July 4-6, 2011 – Columbia River Gorge Continued
July 4 th we drove the Mt. Adams View Tour. Mt. Adams is the 2 nd tallest mountain in the Northwest at 12,276 ft. – only Mt. Rainier is taller. We drove north to the town of Trout Lake, WA and got this great view of Mt. Adams. Outside of Trout Lake we drove into the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and stopped at an ice cave. We only went as far as the bottom of the stairs as it was very cold and dark in the cave. This ice cave is a lava tube that has an ice floor, ice stalactites, and masses of ice throughout. Although much seasonal melting occurs, these persist throughout the year. This occurs because the lower eastern end of the cave acts as a trap to retain heavy cold air which has settled into the cave during the winter. It served as the ice supply for the towns of Hood River and The Dalles during the pioneer days. East of Trout Lake we stopped along the Klickitat River Gorge and ate a picnic lunch. The scenery ...