the same year.

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How long have you lived out here?

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I've lived here 20 plus years.

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So from your perspective, what's going on in these caves?

242
00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:27,000
A lot of these caves were used as burials.

243
00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:33,000
There's shamans, there's medicine people that has been buried here long before Europeans ever came to this country.

244
00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:40,000
I believe that in these caves, there is actually a portal to the afterlife.

245
00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:54,000
My team is in Kentucky, investigating reports of mysterious phenomena in the longest cave system in the world.

246
00:14:54,000 --> 00:15:03,000
They've just met up with a local Native American expert who believes that Mammoth Cave connects to the underworld in a very literal way.

247
00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:10,000
I believe that in these caves, there is actually a portal to the afterlife.

248
00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:20,000
The caves beneath this region have historically been a sacred space for tribes like the Cherokee, a place of refuge from the elements,

249
00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:29,000
but also a place where groups conducted mystical funerary rituals, rituals that some believe unleashed powerful unseen forces.

250
00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:38,000
There was a conflict between both sides of the grass, as we call it, the dead and the living, and it became almost a spiritual warfare.

251
00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:46,000
The dead, they want to be alive, and some of them hasn't officially crossed over, so they're jealous and they're angry.

252
00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:55,000
She tells us that the deeper into the cave we go, the closer we get to this spiritual underworld.

253
00:15:55,000 --> 00:16:01,000
For generations, her family has told stories about hearing dead ancestors chanting,

254
00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:06,000
warning of danger in the deepest parts of the cave.

255
00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:13,000
So there are obvious risks of caverns or getting lost or floods and all sorts of danger to us being in there,

256
00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:16,000
but you're saying there's kind of a different type of danger as well.

257
00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:17,000
Yes, yes.

258
00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:20,000
It's a very real thing.

259
00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:23,000
Okay, there's places that we really shouldn't go.

260
00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:29,000
And you will excuse me when I get emotional.

261
00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:35,000
The places that y'all are possibly going into.

262
00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:38,000
It's not friendly.

263
00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:45,000
There's deaths, murders, these energies kill people.

264
00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:50,000
So I'm going to set you up with things that I want you to go into the cave with.

265
00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:52,000
I wouldn't go without them.

266
00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:58,000
Braveheart leads us to a nearby spot where she conducts a blessing and helps create a protective talisman for me and Phil.

267
00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:00,000
Grandmothers of the North.

268
00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:05,000
She uses a combination of sacred herbs and even a lock of our own hair.

269
00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:07,000
Just a little snap is all you need.

270
00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:08,000
Oh, that's fine.

271
00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:15,000
It's an unusual gift, but considering her description of what's lurking inside the cave, I'm feeling thankful for the gesture.

272
00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:22,000
The next morning we drive back towards the outskirts of town to join the team about to map more of Mammoth Cave.

273
00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:27,000
I'm legit feeling way better going to the caves after getting these bags for protection.

274
00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:29,000
Do you feel protected?

275
00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:30,000
I feel good.

276
00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:34,000
I mean, I think it was a really nice gesture, really very meaningful.

277
00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:39,000
I'm actually really surprised to hear you say that that was like a meaningful visit.

278
00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:41,000
I would have thought you would have been like blah blah blah blah blah.

279
00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:46,000
I'm Phil, I'm a scientist, but instead you're like totally down.

280
00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:52,000
When I hear these stories of the portal or the spirits of the dead in these places, I wonder like what's the seed of truth to it?

281
00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:54,000
What was really happening back then?

282
00:17:54,000 --> 00:18:01,000
There could have been rock slides, there could have been floods, there could have been disease from the dead that they were storing in the caves.

283
00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:08,000
I do think there's a seed of truth there, but what's the paranormal or mythological seed?

284
00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:13,000
Why does it have to be something real?

285
00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:25,000
But I would counter that in regards to the caving team we're going to be meeting up with, they themselves have mentioned weird experiences that they can't explain that they've had in the cave.

