I was planning to go to these caves a very long time ago, about 10-15 years ago, but even being in the neighborhood I still couldn’t find the time to run into them and look ... But a number of very well-established circumstances brought me to Kavalerovo
The idea to cancel all business and go to the “Devils” was born spontaneously while we were sitting at Vitali’s house and looking at photographs. I immediately strengthened it by showing a diagram scratched on a piece of paper - how to get to the Gentle Cave, which is still there, nearby - in the upper reaches of the Krivaya River tributary. Without delay, we decide in four voices - to be a campaign!
In the evening, Zoya and several other fellow students from the Bars-2 team find out about this. But, as usual, after the restrictions associated with seats in the car, it turns out only 5 people.
And now, waking up early, I’m leaving from Vysokogorsk to Kavalerovo to pick up two of our participants: Vitaly and Yulia. Moreover, this part of the action goes smoothly and almost on schedule. But then an incident occurs: upon reaching the bridge over the Vysokogorskaya river, we see two voting tourists! We had fun ... It turns out that without finding another car to get these 50 km, Sergey and Zhenya went there ... on foot and walked 2-3 kilometers, until we picked them up.
Upon reaching Vysokogorsk, we suggest that they go further, because we need to take another Gena and Zoya. While we were loading backpacks and other things, the guys quickly left on the first ride
We are going next. From the Vysokogorsky pass offers a beautiful view of the Yakut Mountain, covered with snow. But ... the camera is far away, besides I'm driving
We get down a serpentine down a dirt road. Between 48 and 49 kilometer marks we land Vitaly with the girls. They will go to catch Serega with Zhenya, who, having arrived earlier, have already gone to track the snow towards the caves.
Gena and I are going to Dalnegorsk to refuel the car. Returning after 15 minutes, in the wake of trying to find the path that our group went. We drive the car a little into the forest, away from thin eyes, and climb to the pass. A fairly tolerable road leads there, apparently intended for more passable cars.
There is snow in the forest, but not deep - 15-20 centimeters. Trees also delight the eye with their whiteness - the wet snow freezes to the branches so that even the wind cannot shake it off.
We hardly manage to get to the pass - Vital meets us: he went to see where we got lost there. “Yes, you get lost here ... The path of the trophy is good,” says Gena. At the pass, resting, Zoya and Julia are waiting for us.
Down from the pass we go down the path, because the road went somewhere else. The descent is pretty steep, but quickly flattening. We go along the path curving along the key. On the way we meet a few yew trees, and Vitaly Olegovich, while giving us lectures (fortunately, found free ears), says that there is a whole grove of them - about 40 trunks.
Going lower and lower along the tributary of the Krivoi River, on both sides we observe beautiful cliffs of enormous height. One of them is the White Sail. In the rays of the sun against the blue sky, slightly covered with light clouds, it really resembles a sail, gently inflated by the breeze. A little further huge cliffs in the form of towers and castles, reaching a height of 50-70 m.
The trail makes another turn, and our group goes to a clearing by the river. Sergey and Zhenya have already prepared for us hot tea and a light breakfast in the form of lard with pancakes.
From the road to the parking lot, Gena and I reached 1.5 hours. I do not have time to grab a piece of fat, as Vitalya warns that it is dangerous and you need to brush your teeth! And it will be caries ... like that rock. I turn around and freeze! Indeed, a huge, if not very huge, caries in the rock - in front of us is the Devil's Gate cave. At the given moment, it is rather well lit and stands out contrastingly on the slope.
The size of the entrance is impressive right away. Ascent to the cave - icy rash. Eugene rises first and hangs the rope: on the rise and just above the cave, on the rock - to train and examine the cavity from above. A large stone bridge hangs over the cave, forming two entrances: the Big one is the central one, from the river and Slightly less is the side one, on the left
Having a light bite, we rise all. From the cave there is a beautiful view of the opposite hills and rocks. I am taking photos. Gene and Julia, meanwhile, are digging out some kind of bone - maybe from the ancient mammoth, which was eaten in this cave.
At one o'clock in the afternoon, we recall that this is not the ultimate goal of our journey. You need to pack up and go to the "Tender", especially since it would not hurt to free the cave for a group of tourists from Dalnegorsk who came and are waiting below the campfire.
Having choked on slightly warm tea and bitten it with lard, we set off further ...
