Lechuguilla Cave Exploration
December 6-13, 1997
by Peter Bosted

Overview
Twelve cavers entered Lechuguilla Cave on Dec. 6 and proceeded to the Deep Seas camp, where they stayed for the entire week. Seven cavers exited on Dec. 12, with the remaining five exiting on Dec. 13. All participants left Deep Seas camp each day for exploration and cartography trips lasting an average of twelve hours. Fortunately, no time was lost due to illness, injuries, or excessive fatigue. Discounting an average of 10 hours spent sleeping and preparing meals each day, a total of 1,200 volunteer hours was contributed to the Park.

Quadrangle Improvements
One of the goals of the expedition was to fix problems on the H36 quadrangles, which the expedition organizer is responsible for drafting. Garry Petrie provided a list of six survey loops in this area with poor closure. Five of these were re-done to look for blunders (which were found in each case). Most of the time, the problems were in the station sequencing, although some major compass bearing errors were also found. The loops were in the EVIL, EKA, EMF, EM, and EM5 survey areas. A long sixth loop could not be checked due to the temporary closure of the Far West. The EK survey (EK1-24) and EVI area surveys (EVI1-41, EVIA1-3, EVIB1-5, EVIC1-7) were re-sketched to provide floor detail and cross sections. Cross sections only were drawn in the NW passage, Hudson Bay, Paradox Room, Jackpot, and 1988 Rooms, where floor detail was adequate, but no cross sections had been made.

New Exploration
Altogether about 3820 feet of new passage was explored and surveyed, in spite of no major breakthroughs being made. Most of the new survey came as a result of technical climbs or pushing relatively tight passages.

Some of the most promising leads were those in the recently discovered Sanctuary area. A horizontal complex off EMH21 was surveyed for 322' under the Sanctuary room. Unfortunately, most of the leads on the list in the Menagerie area had already been done, leading to only 50' of survey here, at EMG3 and EMG16. Also, a 44' lead was surveyed at nearby EM5H4. An mixed free/aid climb by Mark and Stan from Spartacus (EMG59) led to a quick dead end. Another technical climb by Dave from the top of Topless Room (EMHU14) also ended quickly. Traversing in the other direction, the team found a short horizontal passage that connected back in to the Sanctuary after 65 feet. A difficult climb by Art and Vivian at EMGG20 led to about 300' of boneyard complex with a few tight leads remaining. The area was very muddy. Excitement ran high when a tube popped them into a large room, but the mood was quickly dampened when it was found to be the 1988 Room.

In the middle of the lower H36 quadrangle, several hundred feet were surveyed in raft-floored side passages off the EVI survey between EVI1 and EVI15 (Spinning Room area). Most of this had been explored but not surveyed. Two low, raft floored passages totaling 150' were surveyed near Helderberg Hall, from EMA6 and EMA7. In the same area, 40' were surveyed from EMF5, and 100' from EMF7 in new crawlway passages.

A trip to the SW corner of the Chandelier Graveyard found all leads on a list provided by Ray Keeler for the EGD survey to be already surveyed, so the team descended to the EG6 room and surveyed an underlying passage. They dropped a nearby pit at EGG2 to make a connection to EY62 in the Western Borehole (previously only a visual connection with no survey). They also surveyed a tall canyon heading SW from EG6 into a blank part of the map. Art and Vivian returned the following day to aid climb up the fissure to a higher level, which suddenly ended after a few hundred feet.

In Southern Climes, Dave used aid to descend into a pristine pool basin without impacting the delicate features, but no passage was found, though there was very deep water which may merit diving investigation. This was at the intersection of the Flower Wars and Lake Okeechobee routes. Instead, a tight fissure/crawl complex nearby starting at EYKX5B was surveyed for about 250 feet, following outward airflow. It continued through a very tight constriction. This and another lead in the same area may provide hope for a connection with the SW branch of the cave, but trips to this remote area are long and tiring.

Dave had high hopes that a 120' windy mixed free/aid climb near Hudson Bay (EYA28) could bypass Dire Straits and head north, but instead it turned and connected back into this passage. He also did a long two-pitch climb from Black and White Hall (EYKC1, on route to South Winds) which pinched after 250'. A section of the huge fissure that makes up the nearby Southern Cross was also surveyed, going up-slope along the right wall of the fissure from EYKC10A and tying into EYKD2. A possible lead remains in a sub-parallel fissure here at EYKZ7.