286
00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:28,000
They're scientists and yet they're still mentioning this.

287
00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:33,000
So explain that one, see that's what I'm saying, these things are happening and you still turn a blind eye to them.

288
00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:38,000
It's not a blind eye, it's a critical eye, it's a skeptical eye and I just think we need more evidence.

289
00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:41,000
So that's why we're going into the cave to get more evidence.

290
00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:50,000
We're meeting with Josh's contact expert caver Mark Wenner.

291
00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:51,000
Welcome to MAMAS.

292
00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:58,000
He believes that when his team started mapping an unexplored area of the cave, they encountered some type of dark spirit.

293
00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:03,000
Now they're heading even deeper inside and we're joining their expedition.

294
00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:13,000
We're going to camp overnight the first night after traversing some relatively difficult passage and then we're going to end up the second day in this area completely unexplored.

295
00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:15,000
We'll be the first ones in there.

296
00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:21,000
Not only that, but to get there, we'll pass through the area where he experienced the unusual phenomena.

297
00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:28,000
Well part of the reason why we're wanting to go down there is that I also want to do a paranormal investigation.

298
00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:30,000
You had experiences while you've been down there?

299
00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:31,000
Numerous.

300
00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:33,000
So it didn't just happen once.

301
00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:38,000
The last time we, I had an experience, there were three other guys with me.

302
00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:40,000
I felt a presence.

303
00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:42,000
Same exact thing happened.

304
00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:45,000
I just looked at Matt and said, you feel that again?

305
00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:46,000
He says, yep.

306
00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:47,000
All right.

307
00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:55,000
We're eager to get down into the caves, but first we check in with Josh and update him on the various eyewitness accounts we've heard in the field.

308
00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:56,000
Phil, what's your take on this?

309
00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:59,000
As Mr. Science, you are off the map here, my friend.

310
00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:02,000
Talking to all those cavers, they all have years of experience.

311
00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:08,000
They're all very skeptically minded, but they all say something kind of happens to you when you're down there.

312
00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:16,000
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.

313
00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:18,000
It's complete sensory deprivation.

314
00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:19,000
Into the darkness. You ready?

315
00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:25,000
Things can go sideways pretty quickly, guys, especially if you are moving into unmapped areas of the cave.

316
00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:29,000
Use your eyes and ears as well as the tools that you have, and I'll see you on the other side.

317
00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:30,000
All right.

318
00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:31,000
Sounds good.

319
00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:38,000
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.

320
00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:39,000
Let's do it.

321
00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:40,000
Gear up.

322
00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:41,000
All right.

323
00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:49,000
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.

324
00:20:54,000 --> 00:21:00,000
Before we know it, we're entering a world of darkness and an expedition where anything could happen.

325
00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:05,000
This place is f***ing terrifying.

326
00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:22,000
Phil and Jess are in Kentucky exploring reports that Mammoth Cave, the world's longest cave system, is home to a shadowy paranormal presence.

327
00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:26,000
This place is f***ing terrifying.

328
00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:34,000
They're being led by renowned cave expert Mark Wenner, who himself encountered a ghostly figure deep in this tunnel system.

329
00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:36,000
So you see all the rocks on the floor?

330
00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:37,000
Yeah.

331
00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:38,000
They came from up there.

332
00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:39,000
Wow.

333
00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:41,000
So you see that one sticking right out like a little tooth?

334
00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:42,000
Yeah.

335
00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:43,000
We call it a widow maker.

336
00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:44,000
Wow.

337
00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:47,000
Because if you happen to be standing under it at the wrong time.

338
00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:48,000
Yeah.

339
00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:51,000
We're standing in the perfect place for more of these to fall on us.

340
00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:52,000
Yeah.

341
00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:55,000
By all means, let's continue to have this conversation elsewhere.

