of caving at Sloan’s.  I need explain no further as Steve does a superlative job in the trip report.  Saturday night found me reveling with cavers and other kindred folk at a “Gemini Party” held at Natasha’s Café, in honor of those of us celebrating birthdays in close proximity to the weekend (mine was Sunday).  Consequently, I was not aware of the rescue in progress.  Steve & crew had planned to join us at the restaurant for a birthday toast but, when they didn’t show, I figured that their day of caving had taken longer than anticipated.  Little did I know.  I ventured home after one a.m. and did not check my phone messages. 
    Around seven in the morning, as I was enjoying my first sips of coffee, I checked my voicemail.  I nearly choked when the robot announcer droned, “You have 15 new messages...” I had deleted all my messages before leaving for Natasha’s, so all of these had to have arrived after 9:00 p.m.  It was then that the saga of the previous evening began to unfurl before me, one disturbing voicemail at a time.   Jim Currens, Pat Horton (Johnson), Art Cammers, Tom Crockett and Channel 27 were among the chorus of concerned voices, most assuming I was already at Sloan’s in the thick of the rescue.  I immediately thought of Steve and his party of caving initiates, each message making me more anxious than the last.  I called Tom.  In spite of confirming my fears, I was very relieved to hear that the rescue was over, that everyone was safe, and that Steve and his group had rented a motel room for hot showers and some R&R. 
    Later in the afternoon WKYT phoned, wanting to interview me as a “caving safety expert.”  They did not mention the rescue.  When they showed up shouldering a videocamera, it was breezily explained that they were doing a report on cave safety, asking me if holiday weekends increased the risk of caving accidents.  I thought this a dubious, thinly-veiled premise, but half-heartedly agreed.  It was I who