Time to hit up the Ice Caves again! Reunited with the inspiring Joanna Balin and her sister Bethany. I have know Jojo since middle school and both volunteered with Snohomish County Search and Rescue for a couple of years, it is always a treat when we are able to embarking on a new adventure! Our last was exactly a year ago on my birthday weekend in Amsterdam! I was eager to try out my birthday/early xmas presents : snow shoes and a new backpack. ugh! I forget how heavy those packs can be..lol I am not so young and strong anymore. I am really gonna need to train and lift to prepare for the summer season if I plan to do more extensive trips.
Wasn't so sure that morning when we woke that we were gonna be able to make it out there with a fresh 4 inches of snow, our first of the year! But Jo was determind that her little Honda could make the trek. Just in case we stopped and bought some chains but luckily didn't even have to use them! It was snowing hard our entire journey and so amazing to see how much the terrain has changed in just the couple weeks since my last visit to the caves. Once we reached the destination we were scouting around the mouth of the caves when we heard a huge rumbling from above and before we know it we were witness to a mild avalanche. That was a first for me and completely thrilling..and only semi- terrifying. It took us all a second or two before we realized what exactly was happening and we took of running! There were another three older hikers that unable to run were in a bit of a panic as they tried to get out of there as fast as possible. The funniest part though was Bethany who has little no experience or training and was really terrified. Jo and I were kinda jogging away and laughing it was apparent that it was nothing huge and we weren't in an area where we were in immediate danger but all I remember hearing was poor Bethany "jo are we gonna be ok" over and over. I have to admit every time I paused and looked back I was less convinced that we were in a safe area, the sheer power and force of the mountain was truly incredible. Nature is so powerful and it takes moments like these to really put it in perspective. At one point looking back the three older hikers behind us completely disappeared in the blast of wind and snow they were no longer visible. That is when I became slightly concerned.. Luckily it was nothing more than a gust of snow blown by the aftermath of the avalanche and nothing more serious but even once we reached the safe zone we could still feel the blast of icy powdered snow. phew! We survived and everyone made it back safely, just a little excitement to spice up our afternoon.
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