342
00:21:55,000 --> 00:22:08,000
The closer we get to the unexplored area, the more treacherous the ground becomes.

343
00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:13,000
One false step could easily result in a serious injury or worse.

344
00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:15,000
Here's a little slide here.

345
00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:16,000
Super slidey?

346
00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:17,000
Super slidey.

347
00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:19,000
It's kind of slippery here, guys.

348
00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:20,000
Okay.

349
00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:21,000
Three points of contact.

350
00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:23,000
Whoa.

351
00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:24,000
Got it.

352
00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:25,000
You good?

353
00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:26,000
You good?

354
00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:27,000
Yeah.

355
00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:28,000
Sit down and slide.

356
00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:29,000
Okay.

357
00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:30,000
Like legit slide.

358
00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:37,000
Let me get back up before you get your big butt down here.

359
00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:43,000
The only entrance to the passageway where Mark said he encountered the spirit is straight down.

360
00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:48,000
We tie a rope to a secure section of rocks and descend into the unknown.

361
00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:57,000
All right.

362
00:22:57,000 --> 00:22:59,000
What's it looking like up here?

363
00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:01,000
Uh, I think you can go through.

364
00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:02,000
Yeah?

365
00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:03,000
Yeah, yeah.

366
00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:04,000
I think so.

367
00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:07,000
Just be really careful where you step.

368
00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:10,000
A lot of people think caving will look like going down a big tunnel.

369
00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:12,000
You take a right or a left and that's caving.

370
00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:15,000
Really, the passageways will look something like this.

371
00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:25,000
As we get farther into the cave, the tunnel curves, and we're suddenly heading up again.

372
00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:30,000
A thin layer of water coats the rocks, creating a slippery mud.

373
00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:36,000
Real careful here.

374
00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:37,000
I know, I'm almost out.

375
00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:40,000
All right, I'm trying to make my way over.

376
00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:42,000
How'd you fit through it?

377
00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:44,000
For a canyon.

378
00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:49,000
All right, I'm up.

379
00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:51,000
That is a steep drop back here.

380
00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:53,000
Yeah, yeah.

381
00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:56,000
See those little footprints that I made in the mud?

382
00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:57,000
Yeah.

383
00:23:57,000 --> 00:24:00,000
Knee and hand crawl all the way up with them, okay?

384
00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:01,000
Okay.

385
00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:03,000
This is real slippery.

386
00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:04,000
Hold on.

387
00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:05,000
Got it?

388
00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:08,000
Ugh.

389
00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:10,000
Woo!

390
00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:16,000
Mark, Pat, and the other two crew members catch up with us

391
00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:19,000
as we continue through this maze of disorienting tunnels.

392
00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:20,000
What's up?

393
00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:23,000
This is where I felt the presence.

394
00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:26,000
This is exactly where it was.

395
00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:29,000
Came up, out of the shadows there.

396
00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:35,000
And this is where I said, do you guys feel that?

397
00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:37,000
There's a fifth person in our party.

398
00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:39,000
Matt said, absolutely.

399
00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:41,000
Exactly right here.

400
00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:42,000
This was it.

401
00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:43,000
Wow.

402
00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:47,000
I've been caving a long time and I've never felt anything like that before.

403
00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:49,000
As real as you stand next to me.

404
00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:52,000
Well, this would be an ideal place for our investigation.

405
00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:56,000
So could we set up base camp somewhere close by?

406
00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:59,000
Yeah, there's a flat spot right back there and it's perfect.

407
00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:01,000
In fact, that's exactly where we were.

408
00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:02,000
We set up camp that night.

409
00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:08,000
What do you think we need for this?

410
00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:10,000
Let's grab the thermal.

411
00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:11,000
Okay.

412
00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:13,000
Just to see if we can get any changes in temperature.

413
00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:14,000
Yeah.

414
00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:16,000
And let's grab the audio recorder.

