The dust swirls up from the dry ground, blown upward by the hot breeze. The sun is beating down with fiery intensity, having scared away all but the bravest whisps of clouds. The chirp of a few hardy crickets emanates from the protection of the scrub brush and skeleton logs. Dried grass rustles in the wind, adding its tune to the desert song. The ground appears to waver and shimmer under the unforgiving noon-day sun. The white pumice crunches and grinds under my feet as I move around to the back of the truck.
I’m sweating even as I gather and arrange the equipment we’ll need for this new exploration. I find my grubby sweatshirt, covered with dirt from the previous day’s excursions. I pull it on over my head, despite the sweltering heat, knowing I will need its warmth and protection later. I uncover the propane lantern, removing it from its double-box cover. I turn its dial, pause a few seconds to let the gas travel through the lantern’s inner workings, then click the dial to the “on” position. The mantles catch in a firefly-like intensity, two glowing orbs trapped inside a glass cage. Satisfied that the lantern is in working order, I turn it off again and set it aside. I locate my flashlight, a sturdy, black mag-lite, and test it as well by clicking its button on then off again. With the light working, I slide it in my pocket for easy-access later. I find my gloves next. The material is shabby, with bare threads showing on one or two of the fingers. But they still afford my hands with enough protection from the rough lava rocks and downfall to be of use. I place them in another pocket to put on later. Dad picks up the lantern and we head across the arid dust lot that serves for a parking area.
As we near the gaping maw that leads to a world of unending night, the temperature drops suddenly. A slight breeze wafts up from the large hole in the floor of the rocky hollow. As we drop down the incline, and reach the actual opening, the temperature drops tremendously. Upon entering into this cavern, I am almost instantly deprived of all vision, the darkness is so intense. I stand for many minutes, allowing my eyes to adjust to this new lack of light. Once I can make out the vague shapes and shadows of the rocks within, I walk tentatively onward.
To make any forward progress in this cave, I need to climb over a small area of downfall. The rocks are rough and jagged, grabbing at the flesh on my hands. I pause momentarily to pull on my worn gloves. They are effective protection against the harsh bite of the lava rocks. Once reaching the peak of this first climb, I sit down to give my eyes time to adjust more thoroughly. The air is most frigid as I inhale, chilling my face and cooling my lungs. Soon I hear a click and the hiss of the lantern’s gas, followed a few seconds later by a pop as the mantles ignite. The room into which we are looking is suddenly bathed in light. The smell of propane is almost tangible, permeating the cavern. The light from the lantern casts eerie shadows this way and that as dad and I make our paths down the side of the hill of rubble. I click on my flashlight, which proves effective enough for me to see the area directly surrounding me, and counteracts the shadows from the lantern. Dad and I have a short discussion about who should go where. We decide I will take the left side and he the right and we will meet up later. Now it was time to start exploring.
(Unfortunately, if I were to describe everything that I am seeing, I would end up with many more pages than you are most likely willing to read. So I will only write of the most prominent features I am witness to in this other world.)
First you must understand that this is by far no ordinary cave, this is an ice cave. The cold air chills my breath, and numbs my face. All is quiet in this cave except for the regular rhythm of dripping water. As I make my way along the rocky floor, I come to an ice pool. There are an unknown number of layers of ice in the pool, which is covered thinly by an inch or so of water. It is so cold down here that as I step down, my foot begins to freeze to the floor. I lift my feet quickly as I move across the pool to the rocks on the other side. I pause a minute and shine my flashlight on the ceiling. There I see icicles of varying sizes, almost all of which are melting to some degree and dropping their water to the floor, where it joins the pool below.
I move the beam of my light to the rest of the cave. The lava rocks sparkle and shine as the light hits them. Ice, which has formed over them, makes the beam dance and reflect, makes the ceiling shine and the walls glow. This is absolutely fantastic. I relocate the flashlight to point back at the ground and I move on.
The next amazing feature in this cave are the ice waterfalls. These are sheets of ice that originate somewhere in the ceiling and fall to the floor, and continue on to indefinite depths. If I shine my light on where they go through the floor, I can hardly imagine how much further they must travel underground. It is obvious that the ice is blocking passages that lead to other floors and other rooms in this cave. There are places along the wall where the ice breaks and small gaps appear between it and the rocks. Here I can see down below, but cannot discern a floor. It is absolutely intriguing to think of what may lay concealed for years, and bound to remain undiscovered for many more, down in the other rooms.
I move on. I find a tunnel that leads upward. As I follow it, the ice slowly disappears and reveals the rock hidden beneath it. Soon I am in another room, on a different floor. I take a minute to look around. There are ledges along the walls, and possible entrances to other floors, but I have no tools for reaching these rooms today. The room I am in continues on, leading to another short passage and a larger room. Here I find one of the sole creatures that dares to live in these icy caves. The furry bat with its leathery wings, hangs from the rocks, indifferent to my presence. It is fascinating to think of how complicated their navigation system must be to be able to find their way around in caves and tunnels as extensive as this. But here is where I come to the end of this tunnel. The rest of the path is blocked off by downfall and is impassable.
I find a flat rock and sit down. Once comfortable, I turn out my light and listen. With all sense of vision cut off, the acuity of my other senses is suddenly sharpened. The silence is so intense it is almost making my ears ring. The only thing to break this absolute quiet is the sound of my breathing and the occasional scurry of the bats above. The dripping of water has ceased with the climb to this higher elevation. The cold is starting to seep into my bones now, absolute in its freezing power. As for my eyes, it doesn’t matter whether I have them closed or open, the amount I can see is just the same. I am careful not to lose my flashlight, for if I did I may never find it again.
The feeling of being cut off from the rest of the world is absolute in this underground land. It is a totally different world from the one above. This is a world of endless darkness, of silence and solitude. This is a place where a person always has the lurking knowledge that at any moment a rock may slip or ice may fall and trap him an innumerable amount of feet below the surface of the earth. Death is ominous here, but curiosity is an almost irresistible urge. I turn my flashlight on again and move toward the main tunnel, leaving the reclusive bats and the hidden room behind.
Before leaving, I take the time to explore the remainder of the cave, finding one or two other tunnels, but none as impressive as the first. Finally satisfied that I have explored this particular subterranean world as much as I can, I turn back and head for the mouth of the cave. After gingerly crossing the frozen pools, a dim glow is visible over the top of the first breakdown. As I climb, the light gradually becomes more intense, like the rising sun of early morning. Upon reaching the top, I can once again see the opening through which I entered the cave. As I walk toward the entrance I turn off my light, which is no longer necessary with the daylight growing steadier by the moment. Just out in the daylight dad is waiting for me. Where night meets day I pause and take one final glance back into the darkness, remembering the little room, the ice pools, and the curious bats. Then I turn and step out into the heat of day, once again part of the world for which I was made.
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