All the question marks shown on the G36 quad (Redoubt area) were checked. Only one went more than 20', a 125' walking passage beyond a 7.5" squeeze near RD11. Many soda straws were seen here. Great care was taken to avoid the pools being studied by the microbiology project.

The western "fissure" in the Jackpot at EYJ22A was found to merely be a slope into a boulder choke.

Leads were checked in the Paradox Room (on H36 quad), and only one 40' passage at RBD5 was found. The team reported the room to have been thoroughly checked previously.

On the last day of the expedition, the five remaining cavers went to check a Ray Keeler lead list for the EU survey, which connects the Western Borehole at EY56 (Potted Plant area) to the Graveyard at EYE35 via five rope climbs. After mopping up many leads, and just before their planned return time to camp, a complex and tight route was pushed by Merrilee to a fairly large and very pristine room with gypsum and selenite features. Although a route was found which connected down back to the Western Borehole near EY52, many other unpushed leads remain in this area. Over 600' was mapped by the two teams that night.

Interesting findsM
A 7-inch nautiloid fossil, possibly the largest in the cave, was noted 20 feet up the Spartacus climb (EMG59). A small area under the EM6 room in the SW corner of the Graveyard contains a spectacular display of worm fossils. A large display of candy green apatite or other mineral was found at top of Black and White Hall climb (EYKZ6, 120' rope left rigged). The dense cluster of long angel hair near EVI18 was found to be perhaps the most spectacular in the cave. The gypsum strands are about 4' long, and are all truncated at a common elevation, presumably a former water level.

Photo-documentation
With Park permission, Peter and Daniel (using a custom built dual 35 mm stereo camera) photodocumented many areas in the H36 and G36 quadrangles. The intention is to try incorporating small digital images into the quadrangle to provide additional information about passage shapes and interesting features. A few pictures were also taken in nearby areas such as the Leaning Tower and Three Amigos to test the suitability of Daniel's stereo equipment for making a stereo multi-media show on Lechuguilla in the future, as Daniel has done in the past for four other caves in Europe. Good results were reported. Care was taken to remain on established trails.

Ropes
We replaced the first traverse rope in the Rift (around C71), although the old rope didn't seem too bad. We brought in four Park ropes. A 150' rope was cut, with the 100' section left of the route to the Graveyard near EY62, and the 50' section left on the Sanctuary EMGG20 climb. A 120' rope was left on the NW passage climb (EYA28) because no good pull-down anchor could be made. A 40' rope was rigged at the top of the Great White Way at the original location, which is greatly prefered by team members compared to the new location, which is tricky to get on/off rope. The fourth rope (60') was taken back out of the cave and returned to the Park. The rope at EY62 could be de rigged by descending the EU route to EY56, but the EU route should be left rigged as there are still several leads in this area.

Conservation
On the trip in, some kind of orange powder (hard to see at first) was noted along the middle portion of the Great White Way. Perhaps it could be picked up with a sponge or tweezers. We added new flagging to the Jackpot and some other passages in this vicinity. We improved the almost un-marked trail into the 1988 room, but this should be re-done with continuous flagging, especially through the delicate gypsum area between Jackpot and 1988 Rooms.

While departing the cave, one team noticed that the valve on the hose at Little Lake Lechuguilla was dripping once every several seconds when approached, even though in the fully-off position. After being turned on and off, it seemed to have quit dripping. The drip rate was probably considerably less than the input rate for this lake. However, the observation suggests a need to monitor the performance of these new valves.

Leads
The only reasonably good leads generated during this expedition are those off the EU survey, done on the last day, and the fissure lead at EYKX5B. Some leads also remain from the route from EMGG20 to the 1988 Room. A climbing lead ("not for faint of heart") above the Sanctuary at EMGX12 was not looked at. A few question marks remain on the H36 quadrangles, but most have likely already been checked, but not recorded as not going. Some unsurveyed passage is known in the EMC12 area, and I would not be surprised if some of the leads shown in the EYGX survey lead to additional maze passage.

Participants
The participants were: Stan Allison (WCNP, SD, sketcher), Peter Bosted (CA, sketcher), Daniel Chailloux (France), Donald Davis (CO), Art Fortini (CA, sketcher), Lynne Jesaitis (CA), Dave Jones (AZ, sketcher), Vivian Loftin (CA, sketcher), Glen Malliet (CA, sketcher), Bob Montgomery (WY, sketcher), Merrilee Proffitt (CA), and Mark Rosbrook (CA). All participants had been on previous Lechuguilla expeditions except for Daniel.

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