415
00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:18,000
That's a good place to start.

416
00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:19,000
Okay, cool.

417
00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:27,000
We're on top of the spot where Mark believes he encountered some type of entity.

418
00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:29,000
Mark is the only one who can do that.

419
00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:31,000
Mark is the only one who can do that.

420
00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:33,000
Mark is the only one who can do that.

421
00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:36,000
Mark believes he encountered some type of entity.

422
00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:41,000
The question is whether it's still here or whether any residual energy can be detected.

423
00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:48,000
I think this is probably our best bet for a hotspot for finding out why Mark was feeling those presences.

424
00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:50,000
Sounds like a plan.

425
00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:55,000
Phil plugs a thermal imaging camera into his tablet while I record audio.

426
00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:58,000
Even when an entity isn't viewable in the visible light spectrum,

427
00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:03,000
this theorize that it may be able to displace heat which appears in red on a thermal camera.

428
00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:09,000
The audio recorder I'm using can also detect sounds that are imperceptible to the human ear.

429
00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:16,000
Did you hear that?

430
00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:17,000
Over in that direction.

431
00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:19,000
That's where I keep hearing something.

432
00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:20,000
I heard a gun.

433
00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:21,000
Hear me too.

434
00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:23,000
I still don't know if that was voices.

435
00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:26,000
It's really hard to tell what it is.

436
00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:30,000
Wow.

437
00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:37,000
It just keeps pulsing.

438
00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:38,000
It gets louder.

439
00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:41,000
It's still going.

440
00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:55,000
Whoa!

441
00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:05,000
The team is 300 feet deep in the longest cave system in the world.

442
00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:12,000
This is where Mark and his caving team encountered what they believe was some type of dark, possibly evil spirit

443
00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:16,000
while they were mapping a new section of the cave.

444
00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:23,000
While Phil is sweeping the area with a thermal camera, Jessica is recording audio.

445
00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:30,000
Whoa!

446
00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:32,000
What was that?

447
00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:36,000
That's like the sound Pat said she heard before her encounter.

448
00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:40,000
And then we started hearing like rock fall and we're like, ooh.

449
00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:48,000
Look at this.

450
00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:49,000
Look here.

451
00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:50,000
What do you got?

452
00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:51,000
There's a little hot spot here.

453
00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:53,000
Oh yeah, that line.

454
00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:56,000
What is happening over here?

455
00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:57,000
Over here.

456
00:27:57,000 --> 00:27:58,000
Careful.

457
00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:01,000
Oh, there it is.

458
00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:02,000
Yeah.

459
00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:03,000
What is that?

460
00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:06,000
Why does that get on all of a sudden?

461
00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:07,000
It's that rock right there.

462
00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:08,000
You see this?

463
00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:09,000
Yeah.

464
00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:10,000
Yeah.

465
00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:11,000
I don't see it anymore.

466
00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:13,000
That is so weird.

467
00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:29,000
After another thorough pass through the area of the cave where Mark originally felt a mysterious presence, we don't encounter any other anomalies.

468
00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:32,000
So we head back to camp for some much needed rest.

469
00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:39,000
According to the cavers, many of the strangest encounters happen when they pushed into an unmapped section of the cave.

470
00:28:39,000 --> 00:28:42,000
And that's where we're heading tomorrow.

471
00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:51,000
And though I know it should be nighttime, it's impossible to tell what time it is in a place that is perpetually completely dark.

472
00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:54,000
You just have nothing to relate to.

473
00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:59,000
And after this crazy day of just physical and mental exhaustion, I think it'd be easy to sleep.

474
00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:04,000
But then again, there are giant slabs of stone hanging over me that could fall at any moment.

475
00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:07,000
So actually, I might sleep.

476
00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:09,000
Put the helmet on.

477
00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:14,000
That's better.

478
00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:25,000
Good morning.

479
00:29:25,000 --> 00:29:27,000
Hey, buddy.

