Bombil Pek cave

The trip started as usual ... the call of one of the team telling about an interesting place. The trip was worthwhile and in July visited Ik (Jul Iq as some locals) and Pek bulbs, two caves ... but this time we will talk only bulbs Ik Pek and leave in July for another note as both warrant.

We left Saturday morning with our backpacks, ropes, harnesses, carabiners and other hoping to find somewhere suitable for climbing. We wanted to revisit Lanquín but time caught up with us as we wanted ...

We arrived in Coban at 19:00 am and as hard-core travelers, our only stop was at a gas station and follow the night driving through the path that leads to Chisec. Were more than 300 miles at a stretch from the capital and arrived at our destination too late. Our only indication as always were the names of places, knowledge of which department is and ... just ...

Directions

Simple ... you should take the Atlantic Highway and drive to the vicinity of the "Rancho", just before an obvious sign to find Coban Alta Verapaz. I mention El Rancho because it is a good place to stop him to buy food, water and others.

Arriving in Coban, right at the entrance, past the gas station is on the left and right before the new mall, find the crossroads to Chisec. Since there has to be handled without any deviations. If you're against the mall, and spent the crossing, if in doubt ask, will guide you with pleasure.

In reaching its own signaling Chisec find, minutes later you will find the roofing parking your left and right you will see the path of photography.

In place

Once in the place where we sleep, which is nothing more than a parking lot next to the road, a bridge and a narrow road just to walk around the farm, we decided not to go at night because the hunger attacked fiercely, as we in good chapín "had the edge." Camp, had dinner and prepared everything for the next day. It rained all night. The same is accessible to visitors who do not want to camp, because in Chisec is possible to find one another accommodation, but that's not precisely the style of travel we usually promote but clarified that there is place to spend the night. Additionally this allows local revenues to make improvements to turn in place.

Start the day

The next morning after a good breakfast, we went first thing in the way that the owner of the property allows us to travel to get to July Ik, an interesting cave to be discussed in another note. As private property, the road is narrow and peculiar as it is fully fenced. We found a couple of interesting rock formations but brittle, not to mention the surrounding bees ... we decided to skip this site and go to the cave without giving us a taste of climbing.

We found that the roads were divided. Both paths lead straight to the edge of a hole in the ground of no more than 150 meters in diameter. One path leads to a rustic wooden staircase leading to the base and from there you walk towards the entrance of the cave. On seeing this we decided to "take the stairs and down slowly to avoid scraping" ... NEGATIVE. Immediately take the path that leads directly to the roof of the cave with a vertical drop of perhaps 60 meters.

We unloaded the equipment, placed the meetings and anchors for the descent with redundant, equalized and ready ... well, actually not that simple and here comes the traditional warning.

We had strings of 50 meters and was insufficient, so he tied two with a double fisherman's knot and made an anchoring system to ensure proper equalized from above, this means using multiple security points that support a distributed load. Is redundant because if one fails, there are other and then ... "Do not die."

Security

To begin with, all our equipment is specialized, dynamic and static special ropes for rappelling and climbing, harnesses, carabiners, and others. Join two ropes with a knot reduces its carrying capacity, each node creates a risk of breakage in the fibers of the strings and a certain percentage decreases its capacity limit, and the fisherman does in about 37%. That is, the strings now endure 37% less than they are specified as safe capacity without breaking.

Additionally, down with ATC or figure eight, added a technical difficulty, pass the knot through the system. This means down, getting to the nub above it and create additional insurance system with a sling by a prussik (friction knot) or use any additional device (ascenders). After that you must detach our initial system of the rope to pass under the knot. In simple terms, remove our link to the full rappel rope to pass under the knot. This is tricky and takes practice, do not underestimate him.

For this fall, an insurer remain in the top down to the first two until you reach the bottom rope. Once the two down, the last step would have to make the knot. That is, only one of the three would have to make this technical step.

Began to descend. The rebate started off the rock wall, then slowly, humidity and slippery surface made it impossible to stay in the correct position, attempts ended in slips where we banged the wall with the body, inevitable ...

Once confirmed that the end of the rope reached the bottom started good, the downhill. So we finished the rappel with a couple of good shots as the input of the note. The view from up and down while it is unique. It can be seen in detail the roof of the cave and as you feel low, hit hard by the water droplets that come from above.

Once down

We walked and we go into the cave whose name means "Sacred Stone", we see interesting and mineralized sedimentary formations like stalactites. There are large blocks of rock formed over time. It's pretty big and look towards its entry gives a good impression because they appreciate the comparative scale of people with similar light to enter.

We look if there was any way forward and there are precisely. After a path above is a tiny hole is the entrance to the cave system.

Realizing that we doubt whether it could be, if this, if that ... anyway, we were already inside.

It is necessary to lie down and have a straight arm as you drag to go through the "tunelito." Upon leaving, continues in the corridors of the cave to find the natural formations of the same. After a few minutes we get another cap, rather like the previous one passage where it was necessary to squeeze through.

This was different for one simple reason ... leaving the other hand, is a small ledge, it is rather a surface that could considered as a small "bench" to say ... where you can sit and watch you down a drop that could not measure its depth.

We estimate at least 25 yards but it sure is, we are in the interest of decline. In front are fairly large rock formations and ancient paintings on the left called Maya.

The technique of dropping an object does not lend itself to the case to measure the height, due to echo the dark, and in a cave must be especially careful. The caves are "living" so to speak. And what we do can affect them, for example, you should NOT touch the stalactites and stalagmites then stop growing and you've ruined something that takes thousands of years in training.

Reasons?

Well, it is difficult to measure the size because there is insufficient light. We had good moisture Headlamps but makes a cave or even halogen light forward much, causing rather than being dispersed and lost in the distance. We turn off all lights and is just darkness and total silence.

Then we started back as though we would have liked to go down, the ropes were installed outside, on the edge of the cave.

Recommended "go?

Definitely. There is a river nearby where sepuede enter floats, wheels, etc. and leave a good distance down. The current is not as quiet as it rained, it was a fairly strong stream.

Recommendations for caving

While this deserves a whole article, the basic recommendations are simple. Carry plenty of water, helmet (normal and common as it is hitting his head on the roof overhangs), good light, LED and halogen good long battery life. Waterproof clothing and good boots are a good idea to prevent normal fabrics, that are wet with mineral deposits, obviously this leads to a nasty cold. It is important to keep track of the time it is easy to lose track of time that goes into the group in the cave. It is also important not to separate.

If a place has not been explored, it is best left to experienced cavers to draw a route and a recognition, it is easy to get lost or that the corridors are flooded seasonal water or currents that change capriciously. Similarly, there are several which are toxic or asphyxiating gases, such as volcanic caves. And although these are not volcanic caves, explore means an obvious decrease in oxygen.

Do you know sites like these? send suggestions and comments because we are always looking for places to visit.