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| Some spelunkers get ready to explore the Guler Ice Caves. Photo by Susan Buce. |
If you enjoy doing a little spelunking, you might take a trip up to Trout Lake, Washington. It is there you will find the Guler Ice Caves. These underground chambers are not too large or deep, making them a fun experience for the novice spelunker.
Take Washington Route 141 north from White Salmon to Trout Lake, then head west on Forest Road 24 for 5.5 miles.Carry a flashlight, hardhat, warm clothes and sturdy boots. While the cavern isn't very long - only 650 feet - the footing is rocky and without sturdy shoes it would be easy to twist an ankle. Portions of the Ice Caves are inaccessible, but you can find other sinkholes by following a surface trail. There are restroom facilities in the parking lot. Click here for Mapquest.
The entrance is over some sizeable rocks. Slip through the crevice in the ground and you will find the temperature drops dramatically. Even in the heat of summer, the temperatures in the Ice Caves can be quite chilly. In fact, the cool temperatures of the cavern are what made this such an amazing discovery to the settlers of the Columbia Gorge.
The year was 1860, and pioneer traveler R.W. Reynolds noticed a curiosity: the taverns and fancy hotels of Portland served disgusting, tepid drinks in the heat of the summer, but their counterparts in the rough-and-tumble town of Dalles City (todays The Dalles) offered civilized mixed drinks properly chilled with a summer rarity: ice.Determined to find the mysterious source of mid-summer ice, Reynolds boarded a steamer to the mouth of the White Salmon River, then rode horseback some 40 miles to the Trout Lake wilderness, where he found the secret source of ice for pioneers and Indians alike Guler Ice Caves, one of many lava tubes that riddle the rocky landscape beneath the Gifford Pinchot National Forest like Swiss cheese. Source: Klickitat Genealogy and History Research, Trout Lake Area http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~westklic/tlhistry.html
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| Photo of Mt. Adams, not far from the Guler Ice Caves and the Huckleberry Fields. Photo by Susan Buce |
Guler Ice Cave is less than 20,000 years old, according to authors Marge and Ted Mueller, writing in A Guide to Washingtons South Cascades Volcanic Landscapes (The Mountaineers, 1995).That makes it a youngster in Columbia Gorge geology, where lava flows range anywhere from one to 15 million years old. Lava tubes are formed of pa-hoe-hoe smooth basalt: since basalt is an excellent insulator, liquid basalt can flow for many miles after its surface crusts over. But the channels eventually narrow and the basalt solidifies, leaving vacated passageways; these become accessible when the roof collapses. Source of the lava, in this case, was a crater vent in Indian Heaven Wilderness. Now partially filled with water, its called Lake Wapiki.And while youre toolin around the GP National Forest, check out a few other basaltic oddities the Natural Bridges near Mt. Adams, and Big Lava Bed south of Goose Lake. Stop by the Mt. Adams Ranger Station in Trout Lake for details. Source: The Dalles Chronicle
From the History Archives
(Editor's note: You will note a discrepancy between reports of the "discovery dates" of these caves. One should keep in mind that the caves were, in fact, "discovered" by the Native Americans who have lived in the area for centuries. The Native Americans used to use the caves, which are located a short distance from the huckleberry fields on Mt. Adams, to keep their summer harvest of huckleberries fresh.)
Lava Caves Near Guler Natural Cold Storage For Fruits And Vegetables
DATELINE - WHITE SALMON ENTERPRISE, 1928 - The Oregonian's automobile editor recently made a trip to Guler and had a big page write-up of the White Salmon-Trout Lake country, illustrated with large pictures. Christian Guler proved to be a fine source of information to the automobile editor, and in telling about the big lava cave near Guler said: "Two boys discovered the cave a long time ago," explained the host. "They saw a small hole in this lava protrusion, dropped a stone through and knew it was a cave. The present opening was blasted out. They found the cave extended 200 yards west and half mile east and south. It makes a right angle turn. Scientists say it was formed by gases in the molten lava spewn out long ago, probably from Mount Adams." He lighted two gas lamps and we dropped into fearful darkness and into the cold. A towering framework has been constructed in the immense cave, tiers running for perhaps 100 yards along the eastern portion of the recess. Here, on these supports, made gaunt by shadows from the white gas light, were sacks and boxes of Yakima potatoes. Mr. Guler picked up several of the tubers. "Here, feel of them. They are as firm as the day we put them in the cave. Not a sprout. A roof over the framework keeps the cave drippings from the spuds. We have some strawberries in here to see how long they will keep and forest service is experimenting with dried fruits. A conveyor belt will be installed and this fall apple growers from White Salmon will store their apples here. It's cheaper for them to haul them to the cave than to pay for artificial refrigeration. The cave's big enough to store the produce of the whole valley." It seemed to us, as we climbed out of the chill air into the sunlight, that W.H. Dean of White Salmon and Charles Coate of Husum, who control the cave, have found a gold mine in this gloomy yet fascinating hole in the ground.
Source: The Enterprise, White Salmon, WA., June 15, 1928, page 1
Lava Caves
The Lava Caves, one mile west of the Mt. Adams Ranger Station on the Carson-Guler Road, were first discovered by Jack Aerni in the summer of 1895. Since that time geologists in the Mt. Adams district have investigated the subterranean channels and expressed the opinion that all the lava flow between East Crater and the location of this main chamber is interspersed with smaller caverns. This was caused by the lava flowing over water and the outer crust of the flow cooling much faster than the core. Thus the center flowed away leaving these chambers. The main Lava Cave chamber extends for almost three-quarters of a mile in a southeasterly direction, and varies in height from six to forty-five feet, and from twelve to twenty-two feet in width. The ceiling is quite symmetrical, smooth-washed rock which juts from sandy floors. The main cave chamber veers from a north and south direction, turning southeast, at which point may be seen the "pillars", dividing that end and making two separate chambers. In 1928 new steps were put down through the ceiling, and a house was built over the opening by W.H. Dean, who experimented is using this place for a storage cellar for potatoes and cheese. It was found that for commercial uses these two products would keep very satisfactorily, However, at the present time no definite program has been inaugurated, and the Caves remain open for the general public to visit throughout the greater portion of the year. Source: The Sportsman's Guide, published by The Mt. Adams Fish & Game Association, 1939
For more pictures of Mt. Adams, click here.
For more pictures of Klickitat County click here.
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