==> The 2006 J2 Expedition. FromWorld Caving News http://www.zenas.gr/WCN => 27 Apr. 2006.2006 J2 Expedition Announcement.Announcing the 2006 J2 Expedition! We are currently planning to field the expedition during the following dates: Monday, April 3 - Friday, May 12, 2006. This year's expedition will be smaller in scope than the last several. We are planning a shorter stay in thefield and more focused activities, aimed at improving the route in J2, especially through the dangerous breakdown at -1070 m, and establishing Camp 3 at the current end of exploration to push onward. A new technology that we hope to test this year will be hydropower for underground camps. If we are successful, we should be able to recharge drill batteries and lights in cave. Bart Hogan is working on rechargeable lithium-polymer batteries for the drills. We also hope to have some kind of cave-to-surface communication system to help coordinate moving people and equipment into and out of cave camp. Everyone should consider bringing a light wetsuit for the lower parts of the cave. This will help reduce rigging requirements if we do not have to avoid all immersion, and we already have the ex-sump to swim through.With any luck we will make J2 the deepest cave in Mexico and the Western Hemisphere by next May. We only have to go down another 400 meters, a little over half of what we gained in 2005, to reach that goal. Think deep!John Kerr and Mark Minton, Co-leaders for 2006 http://www.zenas.gr/site/home/eng_detail.asp?iData=4286 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ SpeleoUnion http://groups.google.ru/group/SpeleoUnion -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
