asscciation for mexican cave studies box 7672 ut station austin ...
asscciation for mexican cave studies box 7672 ut station austin ... asscciation for mexican cave studies box 7672 ut station austin ...
the falls had to be done with electric lights due to the high wind. Afteran endless series of climbs, cascades, and swins the passage enlarged to30 meters by 15 meters. Another 3~ meter swim and we arrived at a majorjunction -- 30 meter X30 meter passage -- ~oing both directions -- witha minor river in the down dip direction and a dry fossil river passa~egoing up. ~;e followed the river for 300 meters to a narrow canyon. "~other8 meter pitch and we're looking at the most sporting drop we'd seen yet.An additional 15 cusec stream came roaring out of the right wall andplunged into the pit adding its fury to the white water from the mainstream. Sporting indeed! Jim volunteered to check it. With some difficultyhe reached a ledge over-looking the next pitch -- nothing but blacknessand spray. How deep? ~ybe 10 meters -- maybe 100. At any rate, consideringall the factors we decided to stop there and begin surveying. Latercalculations showed this point to be about 80~ meters down (2625'). ~eestablished a permanent station some 30 meters above this point and comnencedsurveying out. We stopped shortly to check out an immense side room.Leading up from the main passage, it was up to 120 meters wide in places,perhaps 30-50 meters high. We barely scratched it in over 20 minutes, butchecked it enough to ascertain that it would serve us well as Camp III,should it be needed. After 10 more stations the survey was aborted.Judging from our carbide supply we had been at it for over 20 hours andsplit for camp. A fine sight indeed. ~~at a joy to shuck those wetsuitsfor some nice dry jeans and a wool sweater. After a fine dinner and moreAquardiente (we figured it was New.Year's Eve), the sand seemed farmore comfortable than our first night.The next morning I was at it again with the boots and several packsalso needed sewing. Between sewing and sipping. it became apparent thatno one really wanted to go caving and a rest day was declared. After halfthe Aguardiente was consumed we went about a lazy-crazy photo trip -- downroute '68. How brave. A lazy trip at -l~OO' !The next day Frank decided to remain at camp to welcome the supportteam. The rest of us surveyed in from the 2125' level and connected tnetwo surveys. We decided we could best utilize our free time then to scoutfor a dry bypass to the main canyon rather than attempt a frontal assault.The left hand trunk passage was more complex than we expected. H'e walkedup several hundred meters of one branch of it till we hit a stream. Jinand I followed this for 200 meters or so to a sump. We swam through allsorts of interesting portals and ducks, but no leads were to be found. Allthe passage in this section was just as finely polished and multicoloredas in the gorge. but seemed more re"cent. All the edges were razor sharpin contrast to the rounded knobs in the gorge. Another side passage offthis stream connected us back into the trunk. Amazing. Well over a kilometerof virgin cave. with no doubt much more if we had continued in the maintrunk. Downstream, we found where the additional waterfall originated.A short side passage led to a large stream resurgence. perhaps a piratedportion of the main stream. We followed this to where it dumped into thefinal drop. so it looked like no dry bypass was in order. After roughly16 hours we returned to camp. The support crew had made ~heir scheduledsupply run almost a day late. leaving us with two more days food and300' of rope. However. upon inspecting our carbide supply we found it tobe dangerously low. There was not enough left, even with our nicad packsto risk another survey trip. Thus, this small oversight along with ebbingenthusiasm led to the decision to leave the following morning. Frankand Roy started after breakfast while Jim and I cleaned up ca~p. Two hours17
1'1later Jim and I began the long climb. Ascending with those soaked dufflebags proved to be even worse sporting than rappelling with them. I becameso overheated on the 20~' pitch that I shucked my wetsuit top for the restof the trip. At each ledge we coiled the ropes to keep them out of thedriving waterfalls. Thus, the cave was left pre-rigged with cut to lengthropes below the 800' level to await the return expedition. All rope abovethe Canadian camp was derigged. A full IIlOon was shining in the entrancewhen we finally exited. Topside we heard familiar voices: Blake Harrisonand Jill Dortlan, who had arrived from Acatlan the day before, had seenlights in the sinkhole and came down to help. A party soon commenced backat the house. After several hours of swapping stories we faded off to awell-earned nights sleep.The rest of the trip was understandably anticlimactic. The fissurewas finally derigged by Jeff, Gary, Blake, Dave Kramer, and Dan Watson.Several days of scouting netted few going holes and a general impressionthat anywhere outside a 1/2 mile radius of San Agustin was hostile territory.An overland survey connectinf': Sotano del Rio Iglesia, Sotano deSan Agustin, Cueva de San Agustin, and Deer Cave was completed. DeerCave (Cueva de los Pajaros) was located by Frank Binney on one of theearly day hikes and proved to have more paleontological significancethan depth potential. ~umerous skeletons of what appear to be a largedeer were found at several locations, well within the cave. How theysurvived three drops to reach the big room at the bottom was not readilyapparent.An exciting day was spent fixing the Bozo Bus springs as mostall of them on the left side had broken during our maRy shuttles toHuautla and back. After another day of packing our small convoy of oneoverloaded VW bus and one crippled truck left Huautla. Within 5 nileswe had broken more rear springs. Things were looking grim. We loaded3 more people from the truck to the van and continued at a slow pace.The two remaining springs miraculously held. Again we figured we justmight make it. Then Dan smashed his oil filter on a rock. With the bus nowout of commission the only way to continue ~vas for the truck to tow it.And tow we did. By all rights both vehicles should still be on that road,but we somehow made it all the way to Tehuacan, a spring shop and a VWdealer.Bill Stoner..emember the 1973 ;~s S Convention is near ~·!exico. Hany of the I1exicancave areas are high in the 'lIountains and cool in the summer. so makeplans for a su~~er trip in 78.
