Grote Water-Vallone Ponte (Sant'Angelo Muxaro) "Bidet time" is set for 8:00 on a Archirafi, familiar place to less than all the participants got there and I find Sfincionella Mark Prince and Elga, after greetings are now part of the time to recover Villabate XO.
9.00 am taken XO and we put on the Pa-Ag, after the stage at the motel coffee ritual in St. Peter's continue the direction of a place by the strange name ... Muxarello.
about 10.30 am we arrived in the fortress of Sant'Angelo Muxaro, and there waiting for the arrival of John, operator of the reserve, Marco describes a bit 'the landscape and explains a bit' what we're going to see during the day.
arrival di Giovanni (e del suo machete) ci dirigiamo a vedere l’ingresso di una grotta (Zubbia Funnuta che non visiteremo perchè fuori dal programma) e poi, prima di andare al Vallone Ponte, andiamo a vedere un po’ di forme carsiche presenti in quel territorio e per la precisione ci fermiamo all’altezza di un affioramento di gessarenite nel quale andiamo ad indivuare: karren, scannellature, crateri da impatto e tante altre forme
e inoltre notiamo al differenza tra le frome che si vengono a formare nella gessarenite e quelle che si formano nelle intrusioni di gesso alabastrino,
stiamo un po’ li a discutere della geologia del posto e dei condomini creati ad opera di “schiffarati” aracnidi dopodichè ci dirigiamo verso il Vallone Ponte.
Dopo aver posteggiato le macchine ci vestiamo, stivali e caschetto, Io e il Principe avendo deciso di visitare qualche grotticella, ci mettiamo anche la tuta, cosi armati di tutto punto partiamo verso l’inizio del Vallone, la discesa procede bene tra spiegazioni descrizioni delucidazioni e risate fino ad arrivare presso l’ingresso della prima grotta, La grotta dei Sifoni che però non visiteremo. Seguendo il percorso dell'acqua ci dirigiano quindi verso la seconda grotta.
Grotta del Morto “verso il sifone… ed oltre”
Arrivati presso l’ingresso, Marco avendomi visto munito di tuta mi lancia in avanscoperta per aprire la strada, mentre mi accingo a scendere tra rovi e frasche Giovanni mi passa il suo machete per semplificarmi il lavoro cosi fra un colpo e l’altro arrivo giù nei pressi dell’ingresso, entro e do il libera.
La grotta si sviluppa in un piccolo cunicolo pieno d’acqua che passa sotto l’ingresso e dal quale defluisce l’acqua, e poi in un ampia galleria
che si chiude con un sifone… almeno questo fino ad oggi!
Appena siamo tutti giù Marco ci annuncia che chi non ha la tuta non proseguirà oltre un certo punto,
so I and the principles helps with the strings (as the mud came up to p *** s) we reach the trap, got there we consult on dafarsi One moment, the Prince being a bit 'reluctant wet her pants since it did not change if he thinks a moment ... I look a little ... I see the trap that the roof is sufficiently distant from 'water and dip ... I swear by my Prince realizes that the temperature of the trap is not quite turbid from the spa, but nevertheless plunges behind me, between the bottom of the quicksand trap style and the roof very low progress was not easy, but taking advantage of our arts and swimming through some low roof we arrived in a large room which continued with a tunnel-like leaves before the trap, wet and muddy so we continue on our journey meeting a couple of waterfalls no more than three feet high, to go up without difficulty and arrive in a large hall on the left that was characterized by a muddy floor and went right on the river to close completely with another trap, however, not feasible which probably feeds the whole system of the cave, get in there and clear by observing the whole development of the cave, that our location and status from downstream to upstream and then going against the tide and that the cave continued in that branch which passes under the entrance.
the Resume way back and going over the trap reach out to others who were waiting at the entrance of the cave, a little surprised when we arrived we wonder why we lost all this time and we told him about passing the trap and have arrived to where closed at that point after having asked several times if we were sure that it exceeded the siphon, Mark says "... maybe John M **** ia stuppa" and after checking this tell us that we had access to a place where no one was never came, we gave birth to a new gallery has not yet found or visited! And this can not us who left satisfied and excited! Shortly after we leave the cave and continue on the bottom of the valle secca fino a giungere all’ingresso della grotta successiva.
