Exploring Jeville Hill’s Second Cave

Jeville Hill had already revealed one secret, but a second cave offered an even deeper mystery. On a return trek through the eastern hills of Lopinot, Joe Salina led the group to a hole he remembered discovering with childhood friends.

As boys, they would climb through the estate and throw stones into the opening. They listened for each stone to strike the bottom, but no final sound ever came back. The depth offered only silence, turning the hole into a source of mystery and amusement.

The landscape has changed since then. Old estates have given way to tangled vines, forcing Joe and Baba to clear and restore a trail up the hill. Sandbox trees dominate the ground, spreading seeds during their bearing season. Known also as dynamite trees, they disperse their seeds explosively, while their spiked trunks make the climb hazardous. Philodendrons add flashes of colour among the greenery overhead.

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You could smell a cave before you see it

A long rod failed to reveal the full depth of the opening. It bent as though something blocked its path before it continued downward. The hole showed little sign of life, and even the usual smell associated with caves was absent. No ants entered it, despite their busy trails nearby.

The group decided to call the opening Second Cave. Menon equipped himself with lights and cameras and tied a rope to a sturdy tree before easing into the narrow, almost vertical entrance. The descent promised to reveal a place that, according to the group, no one in the valley had previously explored.

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Never mind that, Uncle Joe. I am ready to go down.