Luminary Ed Yarbrough

From the time that he was a teenager in the 1950s, Ed Yarbrough has been fascinated with caves and, especially, with vertical caves. One important milestone along the way was Surprise Pit. Originally discovered and descended in 1961, Surprise Pit in Alabama’s Fern Cave contained the longest freefall drop known in any American cave. And Ed Yarbrough really wanted to see and experience the deepest pit in America. So, in what was an essentially solo effort, Ed Yarbrough located the original rig point, schlepped his gear out along the narrow ledge, tied off his long rope, and did the sixth-ever rappel and prusik of Surprise Pit. It was a remarkable and courageous achievement. At the time, Ed Yarbrough was a mere 19 years of age.

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the real life forest gump