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Espluga dels Maquis

Espluga dels Maquis

Curiosa cova penjada a la Serra de Sant Joan i que serví d'amagatall

Coll de Nargó • Alt Urgell22m0

Curious cova penjada (hanging cave) in the Serra de Sant Joan, used as a hideout, with traces of habitation and an access that requires climbing and a rope.

Characteristics

Location

From Coll de Nargó we take the L-511 road towards Bóixols, perhaps a longer route but in good condition. Shortly before kilometre 20 we turn right onto the track that comes from Montanissell.

We see the majestic wall known by climbers as the Planxa vermella, scored by fractures and some fairly prominent subvertical faults.

On reaching a left-hand turn closed off with a chain, we leave the vehicles parked on the verge. Then about 300 metres must be climbed from the track, up a steep slope and scree (a good hour of ascent with gear).

The cavity opens in a hanging ledge protected by trees. From the foot of the cliff one senses that a cavity could develop like so many other sheer nooks that betray themselves by the presence of well-developed trees.

Mapa

Entrances

Always verify coordinates and access conditions before setting out.

  1. Maquis, Espluga dels

    Elevation: 1590 m

    42.197616, 1.198220
    UTM 31T (ETRS89) 351241 4673289
Download all entrances as GPX

Photos

Espluga dels Maquis - Photo, Coll de Nargó, Alt UrgellView image
Click to enlarge

Espeleoindex · CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ · Image © its author.

Image 1 of 7

Description

Morphology

The ledge section forms a vestibule area, a kind of rock shelter that gives access to the true cavity.

In the first section, 8 metres long by 6 wide, three large beds are placed.

Continuing from this chamber follows a gallery 10 metres long where one must crouch and even crawl on all fours. This section ends in some small diverticula with signs of pooling, but before that on the floor we find a dug-out hiding place protected for a purpose unknown to us.

Hydrology

The small diverticula show signs of pooling.

Progression

To gain access one must climb free until resting on a fragment of rope hung with knots (May 2017). Then a doubled rope is rigged which serves to ascend with ascenders and allows the last person to descend with a "figure eight" and retrieve the rope. We estimate the vertical drop to be about 15 metres.

Other details

In this section we find remains of campfires and a curious rusty spoon stuck into the wall.

Access to the Espluga is protected by an artificial wall that acts as a windscreen.

The assembly of the beds is isolated from the ground by pedestals of rocks; on these rest the larger-diameter trunks and above it all a mesh of branches, twigs and leaf litter.

On the ceiling there are some fitted trunks that we suppose are useful for hanging some element.

Signs of habitation appear everywhere, and significantly in the remains of cans and bottles. We see ceilings blackened by the smoke of the fire and utensils for cooking and/or warming oneself.

History

Together with other nearby cavities, it had been known for many years by the people of the area, who had used it as a hideout, perhaps both by the so-called emboscats and later by anti-Franco groups ("maquis").

These cavities were not documented until climbers began to open routes on the wall known as the Planxa vermella. Informed by Jordi Francès, members of the Espeleodijous located them in May 2017, carrying out the appropriate cataloguing and documentation work.

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Bibliography

  • Totes les dades, topografia i fotografies han estat extretes del blog: espeleobloc.blogspot. Apunts dels dies 26-5-2017 i del 20-6-2017

Source: Espeleoindex (espeleoindex.com), modified. CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/