EuroSpeleo 2016
The Cave at the Source of the Nile
Oral|Mr Robin Weare
Abstract
To be honest it was the Blue Nile and, although we were told it was the source I think it could certainly be described as a source. To be totally upfront about this; we were about 3,700m up Mount Guna in Ethiopia and at a rising which is the highest feeder of Lake Tana, which is the source of the Blue Nile, so maybe the locals are right.
It all started in November 2015 when Hailu Menale, a Lecturer at Debre Tabor University, stumbled across a couple of caves during a field trip. He hit the internet and contacted the Fort Stanton Cave Study Project in New Mexico. They contacted George Veni of the National Cave and Karst Research Institute. He contacted Chris Howes, the editor of Descent, and Chris contacted me. I then contacted Hailu & suggested he might like to try to find a few more caves; three weeks later he was able to tell me he now knew of 48.
This is the story of the expedition which followed ……..an expedition to a previously unknown caving area where we found caves in Churches, caves in rock we couldn’t identify, the largest single cave chamber in Ethiopia and, on the final afternoon, The Cave at the Source of the Nile.
More from 2016
Film|Mr A & A Freem
Caver's Cinema - Thursday
Oral|Prof Kyung Sik Woo
Natural and cultural heritage values of the Geomunoreum Lava Tube System, Jeju Island, Korea
Poster|Mr David St. Pierre
Poster: Grotte Casteret (Gruta Helada de Casteret) An annotated and illustrated bibliography. 2007
Oral|Mr Mark Brown
Mulu 2015 - Unlocking another mountain
Workshop|Mr Robin Gray
Art Workshop 1 - Tryout drawing techniques
Poster|Mr Nigel Steel
Poster: Cave archaeology and Photogrammetry
Workshop|Mr Duncan Simey
An Introduction to Cave Photography
Film|Mr James Newton
CINEMA: India or Bust: A Caving Trip by Double-Decker Bus
Field|Mr John Webb
Field Trip: White Scar Cave - 14th August 2016
Oral|Mr . Wookey
Caving and climate change