Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.06.2012, Blaðsíða 37

Words
B.R. Neal
photography
Juli Vol
37
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 7 — 2012
Travel | Caves
Just as Reykjavík began to fade out of view,
we turned off the highway into an area known
as the Leitarhraun lava field. There we were
handed a helmet and a flashlight as we ad-
mired the view of Hekla, Þorlákshöfn, and
Vestmannaeyjar. The flashlights, as it turned
out, would be our only source of light for the
next three hours.
I had assumed the helmet was just tourist fod-
der, serving the dual purposes of protecting me
from falling rocks and making me look ridiculous.
Little did I know that I would come to consider that
helmet my best friend, as I repeatedly crashed my
head into rocks of varying degrees of sharpness.
Before entering the cave, one of our guides,
Kári, told us the story of how the cave was discov-
ered. Removing the tons of rocks, which blocked
the entry into the cave, was a joint effort between
Kárí’s father, Björn and his friend Guðmundur. Us-
ing only their hands and axes, they managed to
open the cave in 2005, christening it Búri. Fewer
than 1000 people have set foot in Búri and it has
not been altered for tourists in any way.
DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE
I was the first to shimmy down a hole so small it
had me wishing I had stuck to my diet. After a min-
ute or two my eyes adjusted to the darkness and
an expansive space opened up before me, with
strange ice sculptures growing out of the ground.
Each face lit up with a mixture of surprise and ter-
ror as the rest of our group squeezed through the
hole. I couldn’t help but think of the cavern dis-
covered by the Professor and his nephew in Jules
Verne’s ‘Journey To The Centre Of The Earth.’ How
could something hidden from view be so alive?
The guides showed us to a small crack in the
wall where we would enter the main chamber.
Making it the few metres over to that first crack
was quite a challenge, as the floor of the cave is
completely covered with icy boulders. The walls
of the cave are layered, clearly showing the pro-
gression of time, and stones of every colour and
texture imaginable litter the floor. The path of the
lava river that formed this cave 2000 years ago is
marked by a stripe of silver magma running the
entire length of the cave, ending in a 17-metre
deep lava pit.
ARE WE THERE YET?
The journey through Búri is 1,000 metres in length,
which doesn’t sound like much until you realise
each step must be carefully planned and cau-
tiously executed due to the unstable and icy ter-
rain. Drenched in sweat, most of us lost our coats
pretty quickly and some of us started to wonder
what we had gotten ourselves into. “How much
longer?” echoed through the darkness more than
once. At one point I was truly scared—shaking,
heart-pounding, pee-in-my-pants, terrified— as I
hung onto an icy boulder for dear life.
When we reached the end, we sat down to eat
what we had brought along for lunch and to catch
our breath. It is amazing just how good a sub-par
gas-station sandwich can taste when it is washed
down with a big gulp of self-respect.
NO MAN LEFT BEHIND
The trek back out of the cave was a much differ-
ent experience. The guides fell back and allowed
us to take the lead. I took off first, as I wanted to
pretend I was an explorer and had fun turning off
my flashlight and experiencing pitch black. With
the lights out and alone, the cave came to life in a
chorus of drips and crackles.
Witnessing the glow of the group approaching
around the bend was like a scene straight out of
a horror movie. Scrambling up and over wobbly
rocks covered with ice was a difficult challenge
and it was interesting how complete strangers
bonded and worked as a team to find their way
out of the cave.
The Búri cave at Leitarhraun is a strange and
alien environment. It’s a must-see for anyone who
is up for the challenge. As I write this I admire my
black and blue legs with pride and will treasure
the memory of emerging out of a tiny hole into the
daylight with all the triumph of a Chilean miner,
long after the bruises have faded.
WE WENT INTO THE GROUND
Exploring Búri
The Adventure Tour to Búri Cave was provided by Extreme Iceland. You
can book a tour at www.extremeiceland.is or by calling (354) 588-1300
”Drenched in sweat,
most of us lost our coats
pretty quickly and some of
us started to wonder what
we had gotten ourselves
into. “How much longer?”
echoed through the
darkness more than once.
ÞÓRSHÖFN
VOPNAFJÖRÐUR
THORSHOFN
ILULISSAT
ITTOQQORTOORMIIT
NUUK
KULUSUK
NARSARSUAQ
GRÍMSEY
ÍSAFJÖRÐUR
AKUREYRI
EGILSSTAÐIR
REYKJAVÍK
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