8MB PDF - Association for Mexican Cave Studies

Delicate helictites like these are notcommon in Cueva del Tecolote.(Peter Sprouse)They returned to the T-juction andheaded downstream. This passage had acompletely different character from theusual dry borehole. It was narrow andtwisty with pools on the floor. Though itwas heading downstream with some airflow,the survey shots had decreased to about 2meters, and just traversing the passage wasa pain. They turned around after about adozen stations.Needing more to survey, they retreatedto the walking-sized maze, only to run intoDale, Marion, Sarah, and Jack, who had justcompleted the entire maze with the exceptionof a pit. Not having the appropriategear for the pit, the two groups headedout.Terri, Terry, Susie, and Jack returnedto the Illinois Drop at the end of the DamSide Passage. The drop turned out to be asimple climbdown, but it was fortunate thatthey had brought a handline. Only 40 metersahead lay a steep slope and an overhungdrop. After tying etrier loops in therope, Terry descended into Jelly BeanJunction, a large, round room with marblesizedpolished cobbles covering the floor.While Terry was negotiating the climbdown,Dale, Marion, Sarah, and Jim arrived. Theyhad gone to poke in the breakdown at theend of the Serious Borehole, but didn'tfind much.Terry reported that the passage continuedtwo ways, so Susie and Terri climbedon down. Jack decided he didn't like theclimb, so Jim joined our group and Jackjoined the others. At the bottom of JellyBean Junction was a high lead that Terrychecked out. It went, but a handline fornegotiating the climb would be useful.They decided to follow the other passage,which trended down. It soon degeneratedinto serious-swiss cheese confusion. Thesketching was difficult, so Terri was notat all disappointed when Terry and Jimchecked ahead and said it got too small.Both Peters, Margaret, Erika, andTyler first mapped a passage off HelectiteHall to where wetsuits are needed. Theytook photos in the Extreme Borehole andFantasia Borehole to the beginning of theirsurvey. They prepared to map down into theabyss at the end of Fantasia Borehole, butto their surprise they noticed that theborehole continued on the other side of thepit. Peter Keys explored a major lead onthe left for 100 meters. They mapped about500 meters of borehole before they decidedto turn around. The passage was 15 meterswide and 6 meters high where they stopped,and heading west.On the way out, all four teams endedup bottle-necking at the first drop. Peter,Terri, Carol, and Bill decided to surveyside leads along the Ides March in lieu offreezing to death while waiting to climb.They mapped about 100 meters in severalloops and a lead they named the Plate Passage.Upon returning to the Undressing Room(bottom of the second to last drop on theway in, where wetsuits were removed and dryclothes put on) someone was still on rope.Rather than don cold wetsuits and freezewhile waiting at the bottom of each drop,the four decided to take a two-hour nap.The last of them emerged into sunlightaround noon, making it about a 24-hourtrip. The rest of the day was spent napping,eating, and visiting with the localchildren. By late afternoon the sunshinehad turned to mist and fog. It rained mostof the night, causing a bit of concern forthe trip into the cave the next day.FINAL PUSHAfter much deliberation, it was decidedthat there was little threat of thelow airspaces being sumped off. So offwent two survey teams for the last day ofmapping in Tecolote. Peter S., Terri,97