Overall, he knew this had to be a special find. However, he got through the ice and sat face-to-face with that silhouette, shocked to the core by what he had found. What was in the iceberg? Some frozen mysteries might be better left undiscovered. Find out what he experienced:
Shape Behind the Ice
Mark put his hand on the wall of ice, saying he came back as he said he would. It sounded like he was in love. In the ice, he sees a giant, human-like figure. However, you can make out little more than the shape. That was enough for this man.
Getting Through This Ice
He brought people from the nearest village with him to get behind that ice wall and determine if this was his greatest discovery ever. The crew carefully chips away at the ice, finally getting an idea of what they might be dealing with.
Shocked by This Discovery
The workers are shocked and step back. Some start heading to the cave entrance, but Mark drops to his knees. What did he find in the ice wall? How did he even know it was there?
The Mission
Mark was a 36-year-old scientist and not like most explorers. He wanted to learn more about global warming by seeing what had been hidden in the ice. Explorers everywhere want to get their names in history books, but Mark succeeded in ways he never imagined.
Discovery of a Lifetime
His journey took him to Greenland, which had been inaccessible before and unexplored. However, climate change made it possible, and Mark was determined to use the opportunity to make a discovery of a lifetime.
Frozen in Time
Mark set out on the journey, trying to find something frozen in the thin ice layer. He’s got just the bare minimum to survive, and the first few weeks are hard on him. However, he knows it is worth it in the end.
Bare Minimum
With no comforts from home and only enough for survival, Mark is determined to make that trip worthwhile. He had been hiking for miles, and civilization was two days away. Then, he stumbled on something that might be what he wanted!
Strange Rock
Mark was getting discouraged because he was questioning his moves and running out of supplies. Finally, he spots a rock formation on an ice-covered plain. He moves toward it, hoping that he discovered something huge.
Something Unusual
When he gets close, he sees it’s a rock formation, but a breeze is coming from the small cracks between those rocks. It’s unusual and worth investigating. In fact, it could be a tunnel or cave, but he has to explore to find out.
Heavy Rock
Excited, Mark moves the rock out of his way. Though it takes time, he gets it done. He sees a hole behind, questioning where it leads and what he might find. However, he then wonders if he should wait for others or go in alone.
No Contact
While Mark is a seasoned explorer, he understands the dangers of being alone. No one even really knows what he’s doing or where he is. There’s been no phone service for two days, so it’s highly irresponsible to go on now.
Down the Hole
He feels he should take the two-day hike back to the village, but curiosity got the better of him. He takes a peek in the hole, not going far and being very careful. Things sloped downward, and he took caution. Still, he wasn’t prepared for the discovery.
Now a Tunnel
The hole turned into a tunnel quickly, making it hard to walk through. He had to be careful and was afraid the rocks might loosen and collapse on him. However, that seems less likely as he gets deeper. Remember, everything is frozen!
Far from That Entrance
As he goes further down, the tunnel gets wider. It was cold and dark, and Mark didn’t realize how far he had come. Looking back, that entrance seemed small. However, the tunnel finally turns into a big cave.
A Cave
Mark is excited because he thinks he was the first person to see the cave. Overall, he realizes that it’s bigger than he thought. Now, he should leave and return with help, but it had to be explored. Therefore, he walked around for hours, hoping he might find something.
Something Different
Though he kept track of the entrance, he noticed an ice wall that seemed different than the others. With all the ice layers around him, they look white and blue. However, one has a dark silhouette behind it, which could be a rock. What was it?!
A Silhouette
As he gets closer to the ice wall, he puts light on it. The light moves over the dark silhouette, but he can’t really see anything or get a clue as to what it was. He knew he had to try something else, and he thinks he has just the item to do it.
No Luck
Mark searches through his few supplies and comes out with a pickaxe, starting to chip at the ice. However, it’s quite solid. He worked for a long time but realized he’d made little progress. Unfortunately, he might freeze to death before he got to the core.
Time to Be Smart
He knows he has been stubborn all day and made questionable decisions. In fact, he’s in a cave all alone, with no one knowing where he is. That’s as dangerous as it gets. Now, he should go get help, calling it a day and being practical and sensible.
Making Camp
Before he leaves, he creates a map on a piece of paper to find the place again. He found it easy to get back to the tunnel, but it was hard to move uphill. Finally, he makes it to the surface, so he sets up camp to warm up, thinking of his next day’s plan.
