Lechuguilla Cave - 2019 Expedition

Video documentation of the 8-day expedition to the western branch of Lechuguilla Cave in Carlsbad Caverns National Park. This expedition was co-led by Derek Bristol and Dan Austin with an emphasis on surveying leads in the recently discovered area of Zion, as well as Oasis, Keel Hall, Long Haul, Sanctuary and Oz. More than 5,700 feet of new passage was added to the surveyed length of the world's 7th longest cave.
Some of this video was captured while volunteering for the National Park Service at Carlsbad Caverns. The opinions expressed are those of the video editor, and not of the National Park Service. This trip was conducted under the conditions of a permit. The video depicts cavers traveling over flowstone and other well decorated areas of the cave. Clean gear and rigorous conservation practices were used to conduct exploration in these areas while minimizing resource impact.
Caves are delicate and potentially dangerous places. For more information on wild caving, vertical caving techniques, and cave survey, visit the National Speleological Society website:
caves.org
To find a local grotto (caving club) visit:
caves.org/committee/i-o/grott...
White Nose Syndrome (WNS) is a disease that is devastating to bats. To learn more about what you can do to help, along with information on how to properly decontaminate caving gear, visit:
caves.org/WNS/index.shtml
Cave Videography Gear I Use:
Full-frame Low-Light Camera - amzn.to/2TkIUxT
In-Cave Fast Prime Lens (a7iii) - amzn.to/2TnkB27
General Purpose Zoom Lens (a7iii) - amzn.to/2Trc2Uf
Wide Angle Zoom Lens (a7iii) - amzn.to/2Duwuhl
Gimbal - amzn.to/2TKccpT
ND Filter - amzn.to/2PAvBuJ
Soft-Case for Caving (a7iii) - amzn.to/2QanKDA
Tripod - amzn.to/2PVGrvv
Camera Bag - amzn.to/2RZekYT
Helmet-Mounted Action Camera: amzn.to/2qTa0yT
Drone - amzn.to/2PRs7nU
APS-C Run and Gun Camera - amzn.to/2DKTMQU
In-Cave Prime Lens (a6500) - amzn.to/2DuyLZK
General Purpose Zoom Lens (a6500) - amzn.to/2Q5Mgpw
Wide Angle Zoom Lens (a6500) - amzn.to/2Tnl98b
Soft-Case for Caving (a6500) - amzn.to/2OPF6Be
Hard-Case for Wet Caving (a6500) - amzn.to/2DxFOki

[@RDC98TDI]

Holy cow. This is incredible. I don't think I've ever seen any landscape like that before and it was like looking to an alien world. I got amazing second hand nerves and excitement watching this.

[@gmaneis]

Thank you so much for doing all the hard work it must have taken to make this beautiful video. It's especially appreciated by old cavers like me (73) who will never venture into that fantastic place.

[@DerekBristol]

You're very welcome!

[@dancingwithczars]

Absolutely beautiful beyond words to describe. Many thanks for uploading this fantastic video. Best one yet.

[@matthewschuh3332]

Great Work! As a guy from New Mexico, I've always been fascinated with the caves! Thank you so much for sharing such lovely footage from such a potentially treacherous expedition!

[@TableRockDiverDougB]

I'm amazed at how good your footage is. Thanks for sharing.

[@DerekBristol]

Thanks Doug!

[@twinvideoproduction9662]

Spectacular cave scenery, passages and journey underground. Great video and editing Derek. It was very enjoyable to watch. Thank you.

[@DerekBristol]

You're welcome!

[@chriskaplan6109]

absolutely breathtaking. just imagining the natural forces creating all this makes the head spin!

[@DerekBristol]

Chris Kaplan Thanks for all the positive feedback. Glad you’re enjoying the channel.

[@outinky236]

I thought our Ky caves were beautiful, but this cave is amazing! Loved the room full of flowstone. Keep up the good work on both the caving and video editing!

