Matienzo 2015

[Scaife]

This is my personal account of this summer’s expedition, attended by four BRCC members.

Thursday 30th of July
Langdales, via the Cave of the Stag, down to Torca la Vaca
With Alex Ritchie and Alasdair Neill
We made the first connection between the Cave of the Stag and Torca la Vaca, making the first all-weather entrance into the far reaches of la Vaca and bringing the total length of the system up to nearly 20km. We named this connection, “Aardwolf Country”.

Friday 31st of July
Fresnedo
With Alex Ritchie and James Carlisle
We dug through the Howling duck and briefly explored beyond. This duck had previously been an unpleasant muddy wallow, but I am informed by those who went in several days later that after our dig it was very straightforward.

Saturday 1st of August
415
With Carolina Smith de la Fuente, Pete Smith, Steve Martin
The first of the re-sre-surveying trips into 415 of the summer. We re-surveyed from the entrance to the third chamber.

Sunday 2nd of August
Renada
With Alex Ritchie and Alasdair Neill
A re-surveying trip with several question marks on the old survey to explore.
Pushed a short crawl in the entrance series, which ended after about 20m and was not draughting.
Pushed a squeeze and found continuing passage down a pitch that we were unable to descend without ladder or rope. We surveyed as much as we could of this part, which was unsurveyed.
Re-surveyed part of the main passage and pushed a small streamway to an aven, at least 30m high, again never previously surveyed.

Monday 3rd of August
A day off caving.
I cycled up the hill to Fuente las Varas and down to Arroyo Llueba and back in the morning, then with a large group of cavers went to Tregandin Beach in the afternoon.

Tuesday 4th of August
Rio Cueva
With Alex Ritchie and Sahil
Explored downstream in thiscave. We descended an undescended pitch and found a small chamber, which we of course named Blind Date Chamber in honour of the late, great Cilla Black. After caving we drove to the airport to collect Chris Sharman.

Wednesday 5th of August
Renada
With Alex Ritchie, Chris Sharman, Alasdair Neill
Surveyed 150m of unsurveyed passage, down the pitch we had found on Sunday.
We dug through a tight section, which only the narrow-shouldered Mr Ritchie could fit through, and he explored about another 20m without surveying.
The Expedition meal was that night: a sombre affair, the silence broken only by Mr Sharman clumsily falling off his chair.

Thursday 6th of August
Waking up very hungover, I joined MUSC for a day off by the river.

Friday 7th of August 
With Carolina Smith de la Fuente
Visited Santillana del Mar and Santander 

Saturday 8th of August 
With Carolina Smith de la Fuente
Visited Lierganes 

Sunday 9th of August 
415
With Carolina Smith de la Fuente, Pete Smith, Lloyd Cawthorne and Chris Sharman 
Continuing the re-surveying of this cave, we dropped down the wire pitch and climbed up a few short new sections.

[Xandar]

I will fill in some of the missing bits when I get home, to save repeating your text. I just realised there was not one day when all 4 BRCC members where on the same trip. I guess I should have come on that 415 trip on the last day.

[CarolSmith]

Yes we did, Alex, Mr Scaife has forgotten that I was also on the Reñada trip on the 5th of August. Who did most of the digging? We’ll have to go back to survey those 20 m.

Wishing we could still be in Matienzo…

[Xandar]

We’ll have to go back to survey those 20 m.

And carry on exploring it doesnt end where I got to.

Saturday 1st of August
Mustaco – Traveled to the far end. While others dug an easier connection, lots of traverses and quite difficult passage (prob hardest so far in Mat). Got to the end, heard hammering but a connection was not made. Me, Adam, sohail, Rahoal

2nd – 5th
See chris’s report.

Thursday 6th of August
0081 – Resurvey with Ali, found drafting dig in boulder choke I spent about an hour or so digging it not expecting it go but it did into large calcite chambers reaching the highest point so far surveyed in the cave. 70m of passage. Me Shaman & Ali

Friday 7th of August
0081 – Push of extensions found last time as well as a long time spent shivering locating a mole phone for potential drainage route to stop the vally flooding. About 40m of extra passage found (check survey). Me, Shaman & James

Saturday 8th of August
Fresnedo – Trip through the duck to get to the far end and look at a stream not pushed last time due to remoteness. A long set of dry passages eventually took us there. The stream turned out to be too tight despite our best efforts. We exited as Shamans light was failing we did not get chance to look at any extensions. We surveyed about 30m of passage. Me, Shaman & James

That was the last day of caving for me.

[Chris Sharman]

Wednesday-Saturday with Alex.
Sunday with Carol & Scaife.
Monday surface prospecting with Ali.
Loafing about indoors with MUSC on Tuesday.

Good trip – definitely go again sometime.

[Cavedan]

Wow busy week. Good stuff chaps.

[Xandar]

Some our surveying work appears to be on-line:

http://matienzocaves.org.uk/surveys/4117.pdf Not changed much but there is a note for the pitches we dropped.
http://matienzocaves.org.uk/surveys/2889-v2-21-2015s.pdf Is showing the lot together.

http://matienzocaves.org.uk/surveys/0048-resurvey-s2015.pdf Our section is the blue lines on the bottom left, left of the stuffed monk. I see we did not name anything, though!

http://matienzocaves.org.uk/surveys/4043-2015s.pdf See if you can spot our very small new bit the P5 just below the red line. I drew that bit up last week, notes had got lost it seems.

There appears to be nothing on line for the work you guys have done on 415, not drawn up? – There is a 3D file though for those of you with the right software: http://matienzocaves.org.uk/surveys/0415.3d

Video of them mole-phoning while we were shivering underground (that bit is not filmed). Site 81.

[CarolSmith]

Yep, I’m still in the process of (very slowly) drawing up the survey for 415.
I’m not good at drawing surveys…

[Xandar]

Not the summer expo, but this is what happened in Spring. I completely forgot I gave this un-rehersed interview! Still its better than my interview with Amanda.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXeUA4Bbx44&feature=youtu.be

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