480
00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:31,000
After a quick breakfast of something that I would describe as, well, edible.

481
00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:33,000
It's calories.

482
00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:37,000
We head out for day two of the expedition.

483
00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:39,000
All right, let's go.

484
00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:44,000
We head deeper into the cave to the location where Mark and Pat's previous mapping efforts ended.

485
00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:52,000
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.

486
00:29:52,000 --> 00:30:12,000
This is the side path that I was telling you about and goes to uncharted territory.

487
00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:14,000
So this is the edge of the map right here?

488
00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:15,000
Wow.

489
00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:16,000
Ready for a crawl?

490
00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:17,000
I'm ready for a crawl.

491
00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:18,000
I'm ready for a crawl?

492
00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:19,000
Yeah.

493
00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:26,000
The passageway into the next part of the cave is extremely narrow.

494
00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:32,000
To guard against losing the entire team in case of a cave-in, we go through impairs.

495
00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:34,000
Wow.

496
00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:39,000
Okay, it is getting way narrow over here.

497
00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:43,000
And we've been hearing water the entire time, seeing a dripping from the ceiling.

498
00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:48,000
We have no idea what's going to be up ahead.

499
00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:53,000
Whoa, okay.

500
00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:54,000
Shine your light down there.

501
00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:55,000
Do you see it?

502
00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:56,000
Does it go all the way through?

503
00:30:56,000 --> 00:30:59,000
Wow, it just keeps going.

504
00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:04,000
As the team catches up, we continue to climb through the narrow passageways.

505
00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:08,000
Suddenly, it opens up and we're standing in a giant cavern.

506
00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:21,000
Okay, guys, this is where our new survey will start.

507
00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:23,000
So this is where mapping begins.

508
00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:29,000
All right, well, if you guys are going to go ahead and do the mapping here, we're going to go do our investigation a little further.

509
00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:30,000
You got it.

510
00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:31,000
All right.

511
00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:40,000
If Braveheart is right, and there really is some kind of portal to the underworld here, I want to document it.

512
00:31:40,000 --> 00:31:51,000
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.

513
00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:54,000
All right, well, this looks good.

514
00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:56,000
It's pitch black in here.

515
00:31:56,000 --> 00:32:06,000
The perfect place to test my theory that Mammoth Cave's mysterious sights and sounds could be explained by the effects of sensory deprivation.

516
00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:15,000
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.

517
00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:18,000
So what I'm thinking is we can set up the wireless surveillance system.

518
00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:21,000
But I'm going to go back there and just sit in the dark.

519
00:32:21,000 --> 00:32:24,000
I want you to mark down anything that seems weird.

520
00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:31,000
So how's three looking?

521
00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:32,000
Three's looking good.

522
00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:38,000
Okay, I'm going to go ahead and turn off my headlamp and bust out the recorder, and we're good to go.

523
00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:40,000
All right, good luck in there.

524
00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:49,000
The infrared cameras show what's going on around me as I sit in complete darkness in this uncharted area of the cave.

525
00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:57,000
I'm hoping to encounter the strange sounds or the sense of a dark physical presence that both Pat and Mark described.

526
00:32:57,000 --> 00:32:59,000
Okay, recording.

527
00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:09,000
Hello, I'm Jessica, Braveheart, made a prayer asking if we could have passage into Mammoth Cave.

528
00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:17,000
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.

529
00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:28,000
Is there anyone here with us?

530
00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:45,000
Phil, did you capture anything on camera?

531
00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:53,000
So far, nothing. A lot of shadow play from the infrared around you, but I'll let you know if I see anything.

532
00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:01,000
Is there anyone there?

533
00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:08,000
Phil, did you hear that?

534
00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:12,000
I'm pretty sure I heard something off to my left.

535
00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:19,000
Hello? Is there anyone over there?

536
00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:22,000
I can hear it again.