[@DerekBristol]

Thanks! It’s a sacrifice I’ll keep making. I’ve got a few Mammoth/Roppel videos as well. Very nice caves in KY.

[@mwstoll]

Awesome video work. Great Lighting. You also have a good voice for narration. Great looking cave. What an amazing trip.

[@DerekBristol]

Thanks Mike! I’ve enjoyed your many caving videos as well.

[@maineoutdoorsman677]

That is so amazing to think in the earth is so much more amazing surprises we never imagine in a thousands years,,an only a hand full of people will ever see those in person not even %.100

[@primaryendo]

Wow! What a bizarre landscape. Alot of us can only dream of going to Lechuguilla one day. Derek, you have been able to show us what its like to have hands on caving experience. Thank you for your Work.

[@braedonstewart868]

Absolutely breathtaking

[@ghengistraveller1021]

Thankyou for posting this. Truly awesome caves are

[@Caver-Greg]

STUNNING!!!! Thank you for your work Derek.

[@DerekBristol]

JG Mosier You’re very welcome!

[@michaelh8854]

amazing! thank you for giving us good quality film of such a remote and inspiring place

[@unkles]

Man I wish I didn't have claustrophobia. I'd love to see this cave someday .

[@sskelly33]

Well done Derek! This may be your best video yet!

[@DerekBristol]

Thanks Steve! I'm continuously trying to make improvements. Glad that's coming across.

[@uintasunderground6245]

Another excellent vid Derek! Been looking forward to seeing a video of the new area. Heading back home in a couple of months to spend 9 days in the High Guads. Cant Wait!

[@Jamie-bu9cq]

This is stunning. Thank you for sharing.

[@DerekBristol]

You're welcome!

[@ericjohnson5910]

I think it was only 64 miles of cave, Back in '89 or thereabouts. I was a volunteer for the helium project, 8 person party from Arizona trip leaders, Dave Haimer and Ray Keeler; 48 hour tour.

[@lisafrick6026]

Spectacular video! So great to see the care taken while exploring. Also nice to revisit some to the familiar spots from my past visits. Thanks so much for sharing! Awesome job!

[@landandsea333]

Wow, I'm impressed you got that much footage, thats like numbers from the old days when you rack it up. I was never lucky enough to be on any Lech trips that had big breakouts but that borehole fever is what really drives exploration. Seeing you excellent video brought back a lot of happy memories of some great Lech trips. I miss that cave. Well maybe not a few places I can think of in the Far East.

[@bryceisjames4765]

These videos are very well put together, thanks for sharing!

[@primcj5]

BEST VIDEO YET! well done sir.

[@DerekBristol]

Thanks Mark!

[@user-em1bf4pg2r]

Really.. Nice,, from Bangladesh 🇧🇩🇧🇩🇧🇩🇧🇩

[@daveTV]

Watching your videos makes me wish I had continued my spelunking adventures. I started to do it when I was 17 up until I was about 22. Now I'm probably too big to fit in the tiny spaces.

[@bawenn]

never too late

[@anonagain]

Thanks for sharing your experience of a place that most of us will never be able to visit in person!

[@MrSingh-rc6bl]

amazingly captured and explored

[@trombonstya]

What a beauty....

[@bireswarmisra8155]

Spectacular Cave .Beyond imagination.Thanks for uploading.

[@manuelsaavedra6852]

Hola, me gusta mucho este canal, buenas imágenes, paisajes geniales y la técnica con la que trabajan !

[@garybeasley4885]

Spectacular part of the cave. Bring back some memories of my trip, thank you for sharing. Excellent video production! Why was Boulder Falls rebelayed? I remember it as a pretty direct drop.

[@DerekBristol]

There were two large rope pads and 30 feet where the rope rides against the wall. This wears on the rope and the rope pads. Occasionally the rope doesn't get put back on one of the rope pads after a caver has passed, creating a safety concern. I wouldn't have said a rebelay was necessary, but in my opinion it's a welcome improvement. It also reduces the rope stretch at the start of the climb.

