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Area 11

This is the area situated behind the ridge behind the Ario Refugio; it is marked as Jous de Ario on the map.

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1/11 Pozu Optimisto
Location: Halfway up (60m below the ridge) a fracture-controlled valley, about 80m long, with strike 20${}^\circ$, in a fairly even northwards-facing slope, south west of the Jou de Ario. The bottom of the gulley is a shakehole 20m long by 5m wide with a path running through it. Above this is an open 20m deep shaft, 6m long by 3m wide, with an inscription on the top of a boulder on the western brink. A rock bridge separates this from another shaft. Bearings from entrance: Julagua 92${}^\circ$, Llorosos 51${}^\circ$, small hills north west of Jou de Ario, 37${}^\circ$ and 359${}^\circ$; from top of ridge above entrance: entrance 47${}^\circ$, Jultayu 159${}^\circ$, Pico Jorcada 223${}^\circ$, Julagua 90${}^\circ$, first small hill 39${}^\circ$. Entrance grid reference: E43330, N89940, A1590.
Description: See Proc 11 for details. This cave was originally explored in the early 1980s when it was numbered 30/5. It ends in a constriction which may be passable to the new generation of OUCC thin cavers. It is supposedly very hard to find; three attempts were necessary to locate it in 1991, hence the detailed location above.

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2/11
Location: 225${}^\circ$ to Cabeza Forma, 276${}^\circ$ to Cabeza los Campanas, 146${}^\circ$ to Cabeza Julagua, 180${}^\circ$ to Ario saddle. From the valley (approximately 400m north of Ario) a cairn is visible above the cave. Marked `OUCC 2/11' badly.
Description: Climb down 3m in entrance cleft to head of 10m ladder pitch, rigged off natural plus long wire through thread above. Lands in gently sloping, bouldery rift chamber. At lower south western end is an easy squeeze through to continuation of rifts which become too tight. To the right an outlet has cut down into another chamber but way on requires hammering. To the left an undescended 8m pot is found. Cave trends 290${}^\circ$ - 60${}^\circ$. Back at the bottom of the pitch, a crawl leads off either side; upwards to the left, downwards to the right. These rifts lead down to the top of a parallel rift that can be free climbed down for 15m to boulders.

Caves 3/11 to 6/11 are close to the path running north west from Ario parallel to the Los Lagos path below sod 4. 3/11 is the furthest of these from Ario. The compass bearings may be unreliable as the pencil used to make notes was found to contain metal!

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3/11
156${}^\circ$ to Cabeza Forma, 112${}^\circ$ to Cabeza Julagua. Small bedding crawl at base of cliff above col on left hand side, 50 feet above green col. Undescended.

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4/11
Location: 164${}^\circ$ to Cabeza Forma, 106${}^\circ$ to Cabeza Julagua. Unlikely entrance at foot of 6m deep and 10m across green basin at foot of valley on path. 100m closer to Ario than 3/11.
Description: A wide crawl leads to a 5m pitch into a choked rift.

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5/11
183${}^\circ$ Cabeza Forma. 103${}^\circ$ to Cabeza Julagua. Obvious shaft with snow plug, on right hand side of path towards Ario, at foot of valley. Marked as unfinished by SIE. No OUCC mark. Undescended

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6/11
Sheep shelter at base of 2m high cliff 10m above 5/11. Unentered.

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7/11
Location: 196${}^\circ$ to Cabeza Forma, 131${}^\circ$ to Cabeza Julagua, 337${}^\circ$ to Porrón de Muhandi. Forms a large feature near a cairn on the col overlooking the steep drop to Pozu Los Texos. Walk down boulder slope to foot of 12m cliff.
Description: Cave floor is covered in animal droppings. Crawls lead off. Not investigated further.

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8/11
Location: 125${}^\circ$ to Cabeza Julagua, 227${}^\circ$ to Cabeza Forma, 330${}^\circ$ to Cabeza de los Campanas. Almost on top of the cairned ridge running at a bearing of 340${}^\circ$ northwest from Cabeza Julagua, just on the right hand side (away from Ario) near a cairn. Large obvious entrance with perched boulder over top, tarpaulin in the entrance and bushes growing. Faded SIE marked $\oslash$84.
Description: See 1992 expedition final report

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9/11
Location: About 200m from Ario Refugio (bearing 20${}^\circ$) on second green ridge. Altitude about 1630m. 95${}^\circ$ to Cabeza Julagua, 140${}^\circ$ to Cabeza Las Campanas. Faint SIE mark, not marked by OUCC.
Description: Entrance is 1.5m by 5m trending 30${}^\circ$. Opens out to 3m by 10m. 12m shaft with short climb at foot of ladder which leads to a boulder floor with no way on.

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10/11 Leg of Mutton Cave
Location: On north west side of Cabeza Julagua, 352${}^\circ$ to Cabeza Las Campanas, altitude about 1605m. Entrance at lower end of large obvious cleft running down across the hillside. Marked OUCC 10/11.
Description: Entrance squeeze through boulders is followed by a 5m climb to a bouldery, bone scattered floor sloping towards an alcove. From this point there is no way on, but a 2.5 climb up reveals a small alcove to the left with a too tight inlet beyond, which may be hammerable. These seem to be continuations of the surface fracture. Seems limited in potential.

