asscciation for mexican cave studies box 7672 ut station austin ...

7Diamond Cave RevisitedAndy Grubbs, Steve Deathrige, Paul Fambro, Jim Feely, and Mike McKeearrived at ~tina Otate on tmrch 23. Also in the group were Terry Sayther,John Omnaas, Craig Smith, Mike McEachern, Nancy Boice, and Dennis Breiningwho planned to work on the trail to Cuesta, while the others made a reconnaissancetrip into Diamante. They were equipped with many short ropes forthe small drops, as on the Christmas trip the only ropes available were longropes for the big pits that no one wanted to drag through the cave. ~ext morningthe reconnaissance group climbed through the first part of the cave andstarted rigging at a series of flowstone cascades, named Frog Falls after thenumerous frogs. At the bottom of Frog Falls, minus 131 feet by the Minton survey,a series of drops leads to an offset into the Crystal Room, 75 by 50 by75 feet high - the walls covered by 6 by 6 inch calcite crystals, attractivethough dry and dusty. This room also contains what looks like a crystal-coveredTitan Missile, either a now mostly dissolved wall or an old stalagmite.Just before the Crystal Room a small hole leads to the passage followed bymost of the water entering the cave, diverted away from the Crystal Room bya partition. This is the passage followed by Minton's group on the Christmastrip. On this trip it was decided to check a narrow crack leading down fromone side of the Crystal Room. This fissure was chimneyed for 50 feet to asloping passage that was followed to a handline drop, where Andy climbed downto the top of another drop. On the way back to the Crystal Room, Mike McKee fell15 feet when a handhold broke, but suffered no serious injury.The next day the group, now consisting of Andy, Steve, Dennis, and Craigreturned and rigged several more drops to a squeeze leading through the PebbleRoom to the top of a 130 foot fissure divided by a thin partition halfway down.This section was named Handburger Hill due to the sharp nature of the rocks.Andy climbed to the bottom of the fissure, but ended up on the wrong side ofthe partition. He could see the crack continuing, but from where he was, thecontinuation was not easily reached, and time was running short, so he climbedback out. The total depth of Diamante is estimated to be almost 1000 feet, stillcontinuing, and several hundred feet short of the potential of the cave, locatedon the crest of the Sierra de El Abra.Just before they left the Otate ~line area they checked a pit the minershad told them about between the Diamante Cave entrance and the Camp, about tenminutes from the car. They reached the pit and dropped a rock. Three secondsfree fall and then it bounced out of hearing. But alas they had to meet a groupin Taxco to tour the underground course of the Rio Chontalcoatlan, the warmestof the two Dos Bocas that emerge below Cacahuamilpa.Notes from Tom Ramsey:1. Second drop in Otate is not blind; there is a methane sump lead down there.We never did get anyone in our party on the bottom.2. You said that when we came hack from Mina Otate that we were happy but ~.I take offense at that cliche word: tired. We Cru~pers and Hlocut cultists nevertire!3. George Tracy's group spent Xmas in the Chiapas. They never did manage to catchup with Mike Boon, but they did get some caving in.