[citation needed] While in the Air Force, Brucker was temporarily stationed in New York City, where he became friends with some people who introduced him to caving, through the National Speleological Society (NSS).

Brucker had long been fascinated with the true story of Floyd Collins, who was trapped in a cave in 1925 and could not be rescued, despite a massive effort that received national attention.

As part of the research, Brucker and a small group of explorers even ventured into Sand Cave several times to the spot where Collins was trapped,[1] to better understand why rescuers had been unable to free him.

The book helped to inspire the stage musical Floyd Collins by playwright Tina Landau and composer Adam Guettel.

A screenplay was written by Thornton's writing partner, Tom Epperson, and the project was reportedly greenlit by Paramount Pictures.