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11/11
Location: 275${}^\circ$ to Cabeza Las Campanas, 220${}^\circ$ to Cabeza Forma, altitude about 1575m. Unmarked. On green grassy gryke, 15m north of the green path running east from Cabeza Las Campanas.
Description: 6m pit with very mossy sides and possible dig at the bottom. Distinctly unpleasant.

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12/11
Location: 298${}^\circ$ to Cabeza Las Campanas, 210${}^\circ$ to Cabeza Forma. On the south side of the same valley as 2/11 and 11/11, at the same height as 2/11. 10m south of the green path from Cabeza Las Campanas.
Description: Hopeful looking rift leading southwards and soon gets to a point where minor gardening may allow further progress. Worth another look.

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13/11
Location: On the SE face of the first ridge, about 600m on a bearing of 310${}^\circ$from the peak of Cabeza Julagua.
Description: Small system with 5 separate entrances, 3 easily passable. Cleft in cliff can be entered into a rift about 10m long, access to entrance is easier at higher level and the rift widens out after about 2m, where small skylight entrance can be seen above. The rift closes down again, although it may be just passable, about 7m into cave, where daylight is visible beyond the constriction. This comes from one of two entrances in large cleft near ridge top, and this entrance gives access to the remaining 3m of rift beyond the above noted constriction. Doubling back under this entrance, the rift continues slightly to the right and can be followed for about 2m to an easy squeeze into a roomy chamber. The other entrance comes in above this squeeze. The chamber is about 5m long and slopes away from the entrance. Halfway down the right hand wall an inlet comes in along a tight sinuous rift through which the fifth entrance can be seen but is too tight. At the bottom of the chamber a rift leads off downwards but is choked after 4 metres by largish boulders. No way on or draught is apparent.

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14/11
Location: In valley below 13/11, at bottom of shakehole.
Description: Two large bouldery rills with trickling water draining into a shakehole.

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15/11
Location: On NW face of Cabeza Julagua 50m below summit, just above one of the paths leading to Ario. 2 Obvious entrances.
Description: Right hand entrance: short climb up, obviously blind. Left hand entrance: entertaining traverse to reach sizeable entrance and vestibule about 4m long and 2m deep. Three ways off, all appear to be silted up. Bottom entrances seep water, and appear to be probably resurgence entrances rather than inlet entrances. Not speleologically exciting, but very obvious landmarks from valley below.

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16/11
Location: On the NE side of Cabeza La Forma, 5m N of the path leading to the Ario Refugio and on top of a small spur. Cabeza La Forma 193${}^\circ$, Cabeza Julagua 101${}^\circ$, Cabeza Las Campanas 345${}^\circ$. Not marked.
Description: Obvious hole in the ground. Triangular vertical shaft about 2.5m by 1.5m at the top and 10m deep. A tight crawl heads south, but becomes too tight.

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17/11
Location: Not recorded
Description: Surface rift 0.75m by 5m at the top and approximately 4m deep with a bouldery floor. The rift is oriented N - S, and the floor slopes slightly to the S. At the bottom a tight squeeze leads E, passable if a few boulders were removed. Beyond the squeeze a narrow passage leads N. On the surface, 10m to the N, a tight vertical slit is almost certainly the end of the passage described above. 2 or 3 small holes in the rock lie along the line between the end of the passage and the second surface slit.

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18/11, Pozu Small Snails
Location: 15m east of the climbing wall.
Description: A 3m deep hole with a connection through to 19/11.

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19/11, Pozu Rubber Clogs
Location: 15m east of the climbing wall.
Description: A 3m deep hole with a connection through to 18/11.

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20/11
The easier top entrance into Systema Sierra Forcada. See elsewhere.

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21/11
Small entrance above 23/11.

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22/11, Pozu del Shades
6m pit to draughting rift.

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23/11 Entrada del Raptor
A sporting entrance into Systema Sierra Forcada, entering in Wet Cheeks Rift. See elsewhere.

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24/11
Location: A hole overlooking Mohandi. 80m SSE of 26/11; 130m north of 23/11. Marked `SIE $\bigcirc$'.
Description: 10m entrance pitch lands on boulder slope, leading to second pitch of 8m. Bouldery floor descends, before suddenly ending in a wall. Hole 6m up can be reached by traversing from top of second pitch, but the rift becomes too-tight.

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25/11
Location: In left (East) side of long depression to west of 26/11 and 27/11.
Description: Small draughting dig.

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26/11
The bottom entrance into Systema Sierra Forcada, entering just before the Mud Sump. See elsewhere.

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27/11
Location: Near 26/11. Looks like a fossil resurgance.
Description: A big draughting hole

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28/11
Location: A strongly draughting hole, downhill and to the right of 26/11.
Description: A squeeze between loose rocks enters a too-tight rift.

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29/11
Location: In Mohandi valley, just above the springs, behind a car sized boulder.
Description: A horizontal grovel, which splits just inside the entrance. Both routes choke quite quickly.

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30/11
Location: Small shaft in small north-facing depression, 10m below top of ridge (On Cabeza Julagua side). Bearings Cabeza Julagua 139.5${}^\circ$; Area 11 survey cairn 166${}^\circ$, Cabeza Forma 219${}^\circ$, Cabeza las Campanas 281${}^\circ$.
Description: Entrance climb of 2m leads to short crawl. Doesn't look as if cave continues through crawl.

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31/11
Location: At base of cliff on the ridge above 26/11 (63.30m north, 11.18m west and 28.08m above 26/11).
Description: Small draughting crawl.

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