537
00:34:22,000 --> 00:34:29,000
Yeah, and I know what you're going to 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.

538
00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:32,000
It sounds like there's almost a wailing.

539
00:34:33,000 --> 00:34:38,000
Are you picking anything up on those cameras because I am hearing a litany of voices to the right of me.

540
00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:44,000
Absolutely nothing. I'm getting no visual signs of moving back there.

541
00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:51,000
Phil, did you see that?

542
00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:53,000
I didn't see anything. What happened?

543
00:34:53,000 --> 00:35:00,000
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.

544
00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:02,000
I'm getting kind of freaked out.

545
00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:10,000
If it's not okay for Phil and I to be here, will you please send a sign?

546
00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:12,000
I'm going to send a sign.

547
00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:16,000
Holy s***!

548
00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:27,000
Phil and Jessica's investigation into Mammoth Cave is a stark reminder of something I've experienced firsthand.

549
00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:35,000
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.

550
00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:44,000
On a recent expedition to Ecuador, my own team descended hundreds of feet into the earth to explore the massive Taos Caves.

551
00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:56,000
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.

552
00:35:57,000 --> 00:36:02,000
And while people think of caves as empty places, they're actually teeming with life.

553
00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:10,000
They are also treacherous conduits for water, and weather conditions above can lead to unexpected flooding underground.

554
00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:18,000
These realities were dramatically highlighted in 2018 when 12 boys and their coach were trapped underground in a flooded cave in Thailand,

555
00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:24,000
sparking a dramatic rescue effort with thousands of volunteers and 100 trained divers.

556
00:36:25,000 --> 00:36:34,000
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.

557
00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:48,000
Deep inside Mammoth Cave, Jessica is alone in the dark, trying to determine whether there is paranormal phenomena here,

558
00:36:48,000 --> 00:36:54,000
or if reports of phantom figures are a trick of the mind brought on by sensory deprivation.

559
00:37:18,000 --> 00:37:19,000
Who was that?

560
00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:20,000
Something just touched me.

561
00:37:24,000 --> 00:37:25,000
Jess, you okay?

562
00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:31,000
Oh my god.

563
00:37:32,000 --> 00:37:33,000
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

564
00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:35,000
I want to get out of here.

565
00:37:37,000 --> 00:37:38,000
I'm coming up.

566
00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:52,000
So this is the area back here.

567
00:37:52,000 --> 00:37:54,000
You see that?

568
00:37:54,000 --> 00:37:58,500
Jess and I look through the footage and from one angle we see what appears to be a strange

569
00:37:58,500 --> 00:38:00,000
shadowy figure.

570
00:38:00,000 --> 00:38:04,000
That's right after I said it, I feel like something is standing next to me.

571
00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:06,700
So that was kind of weird.

572
00:38:06,700 --> 00:38:11,120
We slow it down and while the shadow doesn't seem to be Jess, we still can't tell what

573
00:38:11,120 --> 00:38:12,120
it is.

574
00:38:12,120 --> 00:38:13,320
That's crazy.

575
00:38:13,320 --> 00:38:18,640
What is that?

576
00:38:18,640 --> 00:38:23,480
Mark and his team reach us by walking, ask us to meet back up with them, right away.

577
00:38:23,480 --> 00:38:28,080
Just immediately we run into something that's definitely cause for concern.

578
00:38:28,080 --> 00:38:30,080
What's going on?

579
00:38:30,080 --> 00:38:31,080
This isn't good.

580
00:38:31,080 --> 00:38:33,080
This was dry when we came through here on the way in.

581
00:38:33,080 --> 00:38:34,080
We should get out.

582
00:38:34,080 --> 00:38:35,080
How much time do we have?

583
00:38:35,080 --> 00:38:36,080
None.

584
00:38:36,080 --> 00:38:37,080
We've got to get out of here right now.

585
00:38:37,080 --> 00:38:38,080
I guess.

