Cueva Dos Charros

I noticed a lizard across the road from Dos Charros and took some pictures. I got one when it had it throat fan out to try to intimidate me. Unfortunately, that picture wasn’t perfectly in focus. Anyway, I geared up, crossed the street, and climbed up the hill to the waterfall cave entrance. The waterfall was about 25’. There was a water pipe coming out leading to a cistern though the pipe wasn’t properly oriented to actually fill the cistern. I grabbed a hold of some roots and climbed up into the narrow 10’ H x 4’ W entrance. From here we walked upstream in the canyon passage. A passage split off to the right. We ducked around some formations and followed the water downstream to another stream passage. To the right, we soon found E2, 15’ H x 5’ W. We could also access E3 through a parallel stoop walk canyon passage. E2 is also a waterfall hence the name Dos Charros. WE hiked back upstream and stepped up onto a dry sediment floor. The passage was now larger, 20 W x 12 H, and had formations on the ceiling. Right before this spot I’d saw a crab ahead on a rock but it hid under the rock and then hid in a hole. We found another crab on the dry, flat sediment floor and Alan and I both took numerous pictures of it. It was definitely photo shy and often had its claws in defense position. After about 100’ we stepped down off the dry floor and rejoined the stream. The passage decreased in size back to a walking canyon passage. Footing was sometimes precarious since we were walking in water which was occasionally waist deep. We passed an infeeding passage to the left and I followed Marion ahead. Marion said he had a lead for me. I bellied along on my side through a tighter section and contorted around so I could see the water below. I took off my helmet and lowered my head upside down looking upstream. The water was coming out of a low wide slot that was impassible. We went back to the infeeding passage and walked into a parallel passage. To the left, a narrow walking canyon fed water in. To the right a larger walking canyon passage continued ahead. We followed the water upstream in this passage. The water was deeper at times. Like everywhere else in this part of the cave, the walls were rough and jagged easily catching your clothes. We eventually reached a chest deep section of water that appeared to be a sump. There was a small hole above in the right wall. I wormed into it. It pinched both to the left and the right. My legs were still flailing in the main passage. I wormed back out and posed for a picture in the sump. I then checked the sump out more thoroughly. It wasn’t really a sump. There was 2” of airspace. I fed my body in and could feel a square water filled passage 4’ x 4’. There was a foot of air space a legs length in and about 4-6” of air an arms length in. I took a picture of a jagged rocky area with ceiling formations going back downstream. Alan and I went back and checked out the other narrow canyon infeeder. After a short ways it intersected another larger parallel passage. Much of the floor was pooled water. Downstream to the left led back to E1. We headed upstream. The ceiling was lower so I bellied down in the water and glided across pulling myself along with my arms. Very soon I was in larger walking stream passage. This passage continued for several hundreds and possibly more than 1000’. The passage became bigger and I encountered bats hanging in the formations and a few large breakdown rooms 40’ W x 25’ H. At one point I heard a thundering rumble ahead and was getting very excited hoping for a large waterfall or rapids. I climbed up into a higher passage to follow the sound of the water. Unfortunately, the water was emerging from beneath the breakdown. The passage contained a great deal of breakdown for the next 150 to 200 feet. I climbed over the breakdown blocks and eventually rejoined the stream. I traversed more large walking stream passage until I cam to a deep rise pool. It was about 25’ in diameter. I swam around the perimeter and back floated down the middle to make sure there were no leads in the ceiling. Alan spotted a dive line which I think my left had snagged as I swam around. After Alan took some pictures we quickly routed back out. I imagine at times I looked like a monkey since I use both my arms and legs when traversing breakdown. I usually keep my arms ready to balance or catch myself when I’m traversing through water that I can’t see the bottom of. We routed to the entrance. We’d seen quite a few crabs in the cave. Before leaving Alan took me back to a spot that I’d checked out before to make sure it’d been checked. Marion and Brandon were waiting back at the car. Marion had exited early for some reason.