On September 9, 1972, a team of six cavers, five men and one woman, enter Unknown Cave through the Austin Entrance within the Flint Ridge Cave System in Kentucky. Their goal is to follow a newly found passage, if possible, to the end. Fourteen and a half hours later their dream comes true as they emerge in Mammoth Cave, over seven miles away, connecting these two caves into one, making it the longest cave in the world. The Grand Kentucky Junction is the story of that final trip as told by those who were there, including Thomas Brucker, who was not, but who only days before had discovered the passage that leads this team to Mammoth Cave.
The Grand Kentucky Junction is the companion book to The Longest Cave. This is the second chapter in an exciting story that began over 40 years ago with the idea of connecting these two cave systems. Once connected, the Flint/Mammoth Cave System totaled 144.4 miles in length. This magnificent achievement has been compared to the conquest of Everest.