[@aerospacefuzz]

This is so amazing, looks like a wonderful trip. If you ever need volunteers to tag along......

[@tseringwangmogurung8199]

Watching from Nepal!!! Loved the expedition!

[@spencerhaggard2952]

When shooting video in cave, what sort of lighting gear do you use?

[@DerekBristol]

I carry 3x Zebralight H604, high CRI lights. For most shots I just use one of these at ~1,000 lumens. Most footage is captured on a Sony A7iii, which has great low-light capability and I can run the ISO as high as 12,800.

[@Mooreshire]

Thanks for sharing this with us!

[@wellsgb1957]

Great video 👍🏻👍🏻

[@Sajidali-hg1vo]

I love this Cape so beautiful

[@lucfournier3939]

Amazing !

[@DerekBristol]

Thanks!

[@lucfournier3939]

@@DerekBristol i am looking at such activity in my area and👎 i would love tu use my ropes but gopes are not needed

[@michaelh8854]

interesting footwear chocies! I am seeing everything from hiking boots to casual sneakers to thin rubbery barefoot shoes

[@travelwithsamir916]

This video is so beautiful. I want to make a video for my youtube channel.I want to use some footage from this video. I will mention your channel name and credit .please allow me to use this footage as per youtube fair use policy

[@phoenix448]

Fantastic video! Thanks for giving the rest of the world an opportunity to see this place in its majestic beauty. What are the songs in the playlist?

[@DerekBristol]

All songs are from Epidemic Sound service (not sponsored).

[@phoenix448]

@@DerekBristol thanks!

[@evanstegenga8255]

what is the music playing in the background?? It is absolutely beautiful.

[@paulplatt5074]

Kick ASS!

[@tdawg7145]

derek, have you seen any grout refilling done by oilfield companies? i have heard of several instances in which drills entered portions of the caves and subsequently refilled their passage. incredible camera work btw

[@DerekBristol]

No, I haven't seen this, but I'm aware it is happening. All of the known portions of Lech are inside the National Park, so there's no drilling there. These caves are hypogenic, and there are many hundreds or thousands of miles of passages without easy access. These yet-to-be-discovered caves are certainly being impacted.

[@danielchailloux5505]

Amazing ! What lighting gear do you use ?

[@DerekBristol]

Hi Daniel. I'm just using a Zebralight on the "High-2" setting (about 1,000 lumens). I'm using the latest mkIV model with a high CRI - 4000K emitter and the flood optic. These are quite small and work well as video lights. I hold the camera in my right hand and the Zebralight in my left hand at arms-length to get a little separation. I set the white balance on the camera to 4000K to match the color temperature of the Zebralight.

[@danielchailloux5505]

@@DerekBristol Thank you for that clarification.

[@Mickey007]

I totally disagree with you climbing on the Flow stones or drilling into them. Your destroying them. This cave system should be Declared a World Heritage Site, to Protect it . Any way, thank you for the absolutely stunning & beautiful video of this wonderful Crystal system underground.❤😮❤

[@mark703]

Is that Hazel Barton i can see with you?

[@qzo_6]

Very betfulll 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

[@intermodus2180]

Unbelievable Finger Stalagtites😯

[@NeighborhoodCarReviews]

I want to go to Lech so bad.

[@danlutjemeier4183]

*GASP*

[@alexfischer5142]

Did I see a munter hitch at 11:15?

[@eqtikasusila9950]

release the drones

[@riphet]

Lo que es capaz de hacer la gente metiche 😅🤣🥰

[@markheld5788]

You pack out all your poop and pee.

[@johncase2408]

I would thinks so. I see that they're wearing protective foot wear and gloves to prevent damage to fragile formations. I can't imagine the enormity of this cave from a standpoint of actually being there.

[@oguislacasa2253]

BEAUTIFUL CAVE BUT YOU WAIST TIME SHOWING THE PEOPLE WHEN THE TOPIC IS THE INSIDE OF THE CAVE, 👎👎👎👍