The CRUX: True Survival Stories

On May 20, 2016, ICU nurse Amber Kornhorst set out on a solo late-afternoon hike near Cane Beds, Arizona, and climbed a deceptively "sticky" sandstone wall she couldn't safely descend. With no cell service and no way out, she fell about 100 feet into a narrow rock "dungeon," suffering three spinal fractures, a crushed pelvis, head and facial injuries, severe dehydration, and hypothermia — and typed goodbye messages to her family on her phone. Refusing to give up, she crawled and climbed to a more visible ledge and blew her whistle three blasts every half hour until search-and-rescue teams and a helicopter located her nearly 24 hours later, executing a technical rope raise and hover-load evacuation to a Utah hospital. Her story drives home survival essentials: always tell someone your plan, never hike alone, start early, carry extra water and a whistle, consider a satellite communicator, and never climb anything you can't safely descend.

00:46 Show Intro And Setup

01:40 Amber Hits The Trail

03:02 Climbing The Sandstone Wave

04:10 No Way Down Desert Trap

05:32 The Hundred Foot Fall

06:20 Shock And Goodbye Texts

08:27 Painful Climb And Whistle

11:03 Search Effort Mobilizes

12:41 Helicopter Spots Her

14:16 Technical Rope Rescue

16:10 Hover Pickup Extraction

17:02 Helicopter Evacuation

17:43 Hospital Recovery Journey

19:06 Why She Survived

19:43 Whistle and Visibility

21:55 Search Mobilized Fast

22:50 Wilderness Safety Takeaways

25:03 Desert Hiking Mistakes

27:08 Survival Mindset Lessons

29:47 Final Wrap and Credits

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Primary/First-Person Account

Kohnhorst, Amber. "Surviving Alone After a 100-Foot Fall in the Arizona Wilderness." Backpacker Magazine, February 28, 2017. https://www.backpacker.com/survival/surviving-a-100-foot-fall-in-arizona/

News Coverage

"Rochester Woman Survives 100-Foot Tumble On Hike In Arizona." WCCO/CBS Minnesota, May 24, 2016. https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/05/24/rochester-woman-100-foot-fall-arizona

"Hiker Recovering After Northwest Arizona Fall." KTNV, May 25, 2016. https://www.ktnv.com/news/hiker-rescued-in-rural-northwest-arizona

"Hiker Who Fell Is Mending at Home." Post Bulletin, 2016. https://www.postbulletin.com/newsmd/hiker-who-fell-is-mending-at-home

"The 100-Foot Fall. The Long Climb Back." Post Bulletin. https://www.postbulletin.com/news/the-100-foot-fall-the-long-climb-back

Institutional Coverage

"Nurse Becomes Patient After Surviving 100-Foot Fall While Hiking." Mayo Clinic In the Loop, June 9, 2016. https://intheloop.mayoclinic.org/2016/06/09/nurse-becomes-patient-after-surviving-100-foot-fall-while-hiking/

"Amber Kohnhorst's Trip to the Sanctuary." Best Friends Animal Society. https://bestfriends.org/stories/features/mayo-clinic-nurse-who-survived-100-foot-fall-returns-best-friends

Background

"Cane Beds, Arizona." Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cane_Beds,_Arizona

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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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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?

00:00 Introduction to Disaster Strikes
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

References: 100 Yards from Water | Disaster Strikes

Primary Sources

Legal & Investigation Documents

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

Key Witness Statements

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

Family Sources

Patricia Hebert (mother) and Rob Buschow (brother) public statements

RememberDave.net (memorial website)

Organization Information

Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS)

Official website: www.boss-inc.com

Course materials and policies (2006 and current)

501(c)(3) nonprofit filing (2018)

Medical References

Wilderness First Aid (WFA) vs. Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certification standards

Standard medical protocols for dehydration and hypovolemic shock

Wilderness medicine oral rehydration protocols

Additional Context

Milgram obedience experiment (authority compliance research)

Dave Buschow's BOSS application and medical clearance (May 2006)

News coverage: Associated Press reports (May-November 2007)

Note: Settlement terms are confidential. No criminal charges were filed
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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: [email protected]

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

References:

Boston Globe, September 15, 2008 - "Hiker recounts horrific struggle for survival on icy N.H. ridge"

Boston Herald, February 18, 2008 - "Hub hiker escapes death"

New Hampshire Public Radio - "Author Ty Gagne on The Last Traverse: Tragedy and Resilience in the Winter Whites," December 31, 2020

Union Leader, November 29, 2020 - "A tale of life and death on Franconia Ridge"

Conway Daily Sun, January 17, 2021 - "The Last Traverse chronicles wintry search-and-rescue mission"

SkinnyMoose.com, February 12, 2008 - "Missing Hikers Found In Franconia Notch – One Dead"

WhiteBlaze.net forum discussion, February 2008

VFTT (Views From The Top) forum, September 14, 2008 - "James Osborne & Fred Fredrickson Follow-up Story"

Boston Globe, December 23, 2024 - "White Mountains, New Hampshire search and rescue data"

Mount Washington Observatory weather archives

NH Fish and Game Department rescue reports

Nashua Telegraph, September 14, 2008

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