Where - no one knows. But I have a scheme and I remember it approximately, and Vitali was somehow there, having spent the whole day searching, and therefore not remembering where it is located.
We get down a little lower along the stream. Fortunately, the path leads, maybe trodden by Dalnegorsk speleologists, maybe by local hunters. Slightly bypassing the hill on the right, we begin to climb into another decay of the tributary of the Krivoi River. We leave the backpacks and, taking only the most necessary things - flashlights and helmets, we go further up the path.
Waving among fallen trees and tall cedars, the path leads to a very original “watering place”. A log is inserted horizontally into the bed of a small brook with a groove slotted along it. Water, having run 5 meters along an impromptu channel, falls with a slight murmur.
From the spring we turn left, up. There, on the sidelines between the rocks, according to the stories of Andryukha Shostak, there is the Tender Cave. The slope is very steep and covered with snow. We climb up. Rocks approach from two sides. We are in a rocky canyon.
They climbed quite high and the hills surrounding the Krivuy river are clearly visible, already well covered with snow. I take some pictures of the rocks.
Here comes a cry of joy - they found it all here! One and a half meters above the ground, the entrance to the cave. All, like patriots, are located near the entrance, slightly obscuring it. We take pictures and climb a little inside. As it turned out, there is a dead end - it's not her. Immediately choosing a name for this grotto - False Tender, we climb higher ...
Zhenya scrambles the fastest, Gena the slowest. And here is a new cry of joy: it is she, she ... Indeed, a slightly smeared entrance, probably by messy speleologists, is located 1.5 meters above the ground, on the right slope of the rocky corridor
Now they’ll check first - they’ll crawl deeper into it. Yes, you need lights. We take out of the taken backpack equipment. I am a camera. Gene is a video camera.
We climb inside ... A few meters on all fours and here is the first hall. Immediately hit whiteness natki. I have not seen such a beautiful cave, although I was in many caves of Primorye. Snow-white incrustations are rather large and “fresh” - not fossilized. They get very dirty and their legs slide on the floor. The cave is at first flat, then begins to rise up. The second room, as if divided by steps, is even more beautiful. It seems that the walls glow white, slightly reflecting the light of lanterns.
Sergei and Zhenya go up somewhere, along the tapering wells, and from there from the darkness come surprised exclamations. The cave continues still in the hall, but for the passage you need a few meters of rope, which remained below. There’s no time to run for the rope, and indeed it’s time to return. Soon it will get dark and the car will come for the cavalier guys.
We climb out into the light heavily smeared with limescale and are impressed by what we saw. Vitaly Olegovich is going to soon organize a more prepared expedition to explore this cave. But our task was successfully completed: a short way to the beautiful cave of the Dalnegorsky district “Tender” was found and remembered. Now, in the footsteps of older comrades, young cavers will come here and see a piece of the untouched beautiful nature of the Primorsky Territory.
Leaving the cave, we see that it is snowing. We take pictures at the entrance to the cave and, having gathered our things, we roll down a snowy path. The spring has a small smoke break. In time it turned out that they climbed twice as long as they went down (25 minutes). We go back along the trail, in some places in small dashes. The snow is soft and sticky. Throwing snowballs - it's good that the helmets on their heads. Hitting the branches, the snow scatters in different directions.
Having picked up the powdered backpacks, we go further, to the clearing at "Devils". And there, an unexpected fortune smiled at us: after the Dalnegors left a fire. Throwing a little dry firewood, pretty quickly we make tea and another snack with eating red pollock roe and unchanged fat.
Dalnegorsk team descends from Devil's Gate. In a loud voice, with an echo among the rocks, I invite them to drink tea with us. But ... they are in a hurry to the pass. It is snowing and will soon get dark.
Slightly reinforced by what is left of dinner, we continue our journey. The trail through fresh snow was trodden by the previous team and it’s easier for us to go, although Gena puffs all the time and goes uphill with difficulty.
By 19 o’clock we leave on the track, spending almost the entire daylight hours on a hike. Zhenya and Seryozha are already waiting for their car. We exchange friendly snowballs and, saying goodbye, we go home. I’m taking Gena and Zoya to Vysokogorsk, and Vitaly and Yulia to Kavalerovo along a snowy road through the large Vysokogorsk Pass.
I think how well and with interest we had a rest ...
