The Cabin! Pt. 2- The Cave

Hey guys! Ready for an awesome story?? Ok, maybe it's not THAT awesome. But you might like it. :)

So last year while my dad was visiting our cabin he discovered a cave. This is no ordinary cave and it's not in an ordinary spot. It sounded so intriguing to my friends, sister, and I that we had to make the trek over to it this last weekend. I wasn't really sure what I was getting myself into, none of us were...

It started out simple. A hike across a bowl just a mountain peak away from our cabin.

When we got to the other side it was almost straight up on loose rocks and boulders.

From the top you could see for miles. My dad showed us some artifacts he and his friend had collected last time he'd come.

Just as we were about to make our way down the other side of the mountain, a storm blew in. We sought shelter under a wide tree and waited it out. It was a nice break for me since my allergies were making me sneeze up a storm of their own.

The storm blew through quickly and my allergy medicine kicked in soon after. Thank goodness.

Now for the hard part...

The other side of the mountain was no easy hike. When I attempted this first part of the descend I lost my footing and swung around hitting my back into the rock face. It didn't hurt at the time, but now I've got a large bruise.

this is my sister on her way down. 

The second part of the descend was even scarier, (note: this is child's play for the normal rock climber. I am not a rock climber and don't trust the equipment... haha! OH! And we didn't have any fancy equipment anyways. Just rope...) by the time I made it to the bottom I could have kissed the ground.

The cave was so... mysterious. There looks as though a fire has been made inside and it's where my dad found the artifacts, but...

You can't just walk into the cave. Why? Because there is a 50+ ft. shaft at the opening...

My dad and his friend were able to get this tree to reach across the 10 ft. opening, but there was no way any of us were going to cross without some safety gear... So the mystery is- how did someone get across the shaft to make that fire pit? Who made that fire? How did they find this obscure cave to begin with?

The only light we had was the flash on my camera. So we tried getting a picture of the shaft to see if we could catch a glimpse of the bottom. Another question- What would we find at the bottom of this shaft? Do I want to find out??

Here we are at the mouth of the cave.

After resting for a few more minutes, we made our way back up the mountain.

And yes, I'm aware of the complete awkwardness of this photo. But I had to show you proof that I rock climbed outdoors!

Climbing back up was MUCH easier than repelling down.

We made it back to the truck with only minor injuries- bruised knees and backs, cut up ankles, and blisters on some hands. The trip wouldn't have been complete without them. :) haha!

This is one of the most beautiful places I've been to and I'm so lucky to be able to visit it often. I'm so glad we were able to take that adventure and explore more of this beautiful land. (not to mention the fact that we all made it out alive...)

Check back tomorrow to have a tour of our cabin! :)