Intrepid Explorers Strive To Prove Chevé Is The Deepest ...

Buried in the Sierra Mazateca mountains on Oaxaca, Mexico is Cheve—a cave system that owns the distinction of deepest cave system…in the ... BETAThisisaBETAexperience.Youmayopt-outby clickinghereMoreFromForbesSep2,2022,05:08pmEDTT-MobileAndSpaceX’sSatellitePartnershipPavesTheWayForRealUseOfSatelliteIn5GSep2,2022,09:55amEDTQualcommReinforcesAtIFAThatItIsTheConsumerOEM’sSecretWeaponAgainstAppleSep2,2022,04:00amEDTMetaAndQualcommSignANew,DeepenedMulti-GenerationalVRAgreementSep1,2022,05:56pmEDTHowMediaTekIsHelpingChangeThe5GLandscapeSep1,2022,03:48pmEDTHPDragonflyFolioG3FirstLook:FlexibilityForTheHybridEnterpriseSep1,2022,11:30amEDTDarkWebOfCybersecurityConcernsRisingWithGigEconomySep1,2022,03:00amEDTZoomAndOracleRedBullRacingPartneringUpOnTechnologyAndMarketingSep1,2022,02:31amEDTACitizenTest,UsersMoveCloserToSoftwareDevelopmentEditStoryCloudIntrepidExplorersStriveToProveChevéIsTheDeepestCaveInTheWorldTonyBradleySeniorContributorOpinionsexpressedbyForbesContributorsaretheirown.Icoverallthingstechandtheimpacttechhasoneverydaylife.FollowingNew! Followthisauthortostaynotifiedabouttheirlateststories. Gotit!Jun1,2022,09:00amEDT|SharetoFacebookSharetoTwitterSharetoLinkedinAcampsitelitupinsideoneofChevecavesmassivecaverns.(NationalGeographic/KasiaBiernacka)NationalGeographic/KasiaBiernacka BuriedintheSierraMazatecamountainsonOaxaca,MexicoisChevé—acavesystemthatownsthedistinctionofdeepestcavesystem…intheWesternHemisphere.AnewNatGeodocumentary,“Explorer:TheDeepestCave”followsBillStoneandateamofexplorersintentonremovingthat“WesternHemisphere”qualifierandprovingthatChevéhasearnedthetitleofdeepestcaveintheworld. HowDeepIsDeep? Let’sstartwithadefinitionofdeep.Imean,arewetalking100feet?500feet?Howaboutmorethan5,118feet—just162feetshortofamile.ThatisthecurrentlyestablisheddepthofChevéasofApril2021.Unfortunately,thatmeansthedeepestcaveintheworldtitlestillbelongstoVeryovkina—intheArabikaMassifinAbkhazia—aregionofGeorgia.Veryovkinahasanestablisheddepthof7,257feet. BillStoneandhisteamareconfidentthatChevécanstealthatrecognition.Theysimplyhavetofindawaythroughatreacherousandlabyrinthinemazeofpassagesthroughthebowelsofthemountain.Sofar,morethan55milesofpassagewayshavebeenmappedwithChevé. TheMagicandWonderofCaves Ihavevisitedanumberoftouristattractioncavesandcavernsovertheyears.ItouredtheBullShoalsCavernsasakidwhilevisitingmygrandparentsinMountainHome,Arkansas.IhavevisitedCarlsbadCavernsinNewMexicoandstayedtowatchtheexodusofhundredsofthousandsofbatsfromthecavernatdusk.WhileIwasdeployedatIncirlikABinTurkeyforDesertShieldandDesertStorm,IhadanopportunitytovisittheCavesofHeavenandHellontheMediterraneancoast.IhavealsomadethestopatMeramecCavernsintheOzarkMountainsnearSt.Louis—anobligatorystopforanyonewhodrivesacrosstheUnitedStatesbecausetheyhavebillboardsforhundredsofmilesineverydirection.IhavemorepicturesofstalactitesandstalagmitesandinterestingrockformationsthanIcaretoadmit. MOREFROMFORBESADVISORBestTravelInsuranceCompaniesByAmyDaniseEditorBestCovid-19TravelInsurancePlansByAmyDaniseEditor