586
00:38:38,080 --> 00:38:39,080
Alright we gotta go guys.

587
00:38:39,080 --> 00:38:40,080
Come on everybody.

588
00:38:40,080 --> 00:38:43,880
Water's coming in, let's go.

589
00:38:43,880 --> 00:38:48,280
Rain above the surface is causing a flash flood in the caverns below.

590
00:38:48,280 --> 00:38:51,880
Water levels can rise rapidly and quickly turn deadly.

591
00:38:51,880 --> 00:38:58,880
It's Russian, it's going.

592
00:38:58,880 --> 00:39:13,880
Up to knees.

593
00:39:13,880 --> 00:39:20,880
Almost out.

594
00:39:20,880 --> 00:39:28,580
Okay.

595
00:39:28,580 --> 00:39:33,920
After two grueling days underground and a narrow escape from flash flooding, the expedition

596
00:39:33,920 --> 00:39:40,880
team is exhausted but they've also gotten results.

597
00:39:40,880 --> 00:39:45,440
Mark and his colleagues have added to the map that's providing a more accurate picture

598
00:39:45,440 --> 00:39:47,520
of the world's longest cave system.

599
00:39:47,520 --> 00:39:49,880
Did that do it for you?

600
00:39:49,880 --> 00:39:50,880
Gosh.

601
00:39:50,880 --> 00:39:52,880
I've never experienced anything like that.

602
00:39:52,880 --> 00:39:54,880
That was crazy.

603
00:39:54,880 --> 00:40:01,480
Jessica and Phil have captured audio and video evidence that may indicate some kind of strange

604
00:40:01,480 --> 00:40:03,440
phenomena.

605
00:40:03,440 --> 00:40:08,840
Their thermal camera recorded an unexplainable hit in a passageway where paranormal activity

606
00:40:08,840 --> 00:40:10,880
has been reported before.

607
00:40:10,880 --> 00:40:11,880
Whoa.

608
00:40:11,880 --> 00:40:16,760
What was that?

609
00:40:16,760 --> 00:40:22,400
The audio of strange disembodied voices is consistent with what several eyewitnesses reported

610
00:40:22,400 --> 00:40:25,160
hearing in unexplored regions of the cave.

611
00:40:25,160 --> 00:40:26,160
What did you think?

612
00:40:26,160 --> 00:40:27,160
I mean, it's weird.

613
00:40:27,160 --> 00:40:29,160
And it's pulsing.

614
00:40:29,160 --> 00:40:30,160
Uh-huh.

615
00:40:30,160 --> 00:40:32,760
I have no idea.

616
00:40:32,760 --> 00:40:35,720
Everybody interprets everything different.

617
00:40:35,720 --> 00:40:40,880
Perhaps most intriguing of all, the shadow figure the infrared camera picked up seems

618
00:40:40,880 --> 00:40:45,800
to corroborate the strange experiences of Mark Wenner and his team.

619
00:40:45,800 --> 00:40:52,280
So the question remains, are these just the tricks of light and shadow to be expected

620
00:40:52,280 --> 00:40:57,080
in the inky, disorienting depths of Mammoth Cave?

621
00:40:57,080 --> 00:41:03,560
Or is there something extraordinary, something paranormal going on?

622
00:41:03,560 --> 00:41:09,000
Phil puts his money on the power of superstition and the science of sensory deprivation, but

623
00:41:09,000 --> 00:41:13,800
admittedly is unable to explain the audio and visual evidence.

624
00:41:13,800 --> 00:41:17,920
Jess believes their findings back up eyewitness reports.

625
00:41:17,920 --> 00:41:22,880
Either way, if you happen to find yourself in the stunning caverns of Kentucky, be sure

626
00:41:22,880 --> 00:41:28,320
to pack an extra flashlight, because there may be something lurking in the darkness of

627
00:41:28,320 --> 00:41:30,360
the longest cave in the world.