Cueva del Nacimiento (3)
Last night the bulk of people arrived. Martin T, Anthony and Simon arrived in the afternoon after a fast non-stop drive down through France. Alan, Duncan and Matt arrived a few hours later.
Just as well, doubts had begin to set in as to whether we could get all the equipment through the cave and too the sump. With more people, no problem? All were quickly press ganged into carrying bags to Consort Hall.
In the morning Martin G, Dave, Matt and madPhil set off around 8ish with the intention of heading toward Consort Hall, picking up the 12litres dive cylinders where I had stashed them at the top of Boulder Hall and take as far as the camp. A second group left an hour later, compromising myself, Alan, Simon, Martin T, and Anthony, we would collect up all other bags on route, mainly personal camp equipment, stoves and a collection of neck braces and first aid kits, in case of accidents.
Down at the entrance Simon has forgotten his helmet and light, undettered (or forced) he donned 3 balaclavas and a survival bag wrapped under them to protect his head. The state of my kit was no much better. My oversuit completely trashed I had borrowed Laurence’s oversuit, which was slightly too short for me and a chest harness. Holes in wetsocks and a ripped undersuit that didn’t keep me warm at the best of time.
On the way through the entrance series I placed a couple of reflective markers to aid route finding for the others who would be coming out of the cave later in the day.
The trip was at a good pace, although eventually we separated into two groups, myself and Martin T with the stoves and 2 sets of camping gear. The rest following with more camping gear. Just before the pitch down to Consort Hall, Matt and madPhil appeared and helped get the bags through the calcite squeezes leading up to the pitch.
At camp a quick conflab, dive bottles as far as Dan’s Big Room, an added bonus and speed up the trip in the morning.
The rest of the team quickly departed for the entrance, leaving the team of 4 (me, Martin G, madPhil and Dave) at camp.
Camp always seems a rather dismal affair, like some low budget wedding on the beach. Wet tarpaulins draped over pieces of string, stove in the center with a collection of bags and plastic drums to sit on. Food is generally some dehydrated affair or ration packs for those splashing out.
Cold soon starts to set in, so I change into my dry clothes. Undersuit has shrunk at some point over the past year, with the arms now only coming up to my elbows. Incredibly tight, so I’m partly bent over double. Few extra layers over the top, 2 balaclavas and some tesco carrier bags wrapped round my feet. A fashion icon. Opening my camping mat, I found a great big hole through the middle! A bit of gaffer tape (previously wrapped round a cut across my hand) quickly patches things up.
Food eaten and with no much to do now I’m in bed by 6.30. Still awake at 9 before slowly dropping off. I wake around an hour later and hear some boulder falls deep in the cave, then I hear what I think is someone calling for help. Really quite freaky, then I realise it’s the acoustics in the chamber and it’s just Martin snoring.
Rather uncomfortable nights sleep, just can’t get a spot without a rock sticking in my back and then too hot in my down sleeping bag. A few layers shed and I spend a few hours sleeping part out of the sleeping bag. A first for an underground camp for me, normally I’m freezing!
Cueva del Nacimiento (Camp – Day 2)
We are all up around 7ish. More dehydrated food stuffs and a cup of tea and we set off for the upstream sump. I’m still half asleep and most of the landmarks pass in a blur. I wake up around the time we reach the bottles at Dan’s Big Room, where I’m handed an oxygen cylinder to carry.
Most obstacles now are easily passed with a combination of hauling and dragging employed to get up and down some of the pitches. We arrive at the upstream sump around 12ish. It’s an impressive place, a large (15mx6m) blue sump pool heading off, Rob Parkers dive line still in place from the late 80′s. Madphil and Dave shoot off to take more gear up the Teeth of Satan climbs ready for their push on these later in the week, leaving myself and Martin to sort out diving gear. Well Martin to set it all up and me to clean mud of the bits and pieces. Close call at one point, while I was holding the oxygen cylinder, when the two rocks I was standing on decided to collapse, dropping me 2 foot. Somehow I managed to keep the cylinder perfectly upright and not injure myself. Not sure it’s the kind of place I would want to be rescued from (if possible to be rescued safely).
We exit the cave from the sump in just over 4 hours and slog up the hill once more. The holiday in Cuba looking for more appealing about half way up.
In addition the second depth sensor was set up at Colin’s Climax.
P.S Photos will appear eventually, once I take my camera into the backend of the cave…