ADAM HAYDOCK



Laura  and Andy at the entrance of Cueva Dos Ojos

 

We make it up the hill and talk to the landowners about what we are going to do. We continued down into the jungle with some indicators to where Dos Ojos was located. After about 45 minutes of mogote hiking we made it to the impressive entrance of Dos Ojos.

 It was more impressive from the inside looking out but I really enjoyed this cave. Once we were able to scramble our way down to the bottom of the entrance, Flora went off to work on her project while Laura, Andy and I went in the other direction. We past impressive old flow stone drapery covered in fine popcorn textures. The ceiling was at least 50ft and the passage provided breakdown and huge flow stone structures to climb around.

 

Soon after we made it to the end of the cave which had some more impressive flow stone drapery formations.

 

Afterwards we turned back and went the other side of the cave where Flora was working. I decided to stay back near the entrance to catch some of the noon sunlight that was shining into the cave, lighting up the formations. 

 

I continued back to see what Flora was working on and there were about to wrap up with what they had going on so I came back out and got some more pics of what was around us and of everyone exiting the cave.

 

We wanted to get over to larga in good time so we packed up and got ready to go.

 

 We continued to orient and re orient ourselves to get to Cueva Larga. Along the way, we passed Cueva Dugon and I was impressed with the entrance this cave had which was situated on a wall of a large sinkhole. Next time I'm coming back here. After a few minor mis orientations, and a strange "monkey" sound,  we found Rolf and the entrance to Larga 

 

Larga had an interesting vine covered formation entrance that you walk in between the formations to get into the cave.

 Than you climb down formations to get to the massive..and I mean massive borehole passage. Tom miller surprised us by making a guest appearance which was nice to hangout with him and talk about some of the cave features and geology. Some of the pics didn't turn out so well and others turned out pretty decent

Rolf was working on some projects so I was able to help him document his work with a few photos for him which I posted on facebook.  I was able to get a pic of Rolf on the other side of a massive breakdown pile that got high carbon dioxide readings and was warmer than where we came from. 

There was a lower level where we went down into after Rolf finished up with his work and I was pretty impressed with the formations that were growing in this section.

We made our exit from the cave shortly after going through knee high sticky mud and sliding down a few mud hills in the cave.  After an educational speech directed by Flora about education, we proceeded out and through the jungle mogote landscape past the landowners house and down to Rolf's car.

No that's not Rolf's car but it was a car on the side of the road.  reminded me of what our rental would have looked like if we flipped the edge of the moss road in Florida Puerto Rico.

 FLICKR DOS OJOS: http://www.flickr.com/photos/exploration-worldwide/sets/72157640092205605/

FLICKR LARGA: http://www.flickr.com/photos/exploration-worldwide/sets/72157640092271195/
 



Formation room Cueva Convento

 Pipo cut a b line trail through a saddle in between two mogotes so we could get to the cave quicker. We went through a dense fern overgrowth section so cutting our way through this with machetes made the descent down the saddle easier. We get to the entrance and there was a crack in the wall where the entrance of the cave is.

We climbed up into this hole and proceeded through a couple rooms with small squeeze entrances that connected to larger rooms. I could hear crickets so I knew we were about break through into large cave passage.

We look to the ceiling and we can see large bats swarming the ceiling air space above us. As we walk into the large rooms the guava scorpion let it's presence be known by running across the walls and stopping for brief pictures here and there. These things are pretty big! The size of the scorpion is about the length of two hands and these fuckers can run pretty fast too!

We continued to walk through these passages to the end of the cave taking pics on the way in and out. It was a freakin sweat box in these large passages, it must have been in the 80's with high humidity. I was sweating my ass off just walking around in these upper rooms.

