Summer Adventure Part 5 Big Four Ice Caves August 31st

Wanting to take advantage of the good weather, we decided to go for a hike at the local Ice Caves. We made sure to purchase a parking pass beforehand so that we didn't have to worry about getting a ticket. All state parks now require a paid parking pass. You can get them here and they only cost $5! Make sure to order a week prior to your trip so that you have plenty of time for it to arrive in the mail. There is also an option to pay at the park itself, but we didn't quite understand how to do that and wanted to make sure that we were covered. Once our pass came, we printed out directions, packed a lunch and headed on our way.

The caves are about an hour and a half away from our house. It is one of the most beautiful drives that we have ever taken. The roads are windy and surrounded on either side with trees and views of the water. Thirty minutes into our drive, we decided to make a pit stop at the fish ladder. You couldn't see much from the roadside, so we grabbed the camera and started hiking down a trail. While we were walking, you could hear the sound of the water rushing! It was REALLY loud. We soon saw a set of stairs that eventually led us straight to the fish ladder. It was unlike anything we had ever seen before.

However, I was not prepared that we would be walking on grates! Do you remember me talking about being terrified of grates in prior posts? This was grate hell! As I gripped the railing for dear life, I was secretly planning my funeral arrangements in my head. What outfit would they place me in? Would the husband reference grates in my eulogy? Because that wouldn't be funny. I for sure want pink flowers and there better be cupcakes served.

My legs were shaking and my heart was beating fast. I am pretty sure that I suffered a minor stroke. I tried taking as many pictures as I could with a shaky hand. The husband was great about helping me and reminding me not to look down. Below us was a lot of rushing water, one slip of the foot and we were bound to be dead. Fears aside, the scenery was breathtaking. The cliffs were some of the biggest I have ever seen with trees littered throughout. The water was beautiful and flowed over the rocks with grace. Had there been no grates, I could have stayed there all day.

The walk back to the car was unexpectedly hard. Those stairs that I previously mentioned?  They were steep and seemed to never end. That little trail soon turned into Mount Everest. The air was getting thin, I was loosing my breath and my legs were throbbing. It didn't help that I was still shaking from my near death experience. How was I ever going to make the upcoming three mile hike a the ice caves?! Once we got to the car, I sat inside and cried until I calmed down. Sometimes you just have to let it all out, right?

We made our way back onto the highway to reach our final destination. We made sure to have a quick snack and hydrate ourselves before starting the long hike to the caves. We stopped many times along the way to take in the beautiful outdoors and snap a few pictures. We crossed a murky swamp, a crystal clear river and many flowing creeks. The trees were tall and beautifully colored. I am not going to sugarcoat anything here, there were a few times where we had to stop and catch our breath. Towards the caves, there are some inclines that proved to kick our butts. Luckily, there are some log seats strategically placed throughout the trail for people to take a break. The hike was a little harder than I had expected, but at least there were no grates! Once we got a little peek of the caves, we got a rush of energy which put a pep in our step and helped us to finish the hike.

I had been to the caves many years ago, however the weather was really bad when I had gone. The husband had never been and was astonished with how large and beautiful the caves are. We took a short break before heading to the base of the caves. It was a warm day out (high 70's!), but it was freezing near the caves. It was weird as you got closer to the caves, you got this rush of warm air in your face. It felt as though a furnace had been turned on and then with a couple of more steps, the freezer was open! A really weird sensation that is hard to explain.

You are advised to not go inside the actual caves as they are dangerous and have caused deaths in the past. It is hard to resist as it looks like fun. One near death experience was enough for me in one day, so we chose to not go inside. The ice was quickly melting, so it sounded like it was raining all around us. We took tons of pictures before sitting down to enjoy our packed lunch. There were a few tourists there that thought it would be funny to throw rocks at the caves. Not a smart idea. The caves are extremely dangerous and unpredictable.

The hike back to the car was an additional 1 1/2 miles. It seemed to go a lot quicker than on our way up. The last ten minutes of walking is when our feet starting hurting and our backs were tight. We could not wait to get to the car and rest! We talked the whole way home about how much fun we had and that we cannot wait to go back again next summer. I am really proud of us for doing something out of our comfort zone. In our thirteen years together, we had never hiked together before. We proved to ourselves that we can push our bodies and do such outdoor activities.

Another successful summer adventure on a budget! Total: $5