Last weekend, Chrissy, Pretzel, and I headed out to the Big Four Ice Caves. Situated at the base of Big Four Mountain in the Cascade Range, the ice caves sit underneath a large ice melt waterfall.
Big Four Mountain | Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f/1.4 lens.
The caves are a short walk from a parking area off the Mountain Loop Highway, about 20 miles east of Granite Falls, Washington.
The Ice Caves | Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f/1.4 lens.
In addition to viewing the caves, we also hiked on the shale hill off to the side, where there were some more waterfalls. It was pretty hot that day (we even got some sunburn from the rocks), so we took a dip in a small waterfall. Most people thought we were crazy (being from Michigan, though, the water temperature wasn't too bad for us), but then others followed suite.
A waterfall behind the ice has opened a hole in the back. | Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f/1.4 lens.
I would have liked to get some shots from inside the cave, but apparently people have died doing so from collapses. Though to be honest, I probably would have taken the risk and gone in them had it been January or February. But the loud cracking sounds we heard told us it wasn't a good idea.
Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f/1.4 lens.
In a way, the hike off to the side of the caves was more spectacular, giving a much better view of the surrounding mountains, and waterfalls high above.
The cave interior. | Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f/1.4 lens.
Getting closer to the cave, we were met with a blast of cold air, and water shooting out at us.
Chrissy, Pretzel, and rock. | Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f/1.4 lens.
We got so hot on our way down that we went swimming in a river. At one point, our dog Pretzel got so hot, she just laid down in a small ford and wagged her tail back and forth to splash herself.
All in all, it was a great day. Definitely worth the hour and a half drive. Check out my Flickr page for more photos of our trip.
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