We exited the cave and made it back to the car just in time for it to rain! Nice, let's add a little insult to shit show of a ride back to the normal one in a half lane roads now shall we.... This was pretty bad but it could have been a lot worse and I have been told that cars like mine have made it out before so I'm locked in commitment and start my way back up this mossy slip and slide road making sure we don't roll into a 200ft ditch below us. We are making good steady speed until I got to the incline, the wheels start to spin, the car locks into anti slip mode and I turn to put the wheels on the dirt to get more traction as we are now inching our way up the road with the wheels throwing dirt. I am making progress as the rain continues to fall making matters worse. I start to slide a bit more and slowly the car breaches the top of the hill making it past the main obstacle. Now we have to go down another hill now, so I slow down and start the descent down the road inching closer to the exit. With the moss, rain, and the decline all working against me, the car starts to fish tail. Pipo takes a deep breath and I can hear Laura's heart skip a beat as I start to slide off the road. I turn the wheel in the opposite direction against the slide a few times and was able to gain control of the rental car once again as we came to the bottom of the hill. We made it to the exit and as the gate was being unlocked I  shouted out "yeeeaaaa"!! "We did it"! I'm not much of a car guy but that was pretty good considering the consequences we could have been facing otherwise. 

We dropped off pipo and went to the beach area where cueva del Indio is located to check out the Taino petroglyphs, the sea arches, and wash off our clothes with a coral reef snorkel swim in the ocean. What an epic day. We  ended up getting a hotel that night to break up the jungle life a bit (after all, this is a vacation) and while we were sitting down eating dinner we heard about a 6.5 earthquake with an epicenter 35 miles from us that happened hours ago. I didn't feel a dam thing or hear anything about. This must have happened when we were sleeping in the tent but thankfully there were no serious injuries, no tsunamis, or aftershocks when we were inside the caves shaking breakdown into our heads. We got rest for the following day into cueva larga and dos ojos 

Cueva Zumbo Sculpted rock passage mid level!

dam rooster!

After about 5 minutes being in the passage we pop out into a canyon passage!! open air canyon that closes back up into the cave system about 100 ft down a passage.  Not all caves are underground after all!! Ha...This system gets more impressive with each step I am freaking taking! unbelievable!!!

Laura in the canyon passage Queva Zumbo

As we make our way down the passage we find our selves floating with our packs in deep water, climbing over steroid induced fluted rock carvings,and surrounded by waterfalls, active flowstones, and shear enthusiasm.

Julie Swimming through Cueva Zumbo

 I was lagging behind so I could attempt to get some pictures of this place which proved to be a challenge for me based on the lights I had, the footing the tripod had and just how close the passage walls were to each other.

Water passage Cueva Zumbo

Julie coming from the sump duck under with a rope connecting to esclara in Cueva Zumbo

On our way out I attempt to get some more pictures and video of this amazing place while making our way back to the entrance. 

Laura climbing down into the water in queva Zumbo

we continue on to the upper level of Zumbo that connects to Cueva YuYu. We were out of the water passage but at times we could hear it below us. The passage reminded me more of Indiana now except it was in the 70s inside this cave instead of 54 degrees.

Upper Passage Queva Zumbo

 We climbed over some exposure and got into some walking passage that took us to a breakdown room full of bats. Jeff pointed out where the connection to Yuyu was so next time I come back, I want to See if we can make a crossover trip with Yuyu and Zumbo. We turned around and headed out of the cave through the pit.

Pit Entrance to Queva Zumbo

Sun was setting and the jungle started a symphony of various insects, Coqui's, and other unusual sounds. Finally we make it back to the car after crossing paths with some of the biggest frogs I have ever seen hopping around. We get back to Pipos house to chill out and get ready for day two, Cueva Convento and Cueva Balcones. 

FLICKR: http://www.flickr.com/photos/exploration-worldwide/sets/72157640075701203/

We took a break here while some people went to the end of the passage in one direction to see what was around the St. Louis Limestone corner.  Once everyone came back, we continued down into the formation room.  This room had some very interesting artifacts. There were helicmite's and Helictite's on shelves over our heads along with another interesting feature that still has been pondering what it is exactly.  Right before ourselves is a formation a column of sorts that appears to be reconnected.  Furthermore 2 shelf stone tables on the formation below, might show evidence where an old waterline use to be.  The formation is something I have never seen before and peaks my interest to understand how this was actually formed. I have more pics on my flickr account.

