Time Froze in the Ice Cave

A discovery while kayaking

I was paddling up the Penobscot River, not paying attention to my surroundings. Ironically, I was thinking about a podcast on how social media is stealing our attention — and the current inattention crisis in our world today.

I paddled past some ice floes. I don’t see those every day, and they can potentially flip a kayak, so they got my attention.

I was looking forward to seeing the ice wall that usually forms on a cliff along the western shore. The ice wall, as I neared it, was particularly gorgeous. I had seen it other years, but this year there was more ice than usual, and it was tinted with a beautiful blue-green color that is not captured in the photo.

In the past, I had approached the “ice wall,” lingered beside it, taken a few photos, and then paddled on. Today, the tide was high, so I could paddle right up to the wall. It was then I realized there was space between the rock and the ice, and I could paddle into it.

Being in the narrow cave that had been created by the overhanging rock and the sheets of ice was daunting only for the first few seconds. Unlike most caves, this one was full of light. The ice had a pure, almost sacred quality. The only sound was the drip, drip, drip of water droplets from the melting ice. The combination of stone, quiet, and filtered light made it feel like being inside a cathedral.

Time stood still. If there were any sounds from the outside world, I was oblivious to them. I forgot about my paddling workout, the river, the world out there. It was difficult not to keep smiling. I drifted back and forth inside the cave, taking pictures, totally absorbed in being where I was.

When I finally emerged from the cave, I was surprised to see how small it looked from the outside. While on the inside, it had been a whole universe and had fully captivated my senses.

If I had arrived an hour earlier or an hour later, the tide would have been lower, and I would not have been able to make this discovery.

Those timeless moments of losing myself in the ice cave are reminders that our world is full of wonders — and that we may miss them entirely if we’re not paying attention.