Picture
Caption: North Cascades, Washington Big Four Ice Caves
Caption: Miles: 2.2
Elevation Gain: 220 ft
With the winter still clinging on and my car (and let's face it -- myself) lacking proper snow gear, hiking options have been slim. But the desire to just get out of the city grew with each passing day, and finally I came across information for this easy trek.
Nicole and I drove out of Seattle to the North Cascades around 1pm, knowing full well the sun would be setting in a few short hours. By the time we arrived at the trailhead, fog had begun creeping in and the sun was already dipping. But we were encouraged by the sight of one family with small children and what looked to be a very cold Chihuahua -- if they were up for this, we were too!
The hike was easy and quick. The tricky part was jumping off the trail to cross a huge rock field, and then climbing the immense snow bank in front of the ice cave.
Picture
Caption: Snow still lingered on some peaks, and the fog poured in as the sun went down.
Picture
Caption: The trail is paved the entire way -- either with board or with gravel.
Picture
Caption: Motion blur Nicole!
Picture
Caption: We stopped a few times to take all this in.
Picture
Caption: I don't know if I'll ever get over the grandeur of mountains.
Picture
Caption: Ice cave in sight!
Picture
Caption: As a friend aptly observed, the scene seemed straight out of Skyrim.
Picture
Caption: We scrambled down off the trail to cross the rock field to the mouth of the ice cave. I bumped up the exposure and may have overdone it here.
Picture
Caption: Halfway there, I started rummaging in my pack for my trusty Polaroid 220
Picture
Caption: In front of the cave, we met a nice couple. Nicole leapt up the snow mound to take their photo for them.
Picture
Caption: She is like a cat -- so sure-footed! I climbed up much slower, digging my hands into the snow for leverage. Sir Edmund Hillary I am not.
Picture
Caption: Victory! The ice is such a brilliant blue, which was all the more jarring when the mountains were such an austere grey.
Caption: Then we heard it -- CRAAAASH!
Somewhere to our right, a chunk of ice the size of a prize-winning hog broke off the cave roof and shattered below. It was a good reminder that being here was very dangerous and that ice is unpredictable.
Picture
Picture
Caption: The sun was almost completely gone when we decided to head back. Good thing for flashlights!
Picture
Caption: Until next time,
Big Four Ice Caves!
Caption: Big Four Ice Caves
North Cascades, Washington
#seattle #pnw #hikepnw #hikewashington