Chapter 16The Eastern Tunnel

The next day was Tuesday, June thirtieth - and we were back on the move at six AM.

We kept following the lava gallery, a seriously awesome natural path - easy to walk down, like those old-school ramps in German houses that act like stairs. This went on until seventeen minutes past noon, the exact moment we caught up with Hans, who’s been way ahead and just stopped.

"We’re here!" my uncle yelled.

"We’re at the end of the shaft!"

I looked around, totally confused. We were smack in the middle of four tunnels - dark and super narrow. Now we had to figure out which one to take, which was a real head-scratcher.

My uncle didn't want me or the guide to think he was unsure, so he just pointed to the eastern tunnel. Without a second thought, we headed into its gloomy depths.

Honestly, he could’ve debated forever, because there was no clue which one to pick. We basically had to trust luck!

Going down this dark, tight passage was pretty gradual and twisty. Sometimes we peeked through a bunch of arches - it looked just like the aisles of a gothic cathedral. Those crazy-talented artists and builders from the Middle Ages could’ve totally leveled up their skills here.

They would’ve found some seriously beautiful and inspiring ideas for architecture. After that, we came across a Roman-style system of arches, about a mile further in, jutting out from the rock and holding up the ceiling.

Suddenly, we'd stumble upon a bunch of low, underground tunnels - looked like beaver holes or something a fox dug. We literally had to crawl through these narrow, twisty paths!

The heat was still pretty manageable. I shivered, thinking about how crazy hot it must have been when Sneffels erupted, spewing smoke, flames, and rivers of lava - all up the way we were going. I could picture it: hot, bubbling stone zooming past, with smoke, steam, and a sulfurous smell everywhere!

"Seriously, imagine what would happen if the volcano decided to fire up again," I thought.

I didn't tell my uncle any of that. He wouldn't have gotten it, and he'd have been totally grossed out. All he wanted to do was keep moving. He walked, slid, and climbed over piles of rock, rolling down heaps of broken lava - he was so focused, it was impossible not to be impressed.

Around six in the evening, after a seriously long trek (but not as bad as before), we’d made six miles south, but only gone about a mile down.

My uncle, like always, called it a night. We ate in quiet thought and then crashed.

Our sleeping setup was super basic. Just a travel rug to roll up in - that was our bed. No need to worry about being cold or getting bothered.

People who camp out in the African desert or explore the forests of the New World have to take turns watching during the night; but here, total solitude and complete safety ruled.

We didn't have anything to worry about - no wild animals, no people.

I woke up feeling totally refreshed and ready to go. Nothing was holding us back, so we started our journey. We kept going through the lava tunnel like before. It was impossible to tell what kind of ground we were moving through.

Plus, the tunnel wasn't going down into the earth - it got totally horizontal.

I even thought, after looking around a bit, that we were actually going up. Around ten in the morning, it became super clear, and I was so exhausted that I had to slow down and finally stop.

"Well?" said the Professor quickly.

"The thing is, I’m totally wiped," I said seriously.

"Seriously?" my uncle exclaimed. " Tired after just three hours of walking, and on such an easy path?"

"Easy enough, I guess, but really tiring."

"But how can that be, when we’re just going downwards?"

"Sorry, sir. I’ve noticed for a while now that we’re going up."

"Up?" my uncle said, shrugging. "How’s that even possible?"

"There’s no doubt about it. For the last half hour, the slopes have been going up - and if we keep going like this much longer, we’ll end up back in Iceland."

My uncle shook his head, like he didn’t want to believe it. I tried to keep talking. He wouldn’t answer, but he gave the signal to leave again. I thought his silence was just pure frustration.

Whatever the reason, I picked up my stuff again and followed Hans, who was now ahead of my uncle. I didn’t want to lose or get left behind. I was anxious about not seeing my friends. The thought of being lost in that crazy maze gave me the chills.

Besides, even though the climb was tough and kinda painful, I had one thing that secretly cheered me up. It looked like we were heading back to the surface! That alone felt hopeful. Every step made me even more sure, and I started daydreaming about marrying my cute little cousin.

Around noon, the rocky walls of the tunnel suddenly changed. I first noticed it because the light from my lamp got dimmer. The walls, which had been covered in shiny lava, turned into plain rock. Sometimes the walls sloped, sometimes they were straight up.

We were now in what geology professors call a transition zone, during the Silurian period. They call it that because you find a lot of these old rocks in England, in areas once home to the Celtic Silures tribe.

"I totally get it now!" I yelled.

"The sediment from all the water that used to cover the whole earth made these schists and these limestone rocks. We’re turning away from the granite and it's like going from Hamburg to Lubeck through Hanover."

I probably should’ve kept it to myself. But my geology obsession took over, and Professor Hardwigg heard me.

"What’s up?" he asked, sounding super serious.

"Like, look!" I said. "Don't you see these layers of limestone and the first signs of slate?" "So?"

"We’re at the point in the Earth’s history when the first plants and animals showed up." "You think so?"

"Yeah, look! Check it out and tell me what you think."

I had to really work to get the Professor to shine his lamp on the long, twisty gallery. I figured he's totally freak out. Nope. The good Professor didn’t say a thing.

It was impossible to tell if he even got what I was saying. Maybe, like, my uncle and a super-smart professor, he was too proud to admit he was wrong about the eastern tunnel? Or was he just set on reaching the end, no matter what?

It was clear we’d left the lava behind, and this path wasn't going back to the big crater of Mount Sneffels.

As we went, I kept thinking about everything, wondering if I was reading too much into these weird changes in the earth.

Maybe I was totally off - it was possible we weren't even going through the rock layers I thought we were, layered on top of the granite.

"Okay, if I'm right," I thought, "I have to find some ancient plants. Seriously, I’d have to back down if I found undeniable proof. "Time to search.

So, I kept looking everywhere. I hadn't gone a hundred yards when I spotted exactly what I was looking for, and it was obvious. It made sense, too - during the Silurian period, there were over fifteen hundred different animal and plant species in the oceans.

My feet, used to the hard, dry lava, suddenly felt like they were walking on soft dust, the remains of plants and shells.

I could totally see the outline on the walls - fucus and lycopods, clear as day. Professor Hardwigg, of course, couldn't have been wrong. But I think he just closed his eyes and kept going, super steady.

I started to think he was being way too stubborn. I couldn’t act calm or collected anymore. I bent down and grabbed this shell - seriously perfect - that must’ve belonged to an animal a lot like the ones around today. Got the prize, then followed my uncle. "You see this? I said.

"Yeah, it’s a shell from a crustaceous animal, extinct trilobite order," the Professor said, totally unfazed. "Nothing special, I promise."

"But," I said, seriously buggin’ out at his chillness, "aren’t you drawing any conclusions?"

"Well, what conclusion are you drawing?" "Well, I was thinking - "

"I know what you’d say, and you’re right, totally right. We’re past the lava crust and the path it climbed. I might have been wrong, but I won't know for sure until we reach the end of this gallery."

"You’re right about that," I said, "and I’d be all for it if we weren’t facing the biggest danger of all." "And what’s that?" "No water."

"Look, Henry, it can’t be helped. We gotta ration what we have." And he kept going.