| Name | Age | Sex | Injuries | Injured areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gasteiger, Dan | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Hayes, Melanie | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Kissinger, Lon | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded |
In the Spring of 1982 a Cornell Outing Club group including Dan Gasteiger, Melanie Hayes and Lon Kissinger was exploring in Sunnyside Cave, Centre County, Pennsylvania.
At about 8:30 p.m., while exiting the cave, Kissinger found he could not ascend the cable ladder past the tight spot on the first drop. His companions tried to help him but soon realized they were too few and too tired. They "made the victim warm," gave him their extra food, and left to seek help.
John Coraor of the Nittany Grotto was called and he organized one rescue team while Will White was called to standby, organizing a second team. The initial team left for the cave at 10:30 p.m. and arrived on the scene at 11:30.
One rescuer descended the ladder already in place (on belay) while another remained above the squeeze to rig a second ladder with rungs "slightly offset" from the first to enable the victim to take short steps while going through the tight place. The victim started up but found, at the squeeze, that variation in rung spacing made them even at that point. They then resorted to brute force, with the rescuer above pulling and the one below pushing and giving footholds. The victim was out by 1:30 a.m.
It was pointed out that Sunnyside Cave is a poor choice for cavers not experienced in negotiating narrow places on a cable ladder. With any vertical technique, know it well and it will serve you well. I also feel that groups should have some knowledge of self-rescue and be able to work their way out of simple difficulties like this.
The call out was on a Friday night and difficulty was experienced in contacting rescuers.
Lon Kissinger was unable to ascend a cable ladder in Sunnyside Cave due to a tight spot; his party left to seek help leading to a rescue that concluded by 1:30 a.m.