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Area 4

Area 4 is the region on the gorge side of the Cabeza Covu - Cabeza Julagua ridge. It contains a number of caves that have never been bottomed by OUCC.

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1/4 Pozu de la Roca Naranja
Location: Altitude: 1860m, Depth: 162m, Surveyed Length: 355m, Plan Length: 173m. The entrance of 1/4 is to be found by heading due North from the Ario bowl and climbing the ridge between Cabeza Julagua and Cabeza del Covu. From here the cairned path to Culiembro is followed for approximately 500m until a large depression is reached on the left of the path, with a very prominent orange rock in the bottom. The cave entrance is in the North wall of the depression almost immediately above a 5m cleft.
Description: See Proc 13 or the guide to important OUCC caves for details.

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2/4
Location: Located on the rim of the same large depression containing 1/4 (the depression is easily recognised by the large orange rock within it) approximately 20m further around the rim of the bowl.
Description: A 2-3m climb down to a too-tight rift down which dropped rocks will rattle for several seconds. NOT diggable.

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3/4
Location: Located 200m south-west of 1/4
Description: A 10m pitch choked at its base.

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4/4
Location: To the right of the route down to 1/4
Description: A 10m pitch to a too-tight rift.

The next caves can be found by crossing the Cabeza Julagua - Cabeza Covu ridge, and following the valley down to a large bowl with a prominent tree in a cliff (bearing of 297${}^\circ$ to Cabeza Julagua). This area is of interest because dowsing experiments have suggested that it lies above 2/7, beyond Choke Egbert.

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5/4
Location: 40m south-east of 7/4, bearing 294${}^\circ$ to Cabeza Julagua in 10m diameter shakehole. A 16m pitch to a snow plug.
Description: Large shakehole with a wedged boulder (small rocks can be dislodged from behind this onto the pitch). 15m pitch lands on a snow-plug with a steeply sloping rift heading NW. A climb and ladder leads to more rift with a perched lump of snow. Pitch drops 20m. To NNE a small stream passage leads off but it is too small to follow. Digging here would be very time consuming. To NW three more shafts connect from above, presumably 7/4

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6/4
Location: Located in the same valley as 5/4.
Description: A narrow free-climbable rift chokes about 10m down.

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7/4
Location: 295${}^\circ$ to Cabeza Julagua, 100m south-east (down valley) from 9/4 and 40m south-west of the tree, down-valley from 6/4.
Description: Boulder slope with 2m free climb leads to a chamber with no way on.

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8/4
Location: 75m from tree on bearing of 12${}^\circ$.
Description: A squeeze through a low rock arch leads to two 10m pitches which end in a choke.

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9/4
Location: 30m from tree on bearing of 335${}^\circ$, in cleft. Northwest of 7/4. Marked SIE $\oslash$.
Description: At base of 18m entrance shaft, two shafts lead off. The left hand shaft is about 25m deep and completely choked at the bottom. The right hand one is about 8m deep and partly climbable although a ladder is recommended. At the bottom of this shaft a passage zig zags for a short way before coming to an end. On the outside of the second left hand bend is a 4m climb leading to a hole that was not investigated.

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10/4
Location: Located over the ridge from 5/4, in a green depression. Small hole between boulders in valley floor marked SIE O.
Description: 3m climb down to the head of 15m pitch, rigged from a thread, which lands on a snow plug. At the bottom a bolt gives a 6m descent, with a squeeze past a second snow plug, onto third snow plug. There might be a way on under the snow, but this is unlikely.

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11/4
Location: Upslope from 10/4, marked SIE 1 $\otimes$.
Description: Descends about 20m, free climbable with care, to a snow plug. Near the bottom a slot on the left might be passable by a determined team with chisels, but doesn't look very promising.

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12/4
Location: In the col between Cabeza el Verde and Cabeza Llambria, in the south-east facing cliff, to the right and about 30m down from the col.
Description: A 10m diameter phreatic tube leads to a pitch. This is divided into two connecting shafts. The smaller of the two is 12m deep and lands in a boulder floored chamber with several possible ways on. To the right, downslope, are a bedding plane crawl, which quickly closes down, and a tight rift which was not explored. To the left, down slope, is a climb to a small passage which quickly closes down. Adjacent to where the ladder lands is a climb up to a small passage, which needs enlarging, but the passage seems to bell out beyond the constriction. At the bottom of the boulder slope a climb up (about 15m) to a visible passage was not attempted. From the top of the shafts, a squeeze past calcite opens out above the chamber.

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13/4
Location: 30m below the lowest ridge above the depression of 5/4. Insignificant partially choked cleft in cliff facing gorge (roughly north-east).
Description: Small pit contains animal remains, with rattling drop under boulders. No draught.

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14/4
Location: Crawl-in entrance above 13/4, going up-valley, at top of small cleft in cliff.
Description: Chokes.

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15/4
Location: Unnumbered shaft, by 7/4, marked OUCC 88 $\otimes$.
Description: 8m free climb down shaft, with no way on.

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16/4
Location: In the right hand side of the valley containing most of the caves in area 4 is a visible cleft, which continues to the top of the valley; in the base of the bowl the cleft contains 9/4 and a small undescended shaft on the left-hand side of the valley.
Description: 20m entrance pitch (spike, 2 bolt Y-hang, 2 deviations) lands on snow on a flattish floor. Ignoring the choked phreatic tube, there is a crawl over a stony slope into a chamber, filled at the bottom by a loose mud floor which `sumps'. Traversing round to the right, through a window leads into another chamber. The write-up says: ``It gets more complicated. See survey''. Unfortunately no survey is included. Ends up in a 20m rift, which bells out. Other routes are possible at higher levels.