We continued down to the 45 ft domes that were next to each other and made it to the other end of the upper passage. We took another break and shortly after that, we proceeded into the maze and into the maze dome room, where the passage got interesting.  There was a dome to climb into that had a hole in the ground which lead to another dome.  This dome took me to a climb where you had an option to go in three different directions.  I went in a direction that lead back around into a climb connection that was near the old upper passage which also connected to the lower stream passage.  After some small exposure climbing around the pits we came to a dome where you could continue to climb up into the top level passage.  This was like a freakin playground for cavers!!!  It reminded me of the passages in Ellison s cave but a bit smaller.  I continued on to where I came to a slot canyon.  This slot canyon had clear water but super fine mud and I can only imagine how long this water must have been sitting here for.

The water was lit up from the first waterfall and from the second waterfall which brought a beautiful perspective to this passage.  Some attempted to climb up but we mainly enjoyed the waterfalls shimmering beauty and pondered the obvious passage that was above the falls.  Next time I come back I want to see if that upper passage can be reached.

We started to head out of the cave and made it to the bathtub swim for a brief paddle across the warm 54 degree waters of Trapper Cave. Options are to either get wet from the top down or go back around, so everyone decided to thrust through the water and bolt out of the cave without any issues.  We got out of the cave and although it was cold, It could have been a lot worse. Regardless we started changing into dry clothes and made it back to the car for a space heater, beer, and festive laughs that we continued to enjoy through the night.  Unfortunately the next day we woke up and decided to head back due to the rain and snow, we made the right decision to go back when we did!  I got word later on that the caves experienced high water BUT the spotlight goes to the ride back... oh yes, the ride back home. more like an epic journey through "the taste of the north pole" leading our way back to Chiberia.   Every stop light going north went from rain, to sleet, to thick sleet, than heavy wet snow, to snow, to blowing tundra blizzard FML snow.  What a change in the weather.  We were getting reports of highways closed so we diverted our route and just made it through the lane closures as we passed by them.  While driving an average of 30 miles per hour for 230 miles, we witnessed over 10 semi trucks that were flipped over, and multiple cars that slid into the ditch.  At one time we even felt our truck being blown off the road and into the ditch but Phil and his brown 4x4 "Spirit Of Mount Prospect" prevailed!  9 hours later The Intrepid cavers make it back to Chicago safe and sound.  Along the way we had a new friend and a companion, she was a snow bitch named Matilda.  She was a strong snow woman but unfortunately after 5 minutes on the highway on the bow of the Spirit of Mount Prospects hood, she disintegrated before our very eyes  back into the winter wonderland where she came from like the dude from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade choosing "poorly" to drink out of the wrong cup.   I will never forget you Matilda.  

The days preceeding the tragic events that occured in Blowing Hole Cave last saturday have been difficult, but there was no question about a return trip back into Blowing Hole Cave to recover the gear that has been left behind including Tim's items.   The other objective was to clean up any other signs of human foot traffic to bring the cave back to its original and pristine condition. 

I drove down and we discussed the trip we had last weekend with Tim and were able to talk through a lot of the challenges we faced after the event happened.  It was really helpful for us as well as for the others involved to discuss the events that took place on that cold night.  Going to Tim's services in Indianapolis was difficult but it was necessary to bring some more closure to the incident as well as to talk to Tim's loved ones to ensure them that Tim was in the best of hands and well cared for when Tim was with us on his last cave trip.  We discussed some of Tim's passions and heard some amazing stories of how Tim ceaselessly dedicated his life by selflessly caring for others around him as well as how impactful Tim's outlook on life had on the lives of so many people.   

After leaving the services and the celebration of life party at Brenda's house, Phil Goldman, Brian Hunsaker and I, went to Chris Parks house to refresh ourselves with spirits of some of Kentucky's finest before passing out where we layed our bodies to rest. 



 

 We entered the sub 50 degree water passage and stopped at the raft room to a breather.   The SS Cottrell was stashed for the last few years so Sue and Sue brought the inflatable kayak back to the entrance while the rest of us pursued the main river passage through the cave. 

I was meaning to get a picture of this formation section in blowing hole since it appears to be one of the only formation rooms in the cave so Chris and I took a picture while everyone else pursued deeper into the caves river passage system.  We get to the place where Tim and I had  our Mermaid conversation last week and we all took a quick break to adjust clothing, gear, and make sure we are fit to continue on through the submarine waterfall crawl passage and into the upper level passage where the water seemed to be a bit colder than the lower stream passage.

