There is still off trail access in Palmito, not all hope is lost. You just have to ask the guy in charge about it and be back in time before they close at 5pm
Nico El martes, 18 de junio de 2013, Logan McNatt escribió: > Very true retrospective, Carl. Thanks. > > On 6/18/2013 12:05 PM, Carl Kunath wrote: > > Mimi: > > Palmito has made a lasting impression on many of us. Your story reminds > me that it is now just a few days past 50 years ago that I went to > Bustamante and Gruta del Palmito for the first time with Bill Gray and > others of the original Alamo Grotto. I remember it well. I was stunned! > > In a way, Palmito (now Grutas de Bustamante) is a time capsule of Texas > caver’s experience in Mexico. In half a century, the situation has changed > drastically. In the early days, cavers rode the train to Bustamante > because the dirt road was too difficult for the few passenger cars in the > caver community. Bustamante was a very sleepy little village with no > traffic lights and very few amenities. There were no formalities required > to visit the cave. Many visitors who planned more than a day visit > recruited local burro-wranglers to get their heavy and bulky equipment up > the steep trail to the cave. > > In short, those early visits were something of an exotic experience. For > many, it was their first exposure to Mexico other than border towns and > almost always their first experience in a cave of such mind-blowing > proportions. You had free-run of the cave. > > In time, visits became more routine and the cave became a traditional > “break in the newbies” trip for several grottos. Later, Texas cavers > spearheaded efforts to clean the cave of decades of trash and graffiti. > Cavers were continuously promoting the recreational and economic aspects of > the cave to the Mexican people but things moved very slowly. Through the > years, the efforts of the *Amigos de la Gruta *program made a huge > difference in the appearance of the cave. Slowly but surely, support came > from the people of Bustamante, the State of Nuevo Leon, and the Federal > government of Mexico. > > Now, half a century after some of those early trips, it is a classic case > of “shooting yourself in the foot.” We promoted and popularized the cave > so well we finally lost access to it. Grutas de Bustamante is not a wild > cave anymore. You reach Bustamante on a nice paved road and perhaps have a > cold drink at the Plaza. Then you buy a ticket and drive to the base of > the mountain on another paved road. From there, you are transported up the > mountain on a winding road to the new tunnel entrance. Now, you follow the > guide for a tour of the entrance room. Leave your hard hat at home. > > We helped restore, preserve, and protect the cave that we loved but in the > process we lost the opportunity for an amazing caving experience. > > The caving literature is full of stories and photos about this great cave > but you can most conveniently learn more about Grutas de Bustamante on > pages 435-440 in *50 Years of Texas Caving*. > > ===Carl Kunath > > *From:* Mimi Jasek > *Sent:* Monday, June 17, 2013 11:14 PM > *To:* Louise Power > *Cc:* texas cavers > *Subject:* Re: [Texascavers] Remembering > > > > I'm one of thos > >
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