5 hours agoAlbania's caves seduce Italians
Periskopi(8 years ago)
(8 years ago)We are in the fourth consecutive year of the expedition to Albania's Alps, the Nikay-Murtur national park. Following a first observer expedition in 2014, the Curray (2015-2016) and Shtar 2017 projects were born, a fruitful co-operation between GSM, GS Faentino, G SB-USB and “La Wenta” under SSI's direction, writes portal dedicated to speleology, “scintine. com” [...]
We are in the fourth consecutive year of the expedition to Albania's Alps, the Nikay-Murtur national park. Following a first observer expedition in 2014, the Curray (2015-2016) and Shtar 2017 projects were born, a fruitful co-operation between GSM, GS Faentino, G SB-USB and “La Wenta” under SSI direction, writes portal dedicated to speleology, “Scintilla. com”.
On Monday 20 August, the website 2018 project started with 17 speleologists from Italy. The targets we have set are not much, but they are especially difficult.
Last year we began exploring the Shtar Cave, which described about 7 miles [2.7 km] of galleries, but its strong, cold aroma let us know that it was a low entrance. This year we face exploration of three climbs into the cave, but expectations are high.
Another surprise came last year, when we discovered an open path in parallel with the extreme part of Mount Straza, which was impossible to see in another way, the broadcast of attics.
This is going to be the fourth target, maybe the most beautiful, the 150m climb from the outside that we're going to be forced to take turns trying to explore. We know now that we're probably going to end up at the Shtar Cave, but we have hope of entering some high level of cave.
Another objective will be that of the alpine speleologists' team, which for four days and three nights will make an exploration around the top of Mount Strauss. Satellite photos show major glacier-carstic depressions and some black signs that could be new access to altitude.
Surely this is the most challenging objective, since the mountain is harsh, without vegetation and almost without water sources, such as the karst mountains. But surprises won't be missed.
On August 27th, part of the expedition group will return to Italy, while others will proceed south to move to another magnificent cartastic formation, Mount Gropa.
In the 1990s, a group of speleologists from Pula had an expedition here, but everything they saw remained on that expedition. It's time to get back.