It peaked my interest just a bit more to think that if the water is a bit colder than it must be flowing from a place near or at the surface since it has been cold and has had time to chill a bit more than the heated 54 degree cave water that we have encountered previously.  As we traversed past the breakdown mountain and into the water, with every meander bend we made, we go closer and closer to the site.  Everyone seemed to be calm and collective.  I took the lead and blasted our new Fenix TK 76 underwater to see if we could find any items that were previously dropped from last week.  The light lit up the clear cave water like a swimming pool.  It was a nice and new perspective to see how the bottom looked including the foots steps coming in and out from last weeks events. The cave critters that lurked in the darkness all of a sudden found themselves being noticed with the help of a 2600 lumen light that might have shined more light on them that they will ever see in their lives.  We made it around the final bend and we saw the gear as we left it. We are here.

 Some of it was moved to the side and other items where in the same exact place we left it.  It was good to be back at the site to show our other cavers the site and to continue to bring closure to some of us that were there the week prior.  Everyone came together to start assembling a system of carrying the diving gear and Tim's items out of the cave while I went back to the ear dipper site to see if I could find anything else on the ground.  As I swam the clear waters with this massive sun beam search light, I looked to my left and right and I could see last weeks foot prints, both shallow and deep which was a reminder of our foot steps before, during, and after the tragic events that happened. It was almost like a swim back in time where the battle torn mud banks gave signs of human impact and travel.  I came up to the ear dipper itself and looked to my right to see where I was holding Tim and where my foot steps were self driven into the mud bank while I administered CPR.  To my right I found pink gloves at the bottom of the river with a blind fish suspended over the gloves almost knowing that these have been placed here recently.  I picked up the gloves and brought them back with me.  I came back and had Chris and I take a picture of where our project has ended.  for now at least...

We have many Indiana and TAG cave dive projects to pursue but want to bring a sense of closure to this project which has left a lot of questions unanswered....why the water is colder in the upper passage, why is the water higher, what the sump looks like and where will the sump lead.   Maybe one day we will return but for now, and for the future, this project will be filed back in the archives. 

After everyone started the traverse back, Kevin, Seth and I swam under the duck under to see what was beyond where we left off.  Suprisingly, it was pretty low air space between the water line and ceiling ( maybe 6 inches) for hundreds of feet which opened for a brief moment and quickly closed up again.  I wonder what Dave really meant when he said to Tim, "the water level seems to be the some of the highest levels I have ever seen". Did something happen to the sump to create this???  We turned around and made our exit out of the cave within two and a half hours from leaving the site.  Everyone helped haul the gear out and we made it to the exit without any issues just as the sun was setting. 

This team that assembled to help us retrieve our gear is a team I cant thank enough.   Kevin, Dave, Patty, Seth, Phil, and Brian, thank you for helping us get all the gear out of the cave as well as helping to bring the cave back to its original condition. Chris and I would have had a really hard time getting everything out so I appreciate it.  As for Blowing Hole Cave, it has been an interesting two weeks for me with this cave.   Our expectations of diving to discover what is beyond the promising sump that ended in a loss of our fellow friend and caver, Tim McLain,  has brought us a lot of emotions and questions of the fate in this particular project.  Furthermore, the massive effort that came together to assist in the love, honor, and respect that we have for one another in our caving community, brought the best of us together in so many ways.  Blowing Hole Cave will not be forgotten as well as the memories Tim McLain shared with me in my life, but I also have to be so thankful for the experiences I went through last weekend.  For now,  My return to Blowing Hole Cave will not be for a long time,  but one day, I may return, with an objective to discover whats beyond the sump and to share the stories with the members of that team by speaking to the  passion Tim had as well as telling the stories on that through Blowing Hole Cave. 

Below is a typical view of the river passage we encountered in blowing hole cave.  Sometimes the water would be knee deep and at other times it would be up to our neck. Under the murky water are large sharp rocks that slowly dig themselves into your wetsuit and mental state of mind by zapping your energy as you traverse the unforgiving cold waters in this river passage.  3 miles each way of this kind of passage as well as squeeze crawling, made for an interesting experience but to continue to sump dive into the unknown gave these occasions minor inconviences.