The view from the top of the ridge, looking down at the river:
It's a long first mile to the top of the ridge, and down into a little creek valley:
The sun is shining and temps are in the upper '50' to start, warming to near 70 later, but it's still winter:
After an hour and a half, a good 1000' first ascent, a little scrambling, and here we are, enjoying a snack before venturing in:
Looking back towards the river from the cavemouth:
Venturing in:
We've been here before, so we know to bring the headlamps. Kyle & Shelly are awed by the size & depth of the cavern. There are a ton of cool formations, and in the winter, there is even some ambient light because the angle of the sun sends light directly into the opening. Even way in the back, it was possible to navigate without a light.
From a side cavern towards the sunlight splashing on the limestone:
Looking towards the entrance:
All in a ll, a really cool, non-flyfishing way to spend a day.
It's three hours or so round trip, bring water & food. You'll probably want to spend at least an hour there. The hike is "moderate", the initial climb is about 1000 ft over the first mile. Then drop down into a little valley, & climb up along the creek to the cave. Spectacular views of the KRV & southern Sierra abound.
