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No equipment. No experience. No business being underground.
And no way to get out of a cave in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. But they did — with a lot of help.

That’s the scenario that a Maryville youth minister, two 17-year-old boys and a 20-year-old acquaintance, found themselves in — spending much of Friday trapped in Rainbow Falls Cave, about five miles west of Townsend — before being located by rescue workers.

Garry Blakesley, 24, a youth minister for Cedar Point Church in Maryville, Chris Smith, 20, and Dustin Blakesley and Jake Layman, both 17-year-old high school students on spring break from Owasso, Okla., had been reported missing Friday morning when they failed to return from a late-night expedition, said Park spokesman Bob Miller.

The four were out of the cave and safely at the trailhead by 8:10 p.m. Friday.

The first two out, Dustin Blakesley and Jake Layman, were brought to the cave entrance at about 7 p.m. by Knoxville Volunteer Emergency Rescue Squad members and were transported by ATV to the trailhead at 7:50 p.m. They were evaluated by Rural/Metro Ambulance medics and found to be in good condition.

Garry Blakesley and Chris Smith Owasso arrived at the trailhead at about 8:10 p.m. and were also in good condition, Miller said.

They explained to rangers that they had set out to go caving at 10 p.m. because the Oklahoma men had to go back home and it was the last opportunity to do something in the Park. They said that the descent into the cave went smoothly, but that they realized they were trapped when they attempted to climb back up the ropes by which they had lowered themselves down the last drop of about 50 feet.

The rope lead up an icy cold waterfall and they were so cold and exhausted that they lacked the strength to climb back out. At that point they retreated further into the cave until they found a dry spot where they huddled together for warmth and waited for rescue.

Garry Blaksley reported having a little caving experience exploring some small cave back in Oklahoma where he had lived before moving to Tennessee about four months ago. They had four ropes and a single ascender but were clad mostly in cotton which provides little warmth when wet.

Rescue workers became involved when the wife of Garry Blakesley told Park authorities that the group left Maryville at about 10 p.m. Thursday intending to explore a cave but failed to return by 3 a.m.

At about 9 a.m., rangers found a backpack at the entrance to Rainbows Falls Cave, which Blakesley’s wife confirmed as belonging to one of the group. By 2 p.m., members of the Knoxville Volunteer Emergency Rescue Squad had reached the men.

It was expected to take six to 10 hours to extricate them as rescuers would have to haul the men up a series of three nearly vertical drops, 30 to 50 feet deep, with rushing waterfalls, according to Miller.

Park officials said the members of the group, who were not experienced cavers, did not have necessary safety equipment.

“They should not have been in this cave,” Chief Ranger Bob Wright said. “Had they come to us for a permit, it would have been a better outcome. We wouldn’t have allowed them to go.”

The group was found about 500 feet from the entrance of the cave. They had apparently been calling for help but could not be heard over the sound of the underground waterfalls.

The members of the rescue squad who found the men brought warm clothes and blankets and packed a Sterno stove to provide hot drinks. Medical personnel were on standby to treat the men.

Rainbow Falls Cave is entered via several small holes at the base of a waterfall and is notoriously wet and cold.

“The cave is probably a relatively easy cave to explore, if you have equipment and know what you’re doing,” Wright said. “They are extremely fortunate.”

The group could face fines for caving without a permit. The Park does not issue caving permits during the winter to protect hibernating species of bats and other animals.

The White Oak Sinks area is located off Laurel Creek Road. It is a limestone basin with a flat floor that was historically farmed by about 10 families. There are entrances to four caves within the sinks, one of which, Blowhole Cave, is blocked by an iron gate to protect hibernating endangered Indiana bats.

Caving accidents are not common in the Smokies, Miller said.

“We have eight caves in the Park,” he said. “They’re not that popular.”