Story & Photos By Stan Wawer
I probably should have read a little more about my Larendi Cave tour outside of Reykjavik, Iceland. I didn’t have to sign a waiver, which led me to believe I was entering New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns — well-lighted paths, giant chambers, giant stalactites and stalagmites.
Larendi Cave is only a half-hour drive from Reykjavik but it might as well be 100 miles. It’s a drive through spectacular lava fields and passed a fish-head drying “farm.” “We sell the heads of fish to Nigeria,” said Bjorn Hroarsson, our guide, speologist and travel writer. “They use the heads to make soup.” Who knew?
We reached the entrance to Larendi Cave after about a 200-yard hike through a lava field. To say it was a hole in the ground would be an understatement. With my helmet in place and flashlight in hand I carefully climbed down lava rock to the cave’s main entrance. The rain and fog made for a surreal scene.
I’m alive today to tell you that if I did not have a helmet upon my head I would not have a head, as I know it. The tiny stalactites I hit more times than I can count would have surgically exposed my brain.
If you have back or knee problems forget Larendi Cave. If you are taller than 5-4, you will spend the major portion of the hike hunched over, crawling or rolling along. Prior to entering Larendi, I called it stand-up spelunking. I now call it crouching and crawling spelunking.
“Have you ever had an obese person try the cave tour?” someone asked. “I once had a lady from the states,” he explained. “Her a.. was bigger than the cave entrance.”
There is nothing easy about this experience; you make your way over lava rock and through narrow passageways. There is no smooth path to discovery. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat, but the next time, I will wear a helmet under my helmet. There might not be a whole lot up there in my brain but it’s the only one that I have and I would like to keep it.
Larendi Cave is only a half-hour drive from Reykjavik but it might as well be 100 miles. It’s a drive through spectacular lava fields and passed a fish-head drying “farm.” “We sell the heads of fish to Nigeria,” said Bjorn Hroarsson, our guide, speologist and travel writer. “They use the heads to make soup.” Who knew?
We reached the entrance to Larendi Cave after about a 200-yard hike through a lava field. To say it was a hole in the ground would be an understatement. With my helmet in place and flashlight in hand I carefully climbed down lava rock to the cave’s main entrance. The rain and fog made for a surreal scene.
I’m alive today to tell you that if I did not have a helmet upon my head I would not have a head, as I know it. The tiny stalactites I hit more times than I can count would have surgically exposed my brain.
If you have back or knee problems forget Larendi Cave. If you are taller than 5-4, you will spend the major portion of the hike hunched over, crawling or rolling along. Prior to entering Larendi, I called it stand-up spelunking. I now call it crouching and crawling spelunking.
“Have you ever had an obese person try the cave tour?” someone asked. “I once had a lady from the states,” he explained. “Her a.. was bigger than the cave entrance.”
There is nothing easy about this experience; you make your way over lava rock and through narrow passageways. There is no smooth path to discovery. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat, but the next time, I will wear a helmet under my helmet. There might not be a whole lot up there in my brain but it’s the only one that I have and I would like to keep it.
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