A Plan
Mark plans to go to a nearby village and recruit some people to get him through the ice wall. Though he could tell his colleagues, they might want to take credit or be a huge part of it, and this is his discovery!
Journey Back
The journey to the village was difficult and long. The wind picked up, with snow filling the air. In fact, Mark could develop hypothermia, but he was focused more on remembering the way back to the cave. Nothing else mattered at that point.
Restless Night
Throughout the night, Mark dreamt of that dark silhouette. What might it be? His thoughts ranged from strange to outlandish, and he barely got much sleep. However, in the morning, he was ready to take off with the first light of day.
Landmarks
Though he noted the location on a digital map, it was inaccurate. Plus, he didn’t want anyone else to see it and find it. Therefore, he tried picking out landmarks to pinpoint the cave’s location. Nobody could stop him because he was already imagining the fame he might get.
Gathering the Group
In town, Mark rounded up some men who could help for money. He didn’t say much about the find, saying he needed someone to help with digging in the ice. People are often willing to do almost anything for cash, so it wasn’t hard. However, could it hurt him to twist the truth?
Gathering Equipment
The townspeople didn’t ask many questions and only wanted to make some money. They prepared for the journey, making sure they had appropriate equipment for the job. In fact, Mark was just excited about the quick response he got!
Snow Scooters
Everyone gathered tools, supplies, and snow scooters that could move in the terrain. Mark’s bank account drained quickly between all that and paying his helpers. However, he didn’t mind spending it all or going into debt to make his discovery!
Journeying Back
As they traveled back to the cave, he had a hard time pinpointing the location, even with his map. You see, there was a snowstorm that dumped snow for 24 hours or more, so the whole area was covered. He couldn’t find the entrance and was becoming desperate!
Covered in Snow
The landmarks Mark tried to remember were now covered with snow, so it was so much harder to find the cave. After a few hours, the townspeople wanted to head back home and give up. Mark couldn’t accept that and started to get annoyed!
Finding the Cave
Luckily, one of the helpers poked around the ground with a stick, feeling it go through and fall. He had stuck that stick into the snow-covered hole. Was this the entrance Mark had found earlier? It had to be!
Making Their Way Down
Mark’s heart skipped a beat because they found it, and he’d been thinking about it for hours. They quickly went into the hole, being careful because it was slippery. Though he was happy, he didn’t want anyone to get hurt.
The Frozen Treasure
After setting foot in the cave, he rushes to the frozen treasure, finding it in minutes. However, the townspeople were confused because he hadn’t told them what they were digging. Were they still likely to help him? The oldest finally stepped forward.
Getting Excited
Now, the helpers were excited. Could they be part of history? They got to work but were careful because they didn’t want to hurt the find. They started thinking about the possibilities, but they were way off base.
Taking Their Time
They had to keep this in prime condition if they could. The ice layer was thick, so getting through it was likely to take a long time. Did they even have the right equipment for the job? Then, something happened!
Hitting too Hard
One worker hit the ice too hard, causing rumbles to echo through the cave. Large cracks formed at the point of contact, spreading quickly through the ice. In fact, Mark was worried about what might happen to them all!
Wall Crashes Down
The workers all step back or run to the entrance, feeling that the cave might collapse. However, Mark can’t move. Seconds later, the ice wall crashes into a million pieces and reveals what it had hidden for centuries. Mark couldn’t believe what he saw!
Massive Drawing
Behind the ice wall was a stone wall with an enormous ancient drawing of human-like creatures. Though it was a great find, it wasn’t what he had hoped for. Still, there were many drawings revealed of hunting scenes, fire, and people. He wanted to get the news out quickly!
Great Discovery
Overall, it proved that humans had been there, and experts could hopefully determine when the drawings originated. Mark knew it was time to call in his peers and the media because this was the greatest discovery in the area found by a single man.
Visiting Experts
In the next few months, many experts visited the ice cave. However, it was declared protected, so people couldn’t go in without permission. Though it cost a lot of money, time, and effort, Mark was proud of what he did.
History Books
Mark was credited with that discovery, and his name is forever cemented in history books. It is still his crowning scientific achievement. Though he didn’t get rich, he was focused more on the credit than anything else.