Matienzo, Summer 2024

[Scaife]

This has definitely been a Black Rose expedition, with so many of us here this summer — not all at the same time.

0019
7/8/24
Cavers: Chris Scaife, Richard Bendall, James Carlisle

James had been into this cave with Alex at Easter and they had found a couple of leads that they hadn’t pushed. Alex decided not to go back this summer, so the open leads were up for grabs.

The cave begins with a hands and knees crawl through a shallow stream. At a junction we turned right and entered a slightly higher level that bypasses the duck we’d have had to do if we had turned left. We then followed the stream as far as a chamber that Alex and James had found at Easter.

Our first lead was up a climb from here. It continued as a sandy crawl round a few corners and on to a long straight section before the sand/clay filled the passage to the roof.

We looked up a side passage in here and after about 15 minutes of digging we were into a chamber, with a possible continuation 7m above, up a climb that would need bolting, and a death-inducing hole in the floor that led down to the stream.

Back in the Easter chamber, we followed the main way on, which Alex and James had not pushed to the end. This was all quite complex. The continuation of the stream itself was a small tube. James had a half-hearted look at this. It continues, but a neofleece might be needed to push this properly.

Another passage leading off to the chamber needed a minute or so of digging and we were into a sideways crawl that continued for more than 20m to an aven, 7m high. There was a strong draught in here but it was coming through a too-tight hole.

We surveyed from the entrance: 270m in total, of which about 100m was new.

[Scaife]

4937
9/8/2024

A Murder of Cows

Cavers: Chris Scaife, Chloe Almond, James Carlisle, Raoul Hidalgo Charman

We all took it in turns to try the entrance — a narrow descending tube. After Raoul nudged a boulder, we realised this could be moved and once we had taken this boulder out the entrance was much easier.

Some cows approached us at the entrance and Raoul had to wave his enormous stick at them.

Down the entrance, we were into a small chamber. In the stream flowing through, we saw water scorpions and leeches. We followed the passage upstream, through a small tube and past a column, then by moving a few rocks aside we entered the chamber and boulder choke that had been the previous limit, described as having “many leads, most very dubious”. We probed all of these and only one went any distance.

From a climb up in the boulder choke, I found a flat-out crawl through formations. This led to a small turning space and a narrow slide down into a chamber of sorts. This seems to be through the boulder choke and the way on was a draughting passage, which will need digging initially but looks caveable beyond for at least another 6m. No idea what’s beyond that, but it’s definitely worth pushing. I think we probably found about 20m of new stuff.

[Scaife]

10/8/24
Comediante

Chris, Carol and Oscar; James, Nora and Juan; Ben, Julia, Carla and Monty

We had a leisurely start at Pablo’s, then cycled to the entrance. The youngsters led the way to the end of the cave and then back out into the sunshine. Oversuits are not needed, but wellies are definitely recommended.
Afterwards, we all went to the Bakers Bar for ice cream.

[Scaife]

11/8/24 4397
Nepa Hole
Chris Scaife, Chloe Almond, James Carlisle

With outside temperatures of 37C, we chose a roadside option and this time were not harassed by a murder of cows at the entrance.

The leeches were just as abundant as last time, but we were soon into the chamber that had first been reached almost 50 years ago. We surveyed from the entrance and found that the old cave was 72m long. Our small finds from a couple of days ago brought the total to a round 100m. And then we had to dig.

The blocks ahead took a fair amount of hammering, but eventually we were through. Chloe passed the squeeze by accident — having just planned to improve her hammering posture, she thought she was stuck, then pushed on until she was into the comfortable space beyond. She then immediately rolled a boulder to one side and made the exit much narrower. We hammered away until there was a bit more space, then things seemed to be collapsing from above so she shot back through to join us. After a bit more hammering, we had made things safe enough for us all to pop back through.

We crawled on to a small chamber and the draught was fairly strong. There were a few small holes up loose climbs that looked uninviting, but the draught was coming from a sandy tube. We followed that to a boulder choke, at the end of a flat-out crawl. There is a draught here but I doubt anyone will ever bother to dig it.

In total we surveyed 121m, of which 50m was completely new. We also brought out a leech, in a specimen jar, for Terry to identify.

[Scaife]

13/8/24 Riaño 0105
Chris Scaife, Chloe Almond, James Carlisle, Tiff Cooksley, Raoul Hidalgo Charman, Gracie Sharp

We went to the Redeeming Feature at the end of the long, squalid section that has been explored recently. A phreatic tube up a short climb had been noted in here on the previous visit.

I free-climbed up to it and attached a ladder. At the top we found a chamber with another climb up, for which Raoul rigged a handline. I now returned to the foot of the ladder to survey with James and Gracie, while the others were told to scamper off into the sunset and find whatever glory awaited.

Up the handline, a short crawl led into a chamber with an easy climb up into an ascending rift into another chamber.

A short climb up in this chamber led to a too-tight continuation. Following some creative use of the bolting hammer, Tiff squeezed through into a final chamber, which she said had a possible continuation up a climb that would need bolting.

In total, we surveyed 70m. As well as the possible bolt climb in the final chamber, there is a waterfall flowing into the far end of Redeeming Feature. There seems to be caveable passage above this – about 6m up and would probably need bolting.

[Scaife]

14/8/24 Agua 0059
Chris Scaife, Chloe Almond, Tiff Cooksley, Raoul Hidalgo Charman, Gracie Sharp
With Carolina Smith and Oscar Scaife

A late afternoon trip to the end of Agua, to see the formations and the ancient wall. We followed the river all the way.

Carol and Oscar explored every nook and cranny in the entrance.

[Scaife]

15/8/24 Socks 1017
Chris Scaife, Raoul Hidalgo Charman
Surface team: Oscar Scaife, Carolina Smith, Peter Smith

Raoul made a basket of sticks and placed it about 10m down, to catch the falling debris. He and I then took it in turns to cap just below the first ledge on the entrance pitch. This part is now Zimmer frame friendly, ready for a big push.

The draught is always strong here and a concerted effort could well lead to something major.

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