Tales from Svalbard: Inside an Ice Cave
After nearly two hours on the dog sleds, we finally reached the end of the glacier-covered valley we had been traversing. A quick glance at the clock showed that it wasn't much past noon, but we were still in the depths of the arctic winter, so visibility was mostly limited to what was in the path of our headlamps. It was difficult to tell where the flat glacial-covered area met the beginning of the mountain slopes surrounding the valley, and where the tops of the mountains met the sky above.
Hidden just under the surface of this otherworldly landscape lies an equally dark, but totally different environment. An ice cave stretching several hundred meters in length snakes it's way between the glacier and the mountainside. Here you can find some truly incredible ice formations, from meter-long icicles hanging like stalactites from the roof of the cave, to crystal clear fragments on the walls that you can see directly through.
There is also what our tour guide described as ice bacon, neatly ordered ridges of ice running up and down the cave walls.
In some areas, a distinct gold coloring could be seen, often laid down in layers inside the ice. This, as the guide explained, was the result of sediment deposits from a time when some of the now-frozen water was still flowing like a river.
We had to take a pause about halfway through the area considered safe enough for visitors so that the guide could remove some excess snow covering a makeshift staircase cut into a sloped segment of the cave.
She paused for a moment to point out the source of the snow, a gaping hole in the cave above and to the left of where we were standing. This apparently was not there on her previous trip to the cave, so that seemed concerning. But, rather than some obscure imminent threat of collapse, it was attributed to the heavy machinery that had been driving around the area for constructing the igloo where we had just eaten a light lunch of freeze-dried pasta with olives.
While this is certainly not an experience I will forget any time soon, I must admit that I sometimes question whether it is appropriate to go to such locations. Are we not contributing to the slow decay of these kind of natural wonders by our greenhouse gas-releasing travels to get there, as well as the physical toll it takes on sensitive places to trek one tourist group after another through? Maybe so, but maybe we are supposed to enjoy such things from time to time, within reason, and share them with those who won't have a chance to visit. What do you think?
Adventure Every Day is a travel & exploration channel started in 2016. In addition to the Steemit blog, I post short films of my adventures to the Adventure Every Day YouTube channel. Please follow and subscribe if you enjoy the content - it inspires me to keep making more and better!
Thanks for sharing your adventure with us all, it is greatly appreciated here.
The relevance of your last questions are extremely pertinent and underline the seriousness of the situation we are stating to be aware of relating to global warming. I have personally taken upon myself to travel less and use my vehicle the least I can.
Meanwhile, having realized that rush anywhere doesn't help anyone on the long-run, I have decided to slow down and rush as slowly as possible for matters of sustainability including health and resources preservation.
Equally important, is the value given and shared of what it is to be human: On one level, the product of millennia of evolution for the natural world in which we are all living and depend on. It has been proven over and over again that any person spending valuable time in nature will transmit the value of nature to their children and relations. Even more so, any child spending quality time outside as they grow up will in the greatest of odds possible become a protector of this environmental space in which they have grown into.
As you pause so well in the end, it is important for the ones having the incommensurable opportunities experienced in nature to share with the ones who can't and, maybe even more importantly, with the ones who don't see the value in it and want to use it for short-sighted egotistical purposes.
Thanks again for a quality posting, all for one and one for all! Namaste :)
Hi eric-boucher, thank you for stopping by and for your very thoughtful and though-provoking comment! That's great to hear that you've taken it upon yourself to make efforts towards environmental conservation. I haven't had a car since I've moved to Norway, and I am fortunate to be able to walk to work. It's been nice to feel that I perhaps have a slightly smaller footprint as a result, and I really haven't missed having a car terribly.
I do love travelling and to scenic nature areas in particular, and plan to do a lot more in the future, but I am always thinking that I ought to strive to do it in an environmentally-conscious manner. That's perhaps one of my long-term goals with posting here, that maybe I can satisfy my wanderlust while simultaneously sharing both the experiences themselves as well as insight into doing so conscientiously (transmit the value of nature to Steemit as you described people doing with their children, perhaps).
Thanks again for taking time to engage in this topic, and hope to see you around on here as our adventures continue!
Taking the car away from the equation of your footprint impact lowers your points by at least six degrees! Good for you, good for us all.
Here's an example of the last article I wrote, though there are a lot more I have written in my blog...
I hope you enjoy, keep your smile and taking good care, namaste :)
https://steemit.com/travel/@eric-boucher/unveiling-a-summer-of-love-adventures-and-photographic-journeying-in-lake-o-hara-yoho-national-park-part1-2
Very nice pics. Formations can't be appreciated if it's not seen. :-)
True that. Part of my motivation to share here. Thanks for dropping by!
Wow thank you for taking the time to write about this. Awesome post
Thank you for reading and the comment sumsum! Glad you enjoyed it!
Great article. Thanks for sharing! Upvoted and resteemed.
Thank you so much @floridagypsy, I really appreciate it!
Oh wow! This is amazing. And quite a coincidence. Just yesterday I was sitting in the doctor's waitingroom and saw an amazing picture of na ice-cave in Island. So beautiful and mysterious at the same time.
I went to one of europs largest caves for a two day-trip in Switzerland once, that was amazing. But when I think about an actual ice-cave I am not sure if I wouldn't be afraid as they are probably much less stable and changing every year.