Burial Pt. 2

Already squeezed in a narrow passage I could feel a stiff breeze coming from a hole too small to consider passing through. About seven and a half inches in height and a foot wide the pinch did not seem worth it. Most tight passages become too narrow to crawl through before revealing anything of interest. But then most of those do not have cool air blowing from them hard enough to put out a lighter.

I had slept fitfully in the cave the night before. Tired and dirty I had been exploring with more weight on my back than usual. Still something about this narrow tunnel, hundreds of feet beneath the surface, called to me. The lure of the rushing air spoke of hidden passages and great chambers. Leaving behind all but a flashlight and a camera, I began to pack my body into the wall.

Once I had crammed inside it occurred to me that I was now moving beyond where I could hope for rescue in an emergency. This was not only a world without cell phones, here I would truly be alone, completely reliant upon myself for survival. Admittedly I became scared; almost turning back, I instead relaxed and felt the cool breeze push around me. There was fresh air, it would take time, and I could always move backwards. As I relaxed, the tunnel seemed to release some of its hold on me and I continued.

For 150 feet, I pushed through a space too small to lift my head off the ground. From my sideways perspective I followed the fresh air, hoping this journey was not in vain. Finally the tunnel began to grow and I found myself in a canyon passage whose ceiling stretched 30 feet overhead. Now farther underground than I had ever been in my life, I felt as if I walked among mountains instead of deep under them.