Thoseareallcavesmadefortourism,though.Therearewide,well-litwalk-waysandgroupsofpeoplecanjustmeanderalonglisteningtoatourguidedescribewhatthey’relookingat.Spelunking,ontheotherhand,isanentirelydifferentexperience.IwentonaspelunkingexpeditionwithsomefriendswhileIwasstationedatRAFUpperHeyfordinEngland.Forspelunkingweworejumpsuitstoprotectourclothingandhelmetswithlightsmountedonthemtoprotectourskullsandilluminatethepathahead.But,“path”isagenerousterminsomecases.Spelunkingismorehardcorecaving—crawling,climbing,andsqueezingthroughspacesthatMotherNatureseemstohavedesignedspecificallytopreventhumanbeingsfromaccessing. FortheteamexploringChevé,therearedefinitelyareasthatopenupintoexpansiverooms,butmuchofthestruggleismoreakintospelunking.Itispartpuzzlesolving,andpartphysicalperseverance—hittingdeadendsandworkingtirelesslytofindadifferentway. GoingDeepintoChevé BillStoneandIarepracticallyneighbors—atleastinTexasterms.IamoutsideofHoustonandheisbasedinAustin.Stonehasadayjobrunninghisowncompany.StoneAeronauticsissituatedona30-acreranchoutsideofAustinandbuildsrobotsforNASA.Hiscompanydesignsandengineersrobotsfordrillingthroughkilometersoficeonharshplanetaryconditions,autonomousvehiclesfornavigatingtheocean,andprecisioninstrumentationdesignedtodetectsignsoflifeonotherplanets.BillStone,caverandexpeditionleader,checksinonacaveradiototakenotesonthedays'...[+]happeningsatCheveCave.(NationalGeographic/KasiaBiernacka)NationalGeographic/KasiaBiernacka Whenheisn’tdoingthat,though,Billisoftenunderground.HehasbeencaptivatedbyChevéfordecades,andbasedonavarietyofnaturalconditionsandphenomenaheispositivethatChevéisthedeepestcaveonEarth.Thechallengeisprovingit. TheexpeditioncapturedinthisNatGeodocumentaryspansmonthsofpreparationandexploration.Thereis,ofcourse,agoodamountoftriumphandheartbreakastheleadexplorerswriggletheirwaydownthecave—butallofthatisonlymadepossiblebecausetherearescoresofpeoplewedon’treallyseewhoworkinsupportrolesandbecausetheteamputinextensivetimeandefforttoprepareandstagesuppliesatthevariousbasecampsastheyworktheirwaydown. Therearenoneonsignsorlightedpathways.Theteamliterallyspentweeksundergroundpokingandproddingandfightingtofindnewpathsdeeperintothecave.Sometimesapromisingpathdoesn’tworkout,andtheteamhastobacktrackandfindadifferentforkofffromaprevioustrail.BilldescribedtheprocessliketheoldTVgameshow“Concentration.” “Youfliptheselittlecubesandaletterwillcomeupandthepeopleinthepaneltrytoguess.Yeah,that’swhatwedo.Exceptwedoitin3D,”heexplained.“Eachoneoftheseexpeditionsisrevealinganotherpieceofthepuzzleandwekindofgo,‘OK.Howdoweplaythis?’” BillstressedthattheyknowfromthedyetracethatChevéishalfakilometerdeeperthananythingelsethathasbeenfoundsofar.Halfakilometerisover1,640feet,andVeryovkinahasarecordeddepth2,139feetdeeperthanChevé’scurrentofficialdepth—sothatwouldmeanthereisanother3,779feetorsoofdepthyettobeconquered. Thequestionforthisdocumentary,though,is“Didtheteamdiscoveratleast2,140feetofadditionaldepthtosurpassVeryovkinaandclaimthetitleof‘DeepestCave?’” WheneverIwatchaNatGeodocumentarylikethis,Ifeellikethereisa50/50chanceofsuccess.Thedocumentaryisproducedtomakeyoufeelthesamesuspenseeitherway,butyouneverreallyknowuntilyougettotheendwhethertheexplorerswillsucceedinachievingtheirgoal.Iwon’tspoilthesurpriseforyou.“Explorer:TheDeepestCave”isavailabletostreamnowonNatGeoTV. Ifyouwanttolearnaboutthe2021Chevéexpeditionindetail,youcandownloadthe395-pagePDFfilefromtheUnitedStatesDeepCavingTeamwebsite. Followmeon Twitter or LinkedIn. Checkout my website. TonyBradleyEditorialStandardsPrintReprints&Permissions