Two Men Exploring Mysterious ‘Hell Hole’ Cave Left Stunned by Manmade Structure Deep Within

Jacob and Calvin Saunders, the uncle-nephew duo, had been exploring dangerous cave systems and sharing their experiences online for some time. Two years earlier, they explored a deep pit cave in California's Wilder Ranch State Park, known as Hell Hole. The video amassed 2.8 million views, with 55k viewers liking it. Their YouTube channel, 'Caveman Hikes,' had 313k subscribers intrigued by their explorations.

In one clip, Jacob was seen squeezing into the narrowest tunnel and said, according to LADbible , "People say they'll die of claustrophobia, I do too." Meanwhile, Calvin warned him, "Stay sideways dude, you're going to get yourself wedged in there. You're in a tight spot there. You can't get in a hurry at the tight spots, you just have to take it."

Knewz.com noted that after hours of hiking, they finally reached the point where they found a four-foot limestone pillar. Jacob told The Daily Net , "This is the last limestone pillar left in the cave. Most of the cave has been destroyed because it’s so open. But this one is hidden in the tight spaces, and it’s the only one left." Calvin added, "It’s a secret treasure for those brave enough to go beyond the limits of Hell."

Hell Hole, or IXL Cave, was located on the east side of Wilder Ranch State Park in Santa Cruz. The cave was discovered in the 1950s and was known for its tight, claustrophobic passages and steep drops. One of the main attractions was a small room called the "Hall of Faces," where visitors left clay sculptures to mark their achievement of reaching it.

Additionally, the cave once had pure white flowstone and delicate, lace-like rock formations which became a perfect habitat for the native Dolloff Spider. However, as the cave gained popularity, hikers took pieces of the formations as souvenirs. Now as the new cavers explore the cave, all they can see is parts of the cave are covered with graffiti, strange writings, and creepy mud faces.

The duo regularly shared such intense videos on their channel. After documenting their spelunking adventures for five years, they spoke in a 2022 interview with The Guardian . Seventeen-year-old Jacob said, "When I first went into caves, I was terrified. Caves will always surprise me. Is it going to be wet? Is it going to be dry? Is it going to be cold, dirty, muddy, or clean? Is it going to be, like, pretty or is it going to be super ugly, you know, like a crawly cave that’s all spiky?"

The channel posted another video titled, "The Tightest Cave Squeeze Ever Recorded," which reached 601k views. In the video, Jacob successfully squeezed through a tiny 6x10-inch hole with some help from his experienced uncle, who was seen advising him throughout the clip. Suddenly he slapped the cave wall in excitement as he touched a large cavern. Despite their growing audience, the duo claimed they explored caves in southern Washington and Oregon for adrenaline and passion, not for views.