l'Entronador

The entrance, very obvious, has a chaos of blocks. We will go to the right to find a crawlway that leads out to a free-hanging 8 metre pitch, before reaching the bottom we will do a few metres in “opposition” arriving at a ledge and below us a narrow 15 metre pitch (pou Bowling). We descend through the “wider” zone reaching its base, the joint opens up and suddenly changes direction, this is the Corba de la Merda (This is where, on making the first entry some two or three months after the llevantada, the loud sound of water that could be heard and thinking of where we came from, “made” a strong “impression” on us).

When the cavity after some months stabilises, at this point we have two options. If we go down, the volume of the joint is larger. A 35 metre pitch with various riggings and we arrive at a fairly large gour, if on the contrary we continue straight, we will do a handline climbing up and at about 30 metres we arrive at the top of some blocks, here we have two more options.

Upwards the joint continues rising reaching level +17 metres until it becomes impracticable. Downwards a passage through a hole changes us to another joint and with a 35 metre pitch we arrive directly at the llac Pepita, where the sump of the Bany de Pedro is at level -60/-65 m (depending on the level).

L'Entronador (FF-1) is a temporary spring that acts as an overflow (trop-plein) when there are episodes of heavy rain (temporals de llevant). Then the water inside the cavity rises more than 70 metres until it comes out through the mouth. As the level drops inside the cavity, the ravine continues flowing for a time, fed by the water from the cave that comes out through cracks and fissures in the rock. Several of the springs of the main ravine continue flowing for much longer fed by the important reserve of water accumulated inside the karstic system.

Of the many springs that the Massís dels Ports has, very few allow even a minimal exploration. This is currently the only one that has a significant passage and in which underwater exploration is potentially possible.

L'Entronador is one of those holes that are there, silent, that cannot be seen, but that when you find them you think, but how is it possible that we hadn't found it before? Well yes, when we put together all the geographical features of the place, the amount of mountain there is above and the enormous “polje” of the area of la Vallcanera at level 1250 (500 m. higher up), the numerous springs of La Fou, (among them the beautiful tufa waterfall of the Plorador), the constant font del Teix that never runs dry….Then you think: It is so logical that it is there! What happens, at least, is that it is an old spring from when the ravine had not yet been excavated, as we know it today, its mouth is about 95 metres above the level of the ravine and currently it functions only as a trop-plein mouth. When it does so, it pours into the ravine a flow practically equal to that carried by the main course. It becomes visible for a short time (hours) but in what a way. Afterwards it stops, leaving the cavity under load and making the many springs of the Fou a beautiful spectacle.

A first exploration of the sump was made, with the water level at -63m. A PROTEUS cave diver, with mini bottles descended 4 metres and explored some 30 metres of flooded gallery of ample proportions and with an evident continuation. The silting of the water and the fact that it was a single explorer made it reasonable to leave the dive for a new exploration.