- Page 92 and 93: 22Diamante received its name from t
- Page 94: jer_I') CIRCLE ROOW•LA CUEVA DE J
- Page 97 and 98: elev 1310mmeters 0Hoya de las Conch
- Page 100 and 101: AMCS ACTIVITIES LETTEREdited by Bil
- Page 102 and 103: 3View across the botto~ of Hoya de
- Page 104: dubbed "The 170" quickly led to ano
- Page 107 and 108: Roy dropped 3 pits an'i :l cave nea
- Page 109 and 110: which would have been hazardous hol
- Page 111 and 112: \I0YA DE LA LUZProfile B-B'Located
- Page 113 and 114: 12hotic DiseasesThe August 1976 iss
- Page 115 and 116: 14San Juan Area Nov 1976"eo?le: Tr~
- Page 117 and 118: 16Caving in Puebla, Vera Cruz, and
- Page 119 and 120: RETURN TO HUAUTLA~Jith t~e 1976-77
- Page 121: 20SCHOOL BUS SCOOPSZOaUITLAN AREA~)
- Page 124: enU~«
- Page 127 and 128: 2April 1, 1977, marks the 10th anni
- Page 129 and 130: TRIP REPORTSDestination: Cueva del
- Page 131 and 132: 5uestination: Sierra las Alazanas a
- Page 133 and 134: The Fissure t..as located by T.P.
- Page 135 and 136: 11The next morning Francisco "Kissi
- Page 137 and 138: 12could scamper up a wed~ed log and
- Page 139 and 140: 14This idea was thwarted given an u
- Page 141: 16NEW YEAR'S DAY IN SAN AGUSTINan t
- Page 145 and 146: 20Our group of six intended on rapp
- Page 147 and 148: 22here and poked around for leads.
- Page 149 and 150: 24and myself about trash and abando
- Page 151 and 152: line didn't cross; nylon against ny
- Page 153 and 154: ...'"1IIc.21II .._1II~(,),-• c..'
- Page 155 and 156: 30Medical Report On The April 1977
- Page 157 and 158: '32One caver alInost lost her voice
- Page 159 and 160: 34considered normal. The diabetic d
- Page 161 and 162: 36Jim Smit~ Has followinp, Blake Ha
- Page 163: 3~the spot would make a smaU slip.
- Page 166: AMCSACTIVITIeSNewsLe TTe Rno. 7
- Page 169 and 170: 'International NewsTHE SIERRA DE GU
- Page 171 and 172: International Newsin the entrance a
- Page 173: The Ten Deepest Caves in Mexicoby B
- Page 176 and 177: to a drop. t returned and dropped a
- Page 178 and 179: to the entrance. From San Andres we
- Page 180 and 181: stove in a semi-catatonic state. He
- Page 182 and 183: above the roaring cascades. At time
- Page 184 and 185: With two leads 'beckoning we began
- Page 186 and 187: Chaining a passage in Cueva de Infi
- Page 188 and 189: the cave. We pulled our rope down b
- Page 190 and 191: increased the cave's depth to -197
1'1later Jim and I began the long climb. Ascending with those soaked dufflebags proved to be even worse sporting than rappelling with them. I becameso overheated on the 20~' pitch that I shucked my wetsuit top <strong>for</strong> the restof the trip. At each ledge we coiled the ropes to keep them o<strong>ut</strong> of thedriving waterfalls. Thus, the <strong>cave</strong> was left pre-rigged with c<strong>ut</strong> to lengthropes below the 800' level to await the return expedition. All rope abovethe Canadian camp was derigged. A full IIlOon was shining in the entrancewhen we finally exited. Topside we heard familiar voices: Blake Harrisonand Jill Dortlan, who had arrived from Acatlan the day be<strong>for</strong>e, had seenlights in the sinkhole and came down to help. A party soon commenced backat the house. After several hours of swapping stories we faded off to awell-earned nights sleep.The rest of the trip was understandably anticlimactic. The fissurewas finally derigged by Jeff, Gary, Blake, Dave Kramer, and Dan Watson.Several days of sco<strong>ut</strong>ing netted few going holes and a general impressionthat anywhere o<strong>ut</strong>side a 1/2 mile radius of San Agustin was hostile territory.An overland survey connectinf': Sotano del Rio Iglesia, Sotano deSan Agustin, Cueva de San Agustin, and Deer Cave was completed. DeerCave (Cueva de los Pajaros) was located by Frank Binney on one of theearly day hikes and proved to have more paleontological significancethan depth potential. ~umerous skeletons of what appear to be a largedeer were found at several locations, well within the <strong>cave</strong>. How theysurvived three drops to reach the big room at the bottom was not readilyapparent.An exciting day was spent fixing the Bozo Bus springs as mostall of them on the left side had broken during our maRy sh<strong>ut</strong>tles toHua<strong>ut</strong>la and back. After another day of packing our small convoy of oneoverloaded VW bus and one crippled truck left Hua<strong>ut</strong>la. Within 5 nileswe had broken more rear springs. Things were looking grim. We loaded3 more people from the truck to the van and continued at a slow pace.The two remaining springs miraculously held. Again we figured we justmight make it. Then Dan smashed his oil filter on a rock. With the bus nowo<strong>ut</strong> of commission the only way to continue ~vas <strong>for</strong> the truck to tow it.And tow we did. By all rights both vehicles should still be on that road,b<strong>ut</strong> we somehow made it all the way to Tehuacan, a spring shop and a VWdealer.Bill Stoner..emember the 1973 ;~s S Convention is near ~·!exico. Hany of the I1exican<strong>cave</strong> areas are high in the 'lIountains and cool in the summer. so makeplans <strong>for</strong> a su~~er trip in 78.