Secondo Traforo “cave diving”
Questa grotta, come le precedenti, appartiene ad un sistema di grotte chiamato Grotte d’Acqua che si susseguono lungo il Vallone Ponte.
3 grotte particolari, sono i 3 trafori due dei quali sono attivi mentre il 3 e inattivo.
Il primo che ci troviamo sul cammino e il Secondo Traforo, l’ingresso è asciutto e l’inghittitoio si affaccia su una valle ceca ormai a secco,
scendendo giù poco dopo incontriamo il fiume che alimenta la parte attiva della grotta, sulla sinistra troviamo il sifone dal quale l’acqua comes while going to the right and immersed in water goes to the resurgence.
We are always I and the Prince to venture, as fitted suit (garment useless when you find yourself immersed in water up to his neck), while the rest of the group makes the turn from outside going to visit the Third Tunnel inactive and then we expect the resurgence. After we enter
be plunged immediately into a narrow gap that is to tighten down, leaving barely enough room for the head, in fact to go further ... and mouth breath-hold diving, passed this step, the water level drops a bit 'going through a small spindle and there and there riimmergiamo in another trap, Here we understand the meaning of "being in the throat with water, wet and enjoy the experience but now we move forward, past a very low point it was necessary to dive almost completely (they are part of the helmet remained out) and look out on the second room turn left and continue following the river soon after we see the light. After the resurgence
the river continues its course in a beautiful outdoor flowing sinuous gorge rich in wildlife and vegetation,
for the accuracy just outside the resurgence we come across a small forest of Equisetum
both inside and outside the cave, and after having met with the rest of the group continue on the path to the first tunnel, along the way we met some friendly locals, black dragonflies, Potamon River (river crab) renamed to Mark pokemon,
discoglosso pictus
and finally a beautiful snake, shortly after we find ourselves at the entrance to the first tunnel, the entrance is marked by a bridge carved by water from which it is named the Valley, under the bridge eat a quick meal and immediately enter.
First Tunnel "and the giant shrimp"
The cave is a short tunnel are trough from the river,
Marco I have just entered her to a cunicoletto which follows the course of the cave floor is characterized by a muddy and full of mouse droppings, traverse it and I reunited with the rest of the group near the resurgence of cave
here we meet a little river shrimp and
while Mark tries his hand in imitation of a giant shrimp, we make a few pictures and then we head toward the exit,
few tens of meters after you open the entrance of 'last cave we visit.
Cave Trap "the end"
The entrance to the cave is very wide, the river is flowing in the right side of the cave cerando various waterfalls until you reach a trap, but it is not feasible without tanks, John got there by running a stone I noted that, given the boom, more than likely that the cave continues environments siphon large enough, I also do a bath for them to observe the water level in the trap and after that we start out to make way. Around 15:00
about to go back to our cars, tracing back to the valley, laughing joking and chatting to the enormous water pipes and electric cables of my ipotetica nuova casa… e intorno alle 16.00 arriviamo alle macchine ci spogliamo ci cambiamo e ci mettiamo in viaggio verso Palermo, lungo la strada ci fermiamo per un altro caffè sempre al motel San Pietro e poi dritti verso casa… tutto fila liscio apparte un carabiniere che mi ferma lungo la strada per un semplice controllo e scambia Martina per mia moglie (e forse Xò per nostro figlio… chissà) intorno alle 18.30 arriviamo a casa stanchi accaldati ma parecchio soddisfatti della splendida gioranata!
Alla Prossima
Notizia di: Miglio
Foto di: Xò
Partecipanti: MarcoV , Elga, Xò, Miglio, la Sfincionella, Il Principe e Giovanni (e il suo machete)
