Caving at Raufarhólshellir, Iceland.
Mon night, Feb 18th, Niall and I went caving. There are numerous caves in Iceland, some of which are famously filmed in National Geographic. There's a Hiking Club called "Fjallasnigillinn" of univ students that organizes these things. First, we drove thru lava fields (felt like the 'boonies") near Thingvellir, where the Eurasia & N American tectonic plates are separating) to a cave called Gjabakkahellir, but it was totally blocked with snow.. so plan B. The 2nd cave, Raufarhólshellir, "20 minutes away".. in the thickest fog ever. Raufarhólshellir is a 1360 m long cave, 10-30 m wide and up to 10 m tall, and the roof is generally 12 m thick. It's the fourth longest cave in Iceland and the longest outside of the Hallmundarhraun lava field in the Borgarfjörður region. The cave formed as a lava tube during the Leitahraun eruption, which occurred east of the Bláfjöll mountains about 4600 years ago.
The entire cave floor was covered in stalagite-type ice cones. Our helmets and headlamps lit up the crazy ice formations surrounded by hardened lava flows in the very dark cave - I want to go back!
Since we arrived early January, I've watched the temperature of Reykjavik, Kelowna and Vancouver. We are consistently on average 8 - 10 °C warmer than Kelowna and either the same or often 3-5 °C warmer than Vancouver. There is no snow here in Reykjavik, only in the north. Some picture us freezing in ice yet it's quite opposite. This morning, it's 8 °C here, Kelowna -2 and Vancouver 4. Thanks to tropical current that arrive from the southern Caribbean! :) We're getting 5 min/day more light & noticely longer days. At 6-7pm it's still daylight. vs 3pm darkness early January. By mid-May it'ill be 24-hr daylight. Then we'll put away our clocks and sleep whenever we like heehee.
The entire cave floor was covered in stalagite-type ice cones. Our helmets and headlamps lit up the crazy ice formations surrounded by hardened lava flows in the very dark cave - I want to go back!
Since we arrived early January, I've watched the temperature of Reykjavik, Kelowna and Vancouver. We are consistently on average 8 - 10 °C warmer than Kelowna and either the same or often 3-5 °C warmer than Vancouver. There is no snow here in Reykjavik, only in the north. Some picture us freezing in ice yet it's quite opposite. This morning, it's 8 °C here, Kelowna -2 and Vancouver 4. Thanks to tropical current that arrive from the southern Caribbean! :) We're getting 5 min/day more light & noticely longer days. At 6-7pm it's still daylight. vs 3pm darkness early January. By mid-May it'ill be 24-hr daylight. Then we'll put away our clocks and sleep whenever we like heehee.