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17/4
Location: 15m north-east and upslope of 5/4.
Description: 5m sloping rift leads to impenetrable choke.

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18/4
Location: Open entrance down valley from the first green depression over ridge east of 5/4, with picturesque Pozu arch.
Description: Chokes. Possible dig, but no draught.

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19/4
Location: Hole in north-west face of depression just before the valley becomes steep.
Description: Chokes.

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20/4
Location: Rock shelter in left wall of shattered valley north of 19/4 just below tree.
Description: Chokes.

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21/4
Location: Entrance in small rock buttress at end of valley depression before valley becomes very steep. Altitude approximately 1465m.
Description: Short passage chokes.

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22/4
Location: Rift entrance in shattered depression as valley becomes very steep. Altitude about 1435m
Description: Passage leads for 10-15m past a snow plug to a choke. Passage leads up to the right for 10m to a choked inlet.

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23/4
Location: In valley notch overlooking steep section down to Culiembro, south-west from 22/4. 139${}^\circ$ to top spire of right hand group of Central Massif. Altitude about 1435m.
Description: Dual pitches of 6 and 8m. Choked.

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24/4
Location: In wide rock cleft, running down valley overlooking Culiembro, just before depression containing 22/4 and 23/4.
Description: 8m choked shaft.

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25/4
Location: Big walk-in entrance in right of valley over lip from 5/4.
Description: Chokes.

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26/4
Location: 150m south-east of 5/4 high up on a bank. A goat shelter with water resurging from the entrance.
Description: Chokes.

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27/4
Location: 5m to the right off the Culiembro path, 5 minutes over the Julagua ridge. SIE-marked shaft with beech tree in entrance.
Description: 10-15m to a snow plug. Undescended.

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28/4
Location: Head East from Cabeza el Verde along a gulley which rises up and then dips down again towards a shakehole. Level with this shakehole to the right of the gulley is the entrance (hidden from view from this approach).
Description: Entrance shaft (P7,P19) drops into chamber. Climb down through slot into large chamber (alternatively, rig pitch further along). Inlet to right leads to moonmilky area. Straight ahead leads to crawl through boulders, down to 4-way junction (Wobbly Rock Junction). To left is a crawl leading to a chamber. Climb over boulders to where rift narrows down: first lefthand bend is passable to wider section, but this needs widening in order to turn over for the next right-hand bend. Straight ahead from Wobbly Rock Junction, a tube descends to 3m drop into a chamber. the start of the SIE Route. The rift to the left closes down. Main route leads to 9m climb down to slot which is the top of the third pitch (P8). From the bottom of the third poitch, the fourth pitch follows immediately (P11). At the bottom, the rift becomes too narrow. To the right from Wobbly Rock Junction, a crawl, with holes connecting down into SIE route, leads into a flat area of breakdown, ending in a blockage with an enlargement -- and a bone -- visible beyond.

Pitch	Rope	Rigging
First pitch (P7)	40m	Thread backup; Y-hang off 2 spikes
Second pitch (P19)	``	Spike backup; bolt and spike Y-hang; needs deviation half way down
Climb (C9)	40m	Spike belay
Third pitch (P8)	``	Y-hang from two bolts; spike deviation
Fourth pitch (P11)	``	Bolt; bolt rebelay

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29/4
Location: To the east of Cabeza Verde is a collection of interconnecting bowls. On the left-hand side of the largest of these is a 15-20m shaft, with a perched boulder above. Faded SIE mark. Bearing Cabeza Llambria 163${}^\circ$.
Description: Undescended.

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30/4
Location: 20m from 29/4 and lower down. Marked SIE 3$\otimes$
Description: 5m climb down to a chamber. Undescended by OUCC.

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31/4
Location: Follow Culiembro path to 1/4, and then skirt round about 30m away from the bowl to pick up another path running up and down the hill. (Don't follow too close to the bowl as htis leads to a shear drop overlooking the cave.) Uphill on the left (true right) is an 8m diameter walk in entrance.
Description: Appears to choke, but worth checking fully: a climb to the right may go.

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32/4
Location: Downhill from 31/4 is a double bowl. On the ridge between then, at the side nearest the path -- but invisible from the path -- is a 4m diameter entrance.
Description: No way on.

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33/4
Location: Over the ridge to the north of 31/4 is a 40m diameter shakehole. On the far side is a shaft, just above the path.
Description: Undescended.

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34/4
Location: West of 28/4. ``I found a shaft just where I was expecting to find one.''
Description: 5m free climbable shaft leads to chamber with no way on.

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35/4
Location: In the next valley left (NW) of 31/4, at an altitude of 1420m, just above where a subsidiary valley joins from the left. The valley continues down to the pasture with the big brown boulders. Bearing to big brown boulders: 70${}^\circ$.
Description: An unlikely looking rift in the rock on the right of the valley, marked by a cairn by the entrance and another cairn above, and tagged as 34/4 (whoops!). Just round the corner is a shaft of maybe 30m.

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36/4, Pozu de la Garma de Joulagua
Location: Two adjacent holes (larger 0.5m by 2m) in slab just east of summit of Cabeza Julagua. Small, faint red paint marking by SIE. Bearings: Cabeza del Verde 150${}^\circ$, Cabeza del Covu 165${}^\circ$.
Description: 5m climb down to bouldery floor. No way on.

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37/4, Pozu del Brigadoon
Location: Follow path to Area 4, up to the ridge. Instead of crossing the ridge between the cairns, continue to climb up to the ridge to about 6m above the height of the tow peaks and traverse around inside the valley at this height. About 50m away from the peaks is a dark green patch, above which the hole is located. But the hole can only be seen from the top of the ridge. This cave was found by Chris Vernon while he was lost in the mist, so the above description may be inaccurate.
Description: Undescended.

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