Ice Caves!

So, I have a backlog of 2 or 3 posts from the late summer and my birthday that are still to be posted. They need some work. But, instead of working on those, I wanted to do a quick and easy and beautiful update about going to some ICE CAVES!!! 

I posted a picture on the Book, and quite a few people enjoyed it. Would you like to see some more?? Awesome! Me too! Over and over again.

I was getting a little wanderlust-y again (a month is too long without an adventure!) and luckily I have an awesome dude friend who was open and excited to go on a little excursion. Actually, Zach was the one who told me about the ice caves, so it worked out nicely we were able to go together. Let start off with some pictures from the trail, where we were treated to a variety of interesting fungus.

Tyneee baaabee musharooms, soo ka-yoooot!

I've seen human tissue that looks like this so frequently that it automatically makes me smell Nystatin powder and steroid creams. Thanks, nursing career!

This one felt slimy and wet. It suspect it is Mother Nature's weird combination love child of a tangerine jelly bean, brains and larvae. Or maybe it's just some fungus.

Polar opposite of one the above!

Picture credits on the shroomie ones above go to Zach. So glad he came because, you see, he is such. A. Fun...gi. 

(collective sigh...)

Aww come on, no love for the 10th grade bio joke? (copyright 2002, Mr. Heifetz)

The taming of the Tree-a-Saurus.
Zach is the only person I know tall enough to look dapper sitting astride on a brontosaurus tree.

Now, down to the serious cave bidniz. I had been reading up on the ice caves over the past few weeks. Out of the more than 500,000 visitors in the past 10 years, there have only been two injuries which were fatal. Because of that, every website containing info on the "Big 4 Ice Caves" has warnings. Many even have diatribes berating hikers they've seen exploring the caves. Honestly? If you are a relatively intelligent adult who is used to nature and has some common sense, it's unlikely anything will happen. 

If you aren't that, then follow these simple steps:

WHAT NOT TO DO IN ICE CAVES

1. Stand under the very edge where the water is pouring off. Standing on the very outskirts of the cave where ice is thinning may sound less scary than going deep into a dark, cold cavern, but I'll take my chances on being stuck inside vs. being instantly crushed to death at the entrance. 

2. Avoid areas with large amount of ice debris. Take an effing hint. Where do you think those ice chunks came from? 

3. Don't play the "echo" game. You know, where you shout something like "ECHO!" or "HELLO!" and wait until an invisible you yells it back over and over? Also, don't: play Marco Polo or let your children scream, and if you have a barking dog, keep it outside and away.

4. Don't try to scale the outside, you dumb, dumb idiot. You will fall, fall through, or cause an avalanche on the people inside the cave. If you want to go mountaineering, go get some crampons and eff off down a crevasse. This is not the place for that. 

Danger: Awesome ahead

First glimpses of the caves, with Zach in the foreground.

Just for a bit of size perspective. See those tiny, tiny little specks to the left of the ice caves? Those are hoomans. 

From just inside the left cave opening

Check out that teal colored icy  action! Waaa sooo neat!

A picture of me, taking a picture, from inside the cave.

Looking toward the back of the cave to the waterfall, with no one in the shot! Zach! How did you get this?? We certainly weren't alone in there!

Zach's a god damn cave-melion. 

The waterfall and cenote-like opening at the back of the cave

And we make our way back towards the entrance, struggling over rocks and boulders for a few hundred feet and taking in the last of the undulating, dripping walls and dark, damp air.

To finish up our day, we took a nice ride to Chuckanut brewery and ejoyed some delicious libations. Overall, a great, successful adventure Saturday, and I'm so glad I was able to go! I'm going to be moving back East next summer, and I'm happy to add this to the list of things I've seen and done out here on the West Coast. Special thanks to Zach for being an awesome adventure companion. More to come soon!