Fire & Ice Cave Loop
Our travel took place on the ancestral lands of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Stl’pulmsh (Cowlitz), Qwû’lh-hwai-pûm (Klickitat), Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla peoples who have stewarded those lands since time immemorial.
Photo by Jean Ni
Mount Adams in the distance.
I was looking for an medium-intensity backcountry route for the fall and I found the Fire and Ice Cave Loop by Molly Sugar. It seemed to have the sweet spot of being close-ish to home, having lots of camping options, and not being super punchy. Plus, it was nearly-guaranteed to be on the drier side given the area and the time of year!
We decided to take the scenic route from Seattle taking 7 south from Tacoma, through Randle, and down to the start point between Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams. We parked the two cars at the trailhead of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and were a little nervous about leaving them for a few nights. There didn’t seem to be a permit required and the cars were still there (no tickets!) when we got back.
It was a really beautiful trip and since I hate having to think about campsite reservations or checking in with rangers, etc. the fact that this particular route has so many camping options is amazing. Not all of the campsites have water available — some either have none, or it’s only available through seasonal water sources — but it helped me sell the route to my friends. It also gave me some assurance as the organizer that we would be able to find a place to camp since we definitely had different paces in the group.
This route could definitely be made into longer or shorter trips depending on how much you want to see or how fast you want to go. We did 2 days and 2 nights; leaving on a Saturday morning and coming back Monday afternoon. It was the right amount of time for us, but this could be accomplished in a more typical ‘weekend warrior’ fashion, especially if you camp at the trailhead on a Friday.
We headed out a little after lunch on Saturday and made it to the Guler Ice Cave around 3:30PM. It was pretty fun to run around the cave and see ice in the bottom while it was in the 70s and 80s outside. Unfortunately we didn’t see any bats, but maybe next time.
Jean being a baddie
We encountered a stream restoration project (the route has since been updated) that had knocked out almost a half mile of the gravel road. We climbed up a hill only to have to hike-a-bike through the restoration area — OK we didn’t have to, but we figured at that point it would be simpler than rerouting and adding 1,000 feet of elevation. Plus it made us feel really hardcore to have to bushwhack with our loaded bikes in tow.
Aren’t we cute? Kevin didn’t want a portrait I guess.
