Tanama River 2009 - Part 1

Last year we went with the caving group (SEPRI) on a float down the Tanama and had a lot of fun. It is a yearly event and we decided to go again with "refined" tubes (we made plywood platforms to drop in the hole to sit on). This event gives previous, present, and future cavers and their families an event to participate in that isn't a cave.



When we got to the river I was shocked to see a Willy Wonka Chocolate River where last year's clear river was! This is following our day of mud and rotten pig in Hog Hell! Oh well, it'll be fun anyway. The river was rising up to 1000 cfs around midnight and then dropping to around 100 during the day. We were starting out in the morning and I guess the deluge of mud enters with the big rains at night. Here I am on the left staring at the Chocolate River from the bridge.



Every one was assembling at the river bank with tubes, helmets, and other gear. It was quite a large group this year.

After standing around for a while and getting a safety briefing people started plopping into the river and heading downstream.

The river is really pretty with jungle and old farming crop remnants on the side. There are a lot of big boulders in the river that made nice little rapids. I floated for a while just looking up at the sky.

Hey - isn't that Jeff? He is happily bobbing down the river.

Like everything here it is hard to show the scale of things. Things are big, and tall, and very jungley.

There were a few spots we had to get out of the river and walk around. There were either sticks or rocks or some other combination of debris that made it unsafe to try to float over. The safety guys in the front would determine if an area was unnavigable and then send tubers to shore.

Here's Jeff just sitting on a rock happy to not be in Hog Hell! Maybe he is thinking about yesterday and is happy to be in the clean air, not in a cave and not underwater...

Tanama part 2

The entire river is rather scenic but this waterfall is kind of a nice spot to hang out for a while and have second lunch (if you remembered food). You can see the top of the waterfall to the upper right and it must be spectacular in the rain!

The falls are a favorite photo spot since you can cool off sitting under them on the log.

I really like the wild spots of the river where the trees and bamboo are spectacularly tall and there are immense boulders in the middle and just jungle to the sides. We'd see jungle with what looked like banana groves interspersed. People must have farmed here in times past. It makes for good snacking when you can find the ripe bananas.


After the falls and down the wild spots we go to the end. There is this last bit of fast narrow water before the dam. The safety crew has a rope across the river after this little bit so no one gets caught in the current and swept over the dam. A lot of people portaged rather than go down this part. Last year I flipped but this year it was smooth sailing!

Then it was time for the little walk out (30 minutes or so). Like most of our adventure things it was through the jungle.

We could see the dam which had a lot more water going over it than last year.


Then it was on to the catwalk - look at the huge boulder!

There were a few trucks/vans/cars at the exit waiting to shuttle people back to the put-in spot. How many people can ride in the back of a pick up? A lot!

It was a very fun day again. Last year we didn't have our tubes quite right but this year it was a comfortable ride. The higher water made it nice and the day was pretty sunny! Can't wait til next year1

Hog Hell (Cerdo Infierno) - Katrina's version

Tom Miller is an extreme caver, and having been accused of being extreme ourselves (cave diving, chumming for sharks, visiting Papua New Guinea, tech diving, parachuting etc etc) we emailed him so we could try to go caving more often than we have been going. Besides mapping and discovering new caves here and around the world, he happens to live in the west which is where we live. There are caves in Rosario, Penueles and throughout the island although most cavers go up north. He replied back that he was going to visit the Infierno System to map an unmapped cave and invited us to come. How can you turn down a trip to hell?


After driving near Camuy and into the jungle we did the shortest hike ever and arrived at the entrance not sure how things would be. We have not been in many caves, but each has its own personality and uniqueness. There are a few reasons to go into caves 1)to see beautiful formations 2) to get a get work out (depends on the cave) 3) to have an adventure 4) to map uncharted territory and discover new things. The purpose of this trip was #4. Our other trips were #1.

We hiked into the cave maybe 20 minutes and it didn't smell like the other caves. The previous caves we had been into either didn't smell or smelled of guano which really isn't that unpleasant - bat crap smells kind of like a caramel burnt coffee or coffee grinds. When arrived at kind of an end... a pool of water and wall...it became apparent what the source of the smell was.




Bobbling in the waist high pool of putrid water was a fairly recent gigantic hog carcass that was bloated large enough to look like a Macy's Parade Balloon! Tom is seen here pointing to it (he would have grabbed the tail but it may have exploded). Our little party - Jeff, myself, Bret and his unnamed friend I'll call "Mr. Unlucky" are all kind of disgusted. We stood around just marveling at the sight trying to figure out what was next since there wasn't a way further into the cave (we didn't THINK so anyway). Tom finally breaks the news that we need to wade past the pig in the water and go under this little wall for12 feet or so...."there's a rope on the ceiling." Tom dives down and we don't see or hear him (the pig bobbing closer and closer in the water). Then he pops up on our side again and we debate whether or not we are doing this or not. I don't want to be the spoiler but don't think it is a great idea. Mr. Unlucky is pretty silent since this is his first cave ever. Bret doesn't say a thing. Jeff says he'll do it first. Tom goes, then after a while Jeff goes. I am next in line but I don't hear Jeff yell "ok," I don't see the glow of a light from the other side and when I tug on the rope no one tugs back. I wait and listen and then tell the guys I am not wanting to go. Mr. Unlucky decides he will go next when Tom pops up on our side and says Jeff doesn't want anyone to go and he is not going to come back through. Tom will lead him out from the other side and Bret, Mr. Unlucky and myself will go out how we came and we'll regroup at the cars in an hour or so.



