Matienzo, Easter 2017

[Scaife]

I’m currently in Paris waiting for my connecting flight, so thought I’d write up what I’ve done in Matienzo this Easter. John, Alex and Shaman are still out there so their logbooks will undoubtedly be more impressive than mine.

Friday 14th of April
Yoyo
Chris Scaife, Tom Howard, Alex Ritchie, Chriss Shaman

We went up and down this stringy pot. It has several pitches, including one of about 100m. We surveyed the rift below the pitches and fixed a rope leading up into an unexplored passage. By then it was getting late and we needed to get back for the expedition meal, so we left this bit unexplored, but the cave is now fully rigged ready for a push in the summer.

Saturday 15th of April
Fresnedo 2
Chris Scaife, Alex Ritchie, James Carlisle, Chriss Shaman

James had read an old logbook entry that suggested a possible lead in this muddy cave. We got to it and found that there was indeed a way on, but up very brittle walls and we decided a maypole would be needed to scale the climb. On the way out we surveyed an unexplored 83m side passage.

Sunday 16th of April

None of us went caving on Easter Sunday. I was Easter egg rolling behind Carol’s house, then went for a walk with Carol. John, Alex and Shaman went and sat on someone’s roof.

Monday 17th of April
415
Chris Scaife, Carolina Smith, John Proctor

This is Carol’s long term surveying project. We bolted a pitch that we had looked down last year. It opened up into big passage; unfortunately it was known passage. We then went and surveyed a complicated network of passage near the big pitch.

Tuesday 18th of April
Fresnedo 2
Chris Scaife, Alex Ritchie, James Carlisle

We returned with a maypole and found a fair bit of new passage. We surveyed 180m and there is still the potential for further extension. We found a crawl heading uphill away from the main cave that currently ends at an 11m aven. There appears to be a big passage at the top of the aven, so a return with a bolting kit is needed. In the opposite direction, we also found a big passage that will need several bolt placements before it can be entered.
We did have a bolting kit on this trip, but the drill broke.

[Xandar]

Did we put the Yoyo survey on the computer?

[Scaife]

Tom said he was going to do that from his own computer. I’m pretty sure he’s got all the survey notes.

[Xandar]

Oh yes I remember him saying that but this is Tom, he likely won’t get round to it for several months.

[Xandar]

So heres my log entry… (Some will effectively duplicate Chris’s)

Monday 10th of April – Renada – Alex, Sharman & JP

With a dodgy weather forecast, we thought we could get this one out of the way first as it sumps in wet weather. We pushed through the dig that stopped most of us last time. John free climbed down the pit that stopped me two years ago. Though we did anchor a rope to a stall to make sure he/we could out again. We then demolished the mud wall on the other-side to allow us to continue. The cave got rather large after this point and we thought we were on a winner but it soon closed down again. However there is one lead still to look at in there that I need to push, its rather tight and is going up steeply. It could hit high level passage. Need to go back.

Found and surveyed about 80m of passage

Tuesday 11th of April – Washing machine – Alex, Sharman & JP

Spent a while digging it out, it must have taken 4 hours but it is now once again open. However, after doing this we lacked the energy to explore the rest of the cave.

Wednesday 12th of April – Risco – Alex, Sharman & JP

Risco, was meant to be a quick tourist through trip, however we got very lost having tried to navigate using a 5km survey squeezed onto one page! We did eventually make it out the top entrance after a dodgy climb up a very steep and loose mud slope! We spent about 5 hrs underground on a 2 hour trip.

Thursday 13th of April – Spot holing – Alex, Sharman

Spot holing. Dropped down a few pots nothing that promising though the ladder did not reach the bottom of one. However one cave drafted quite well, which was found due to Chris dropping my crab down the hole. Chris also dropped himself down the hillside, did a nice series of cartwheels, however thankfully he was unhurt.

Friday 14th of April – Yoyo – Alex, Sharman
See chris’s log book
Found about 100m of passage

Saturday 15th of April – Fresnado 2 – Alex, Sharman, James

Horrible place, but lots of potential. We explored all over the place. Found about 70m of passage in the process, until we eventually got to where we meant to an impossible 3m climb up a waterfall, that needed a scaling pole

Sunday 16th of April – No where- Alex, Sharman, JP

Spent the day helping the dingles with their roof. Moved about a ton of wood and a further ton of tile, before I took to the actual demolition. Chris then did a via-ferrata while me and John went for a swim in the river.

Monday 17th of April – Washing machine – Alex, Sharman

Went bolting to get into a passage I spotted off of the big pitch, last time I was there. It did not go far, it was about 15m long. We did not try the bottom of the cave as I needed another small person for that. I exited to be shocked that John had actually spent longer underground than I did.

Found about 15m of passage

Tuesday 18th of April – Fresnado 2 – Alex, Scaif, James

I wanted Chris to come with me help me explore the bottom of WM, but James persuaded us to go down Fresnado. Good thing too as we found 180m of passage. See Chris’s log entry. Still lots to explore in there if you don’t mind the horribleness of getting there not to mention the 2 to 4 hour (gear changes time) trip time in 1 direction.

Found about 180m of passage

Wednesday 19th of April – Hiking – Alex, Sharman and JP
Hiking about 20 miles south of the area, some great scenery around their probably about 800m of ascent.

Thursday 20th of April – Digging Los Siento pot – Alex, Big Steve, James, Sharman

We went back to the drafting hole and got though. At first entering a chamber I thought we were on a winner but it soon closed down to small proportions. It’s still going but is a proper digging trip.

Found about 10m of passage

Friday 21st of April – 0394 – Alex, Sharman

We tried to find 0394. Failed, as it was hidden deep in brambles. Instead we found a new cave and made that a new entrance to 0394. So success? Was about 2 hours digging, 50m of new passage and a much easier way into 0394 not just because of brambles. Yes a success.

Found about 50m of passage

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