VERLOT — The Big Four Ice Caves trail reopened Friday for the first time since a deadly collapse of the caves last July.
The Mountain Loop Highway reopened at Deer Creek, about 12 miles east of Verlot, after its annual winter closure. The ice caves trail reopened as well.
The U.S. Forest Service closed the trail, one of the most-popular destinations in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, after part of the caves collapsed on July 6. A brother and sister were killed. Anna Santana, 34, of Moreno Valley, California, died at the scene from blunt force trauma. David Santana, 25, of Lynnwood, died Oct. 9 of his injuries.
The siblings were the third and fourth deaths at the ice caves since 1998. Grace Tam, an 11-year-old from Marysville, died in 2010 when a chunk of ice broke off and struck her while she was standing about 20 feet from the caves. Catherine Shields, a 27-year-old from Bothell, died in 1998 when snow and ice collapsed on her.
The ice caves are alluring, with their distinctive beauty and the cool, fresh drafts of air that drift out from the mouths of the caves. However, the Forest Service cautions that they are dangerous and should be viewed from a safe distance on the designated trail.
Workers recently put up new safety signs along the trail. They warn visitors not to stray from the path and to beware of avalanches, falling rocks, holes and fissures in snowfields and collapsing caves or ice fall. Those are