Heather Lake... oops, Ice Caves

Cody and I set out to hike the Heather Lake trail and to test some gear. Thanks to the United States Military, Cody had two practically unused sets of Gore-Tex camouflage. We first made a quick stop at the Verlot Ranger Station to pick up the Discovery pass, where park ranger said we wouldn't have a problem getting up to the trail head.

Oops... nevermind.

A quarter mile up the road to the Heather Lake TH, poor conditions forced our descent; we both felt ill prepared to spend a night stuck in Cody's truck without proper rations of man beverages.

Instead we checked out the Hemple Creek picnic area, one of my favorite places along the Mountain Loop Highway, before heading further east up toward Big Four. As always, the pleasant trek up to the Ice Caves did not disappoint. Neither of us had been up there during the winter and the absence of 10,000 tourists made it much more enjoyable than during the crowded summer months.

Towards the end of the trail at the base of the caves we encountered a park ranger who warned of numerous avalanches, and as we stood looking up at the mountain for 45 minutes or so, the thunderous sound of sliding snow and ice became apparent. We stood and watched a group of 3 hikers playing in the snow at the base of the caves - which weren't visible this time of year - preparing for an almost certain avalanche rescue. Luckily, a dramatic snow dig was unnecessary.

The snow was at least a foot deep at the top of the trail and in an attempt to test the water resistance of the camo pants and Gore-Tex jacket Cody lent me, I made my first snow angle of the year (insert joke here). Other than the absence of insulation in my leather boots, all the gear worked perfectly, even though a pair of gaiters would have been nice.

Check out some of the pics I snapped during our adventure. Particularly cool are the trees at the base of the caves, which showed the effects of wind, snow and sleet swooping down the mountain.

-Patrick

Base of the Big Four Mountain

Quote of the day: "You won't be able to see me because I'm camouflaged."

Awesome

Hemple Creek Picnic Area

Snow Angels!

Dude, the mountain's the other way.