Jeff and Tom (hard to see - sorry) are peering at the crap (garbage and sticks and stuff) floating where they descend under the rocks into hell - the pig is bobbing on the right.

So now Tom and Jeff are on their way out a different way and our trio is headed out the way we came. Since we had an hour we explored a side passage and I made arrows out of sticks and rocks when we came to junctions so there would be no mistakes coming back. Things got wet and narrow and when we came back the arrows helped since there was a junction we didn't see from the direction we entered. All was well and before we got to the entrance the guys were coming in!

Tom routed us to another side passage he hadn't explored mentioning that the fork to the right is what he wanted to map but we'd have a look see at this other one first. We all started the crawl (and I mean crawl) down this dark tunnel that got narrower and narrower and lower and lower the further we went.


The beginning had places you could crouch, and then it became on-your-knees and then became on-your-belly and at that point Tom and I went forward and Jeff and Mr. Unlucky stayed behind. Bret caught up with us after probably 10 or 15 minutes - time is hard to gauge underground! It got tighter and tighter and finally Tom disappeared into what was basically a rat hole and unless there was something great on the other side I was not going into that little hole! He said there was some debris and a lot of collapsed rock - didn't sound like what I needed to see! Also as we went further into the tunnel the sediment turned into coarser sand and I figured that this was a major runoff thoroughfare! We turned back about when Bret showed up. He did go into the rat hole and reported back the same thing.



Things are starting to get constricted here but got very low and wet and muddy after another 20 minutes or so. The three of us turned around and it seemed longer getting back. We got to the place where we entered this passage and Mr. Unlucky and Jeff are nowhere to be seen! Where would Jeff go... I figured he and Paul went to the other side passage (other side of the cave) that Paul and Bret and I explored earlier. I was wrong!

Since there weren't there Tom, Bret and I headed down the other passage that earlier he said he wanted to map. It was a shorter-than-we-just-did tunnel with more clearance and less mud. After a while we emerge into a huge room to find a very dim light and the silhouettes of two humans just sitting and not talking! Turns out they had been trying to get out of the cave and turned the wrong way, realized they were not where they should be, tried to get out and then gave up and were waiting for rescue while reserving their lights and food and water and energy sitting in the highest spot in the biggest room they could find!!!! I don't see how they could have done this but they really didn't know where they were. After the initial happiness wore off Jeff wandered around this large room and we looked at some neat formations and calcite pools. There were even some small "straws" that were forming.



After this little break it was off down another hole/tunnel that was pretty roomy at first for some mapping. After a little bit though the water got higher and the ceiling lower and the mud deeper and the lines of sight for mapping got harder.





The shiny stuff here is calcite that has dripped from stalactites on the ceiling.


After what seemed like a long time we continued through the narrow spots and had a few times we needed to duck under the water to continue but we emerged out of hell and into the sunlight! This was however a different surface hole from where we entered. Tom, fortunately knew this place very well and off we went though the jungle to the cars and it was a short walk. I am looking forward to seeing a paper drawing of the convoluted passages we went through. Most of the other caves we went into stayed mainly "open" and in one direction (we were in underground flowing rivers) but this one's personality was dark and brooding and stinky and lifeless. It was an adventure for sure!

After cleaning up we discovered the Mofongo van wasn't going to arrive for another hour so a different spot was selected for food.This spot advertised in big pink letters Cujito, Soncocho con patillos etc etc. Our little party was all white guys and all I know is that I am not eating stomach, foot soup or pastilles with organs in them. I watched the guys order stuff I didn't think they knew what it was and watched as they picked out the feet and pushed parts away! How fitting for dinner to be another version of Hog Hell!

And why is "Mr. Unlucky" unlucky? This was his first cave ever... look at his helmet (all duct taped together)...hog juice dissolved the soles off his boots (not really - it wasn't the hog juice, but his boots disintegrated), he did a few hours with only socks on (good thing the cave floor was softer than most)...he got to experience a bloated stinky hog floating around and then eat pig parts for dinner! I'd say he was a real sport and I hope he goes into another cave...

I survived… Cueva Cerdo Infierno

I am going to dramatize the fun adventure from Saturday but the story is still true. This is my version, Katrina will provide her own with pictures.

Saturday we were off to explore another cave. Katrina and I met Tom, Bret, and Paul at panaderia Lourdes in Camuy. Tom graciously invited us to join him to do some surveying in the cave system Inferno. The cave will now be called Cerdo Inferno from now on. We left the panaderia and followed Tom to the cave. We drove by the closed old Camuy tourist center and parked somewhere in the jungle.

