The Chandelier Maze & Chandelier Ballroom, Lechuguilla Cave, New Mexico

Lechuguilla Cave in Carlsbad, New Mexico is a 138-mile system at the forefront of cave exploration worldwide. It has attracted the best cartographers and scientists on the planet studying its karst morphology, hypogenic speleogenesis driven by sulfuric acid from hydrogen sulfide below, and endemic antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Access is via a competitive NPS proposal process. Our team spent 5 days in the Chandelier Maze and Chandelier Ballroom on a re-survey project. Team: Pat Kambesis, Mark Wenner, Erin Lynch, Johanna Kovarik, Jennifer Foote, John Prouty.

History: bat guano mining claims in 1914 led to the entrance pit. In the early 1980s Colorado cavers dug through breakdown and discovered massive borehole. Discovery of the crystal formation rooms including the Chandelier Ballroom became one of the most significant finds in American caving history, leading to NPS regulation of all access. 80ft entrance pit, 68 degrees F, 100% humidity. I flew into El Paso and drove to Carlsbad, 44lb pack including 4 days food, gallon of water, and camera gear in Petzl transport with hard dry boxes.

The cave transforms from a TAG-style multi-drop system into a crystallized glittering mystique past Boulder Falls. Selenite crystals bent outward by wind patterns, walls going white like snow with colorful reds and oranges in the flowstone. Lake LeBarge is a pristine crystal-clear pond accessible only by a tiny traverse ledge. Down the right passage from the corridor junction: passages completely encapsulated in white gypsum crystal like a snow tunnel. Gypsum Chandeliers in the ballroom some at least 15ft long. 5 days re-surveying the Chandelier Maze and upper Mouses Delight with DistoX2, running LRUDS for splay shots. Camera lens fogged internally on the last day in the lower ballroom. After 5 days underground, we surfaced and could smell the desert air. Thanks to Pat Kambesis for the invitation.