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 ...
series of parallel ascending (+30 0 ) vadose tubes 1-2 m in diameter with pitsleading off at an angle of -70 0 • Past the Tubes was a T-junction. Followingthe air led them to another large junction room with three passages leadingoff from a lake (Lakeland). One lead took air and headed back. The otherblew air but led to untraversible Frustration Lake and the third led to anotherlake with a good wind that could be traversed on one side. It led into a largebreakdown trunk, past the Bucket ( a retable done by holding onto the edge ofa rimstone dam) and under some natural' bridges or "Puentes de Oztotl." Thesurvey was terminated and Jeff explored on to a large room with a climbdown.Then they retreated back to the Confusion Tubes and tied up another loop. Theyhad mapped 636 m in their 11 hour trip. The cave now had 2780 m of mappedpassage.August 3: Sheila, Peter and I mapped north off the other large junction roomthat was before the Tubes, while Terry photographed the surveyors in actionand checked leads. Tom and Jeff returned to the Tubes for a photographic tripand joined us later on. We mapped past GHG stations and started into virginpassage. Average passage size was about 3 X 2 m. The survey was stopped by anunclimbable 8 m pit taking air. Three hundred and fifteen meters were surveyedon this trip, bring the cave length up to 3095 m.After returning to camp Peter and Sheila decided to take a look at the SandCampsite activity in Cueva de Infiernillo.(Tom Byrd)[foldout map of Purificación area followed this page]25
Room which was down passage from basecamp. I t had flooded since the previoustrip 11 weeks before and the entrance to it sUmped. They 100ked at the lefthand sump and decided that it was up 6-7 m. On the way back to camp Peter noticedthat the air flow was going up and was surprised to notice a large domein the ceiling. Two passages appeared to be going off of it about 25 m up. Itis unclimbable but perhaps someday the top will be found. When he returned tocamp Peter measured the cave temperature of 590F.August 4: Jeff, Peter and I went back to the end of the furthest survey whileTom, Sheila and Terry mapped to the right at the T-junction and into the Tubes.Peter, Jeff and I mapped through big trunk passage trending 160 0 with a goodwind coming out of it." Eventually the passage lowered to a crawl but by followingthe air through a breakdown maze Peter found a parallel trunk passagethat continued. Our survey stopped at the end of the crawl and on the wayback to camp we tied up another loop in the Tubes. Meanwhile Tom, Terry andSheila gave UP in disgust at a pit after malJPinS!: 50 m in 30 stations in the Tubesand returned back to camp. This combined with the 864 m of our survey broughtthe cave length to 4 km.August 5: Jeff was developing a bad cas"e of poison ivy and mildew was beginningto set in. It was time to think about heading out after five days underground.Grimy cavers' hearts were gladdened by the t1\ought that soon theywould be out romping in the sunshine, washing off the sweat and mold of fivedays in the sparkling cold waters just beneath the entrance. Yahoo! Tom andI returned to tbe middle fork for some last minute photographs and to finishdetails on the vertical profil"e. When we returned to camp everyone else wasgone and after a quick packup we headed foT. the exit. After days of semidarknessthe first sight of brilliant blue sky and green trees seemed an incrediblylush and welcome sight. I yearned for the rejuvenating catalyst of sunshineand water, nature's best alchemy. As I reached the entrance I was surprisedto find the others standing and sitting listlessly about. Why weren'tthey already frolicking in the water below? I set my pack down and walked tothe edge and looked down, and looked ••• and looked again. NO WATER, not onedrop. I realized immediately that it must be a result of God's perverted senseof humor; Oztotl would never play such a mean joke.Peter rappelled down first with his backpack on. The first part of thedescent, against a wall, went smoothly but when he reached the free part ofthe drop his backpack pulled him over backwards and· in extricating himselfhe scraped his arm badly. The rest of us suspended our packs from our rackswith a carabiner and a short length of rope and.rappelled down to the ledgewith no problems. Jeff and I came down last and lowered packs to the base ofthe cliff. Peter decided to leave his rope rigged permanently to avoid havingto repeat the entrance climb on return trips.The hike up the mountain took an hour and a half and soon we were back atLa Curva eating delicious goat's milk cheese and tortillas courtesy of Senory Senora Grimaldo. That night we camped at the Paso de la Muerte campgroundand drove down the next day (August 6) for another swim in the El Carmen canal.After comida at the Restaurante San Carlos we cruised north at top speed. TheCustoms official at the new bridge took one look into the truck and shudderedin disgust, and soon we were back in Austin with good stories to tell, havingproved that you can go caving in Mexico in the summer time.Credits:Many thanks to Peter Sprouse for the use of survey and trip notes.
- Page 141 and 142: 16NEW YEAR'S DAY IN SAN AGUSTINan t
- Page 143 and 144: 1'1later Jim and I began the long c
- 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
- Page 194: La Sistema Purificacidn: a theory a
- Page 197 and 198: Between the Cold and the" GlorybyTe
- Page 199 and 200: Back tothe Bird PitsbyBill StoneSum
- Page 201 and 202: 'Getting Down in Peiiaby Bill Stone
- Page 204 and 205: CUEVADELAPENAPROFI LEmetersoRanc ho
series of parallel ascending (+30 0 ) vadose tubes 1-2 m in diameter with pitsleading off at an angle of -70 0 • Past the Tubes was a T-junction. Followingthe air led them to another large junction room with three passages leadingoff from a lake (Lakeland). One lead took air and headed back. The otherblew air b<strong>ut</strong> led to untraversible Frustration Lake and the third led to anotherlake with a good wind that could be traversed on one side. It led into a largebreakdown trunk, past the Bucket ( a retable done by holding onto the edge ofa rimstone dam) and under some natural' bridges or "Puentes de Oztotl." Thesurvey was terminated and Jeff explored on to a large room with a climbdown.Then they retreated back to the Confusion Tubes and tied up another loop. Theyhad mapped 636 m in their 11 hour trip. The <strong>cave</strong> now had 2780 m of mappedpassage.August 3: Sheila, Peter and I mapped north off the other large junction roomthat was be<strong>for</strong>e the Tubes, while Terry photographed the surveyors in actionand checked leads. Tom and Jeff returned to the Tubes <strong>for</strong> a photographic tripand joined us later on. We mapped past GHG <strong>station</strong>s and started into virginpassage. Average passage size was abo<strong>ut</strong> 3 X 2 m. The survey was stopped by anunclimbable 8 m pit taking air. Three hundred and fifteen meters were surveyedon this trip, bring the <strong>cave</strong> length up to 3095 m.After returning to camp Peter and Sheila decided to take a look at the SandCampsite activity in Cueva de Infiernillo.(Tom Byrd)[foldo<strong>ut</strong> map of Purificación area followed this page]25
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