We got our gear together and hiked to the cave. This was the easiest hike to a cave we have done so far. A dry river bed ended 10 feet above us and the cave entrance seemed to double back under the river bed. This must make a nice waterfall when it rains. Into the cave we go. The river does drain into the cave so careful attention is paid to the weather! The cave floor is very slippery and there was lots of river trappings all over including some plastic embedded in the ceiling of the cave. This part of the cave was around 10 feet tall. We walked for 10 minutes and started to notice an unpleasant smell. It got stronger as we walked for another 10 minutes.

We get to what looks like the end of the cave and we are standing on the shore of a small 20 foot pool of very dirty water. It stinks to hog heaven. At once we all see the bloated maggot infested pig. Yuck, yuck, yuck! Ok now what? Without hesitation (ok, maybe a little) Tom walks up to his hips into the swine brew and poses with the floating pig. He tells the photographers to hurry up with their picture taking.

Normal people would turn around at this point but no, not us. To our surprise, disgust, dread, Tom floats over to the cave wall and starts reaching under the water. He is up to his neck in this stew with the pig and maggots just a few feet away (I think it started to float towards us!).

Tom finds the rope and holds it up. He then takes a deep breath and disappears for a few minutes. When he reappears he tells us its only 12 feet to the other side, no problem man. The rest of the group had a nervous discussion about this. Enthusiasm took over and we decided to go for it. Tom went back again. I say what the hell I freedive and can hold my breath for a minute on the bottom this should be easy. I dive down and pull myself along with the rope. 10 seconds go by and I am starting to run out of air. I keep bumping my helmet on the ceiling looking for air. I find a small patch but its not enough room to breathe. I inhale a few drops of water then Tom grabs me and pulls me to him.

I gasp for air. I can’t breathe. Looking at him with my eyes wide open I continue to gasp for air. He must have thought I was drowning. After 30 seconds the water clears from my lungs and I tell him to go back and tell the other guys not to go then come back for me and we will exit the cave in a different exit. Without hesitation he goes back.

Here I am, alone, worried that Katrina was next and she and Tom would collide under water (Important lesson learned, must have rope signals). Tom comes back and said they were fine and we would meet them at the car. We moved through the cave and found a seldom used exit. We crawled on our stomachs through the mud and then we were out. We find our way through the jungle and I walk into a wasp nest and get stung on the face, free Botox.

We get to the car before they do so we go back into the cave and find them. We decide on an alternative place to survey. Up into a small side passage we go that Tom hasn’t explored before. This is small, not tall enough to crawl on my knees. Tom and Katrina crawl ahead, I follow for 10 minutes and I finally quit. I turn to Bret and Paul, Bret squeezes past and continues but Paul and I turn around and tell the others we are going back. Did I mention this was Paul’s first cave! This is tough going on our stomachs in the mud and rocks but we continue out. Katrina, Tom, and Bret continued on in amazingly small passages.

10, 15, 20+ minutes go by. We start entertaining the idea we didn’t come in this way! The water was clear in front but there were definite drag marks in the mud. Then we come to a big room! Were not in Kansas anymore Toto. We did not come in this way but more importantly we have no idea how we got lost. This room was big and it was a safe place to wait out any flash floods (happen frequently) if we had to. We forged on for 5 more minutes and the cave got easier, we could almost stand. Then we get to water and a quick duck under. Paul said we should stop. We turned around and went back to the big room to await our rescue.

We assessed the situation. We were lost, not far from the others but lost none the less. We leave only one light on on low power. I tell Paul I am not eating my food because it could take them a day to find us. We were safe and we had no doubt we would be found but it was going to be no less than 6 hours and probably 18. We were exhausted from the stress. Shit.

We were wet, covered in mud and Paul has no shoes left. Both of them totally fell apart, socks only. We get “comfortable” and wait. And wait. About 20 minutes later we see lights and hear voices. In pops Katrina and Tom. Only one time before was I happier to see Katrina then I was now and that time involved chumming with 12 ‘ sharks at night (I thought she was shark food) .

I say, “what are you doing here, we didn’t come in this way”, “Oh, this is the side room I wanted to survey” Tom says. But, but, but, I stammer still confused. How did we/you get here? Apparently, (not so apparent when your face is in the mud and your crawling on your stomach) there was a side passage that Paul and I never saw on the way in or on the way out but we managed to take it.

I break out my lunch and enjoy. We rested then it was time to survey. We surveyed a bit but its slow going and we still had some anxiety that the way out would be passable. We got tired and cold so Tom stopped the survey and we headed out (Sorry Tom). Little did we know the exit was only 100 yards away from where Paul and I turned around the first time. We were happy to be on the surface.

We found our way through the jungle back to the cars avoiding the wasp nest this time. We had some dinner together and went home. Katrina showered first while I got the inner-tubes ready for Sundays Tanama river float. We had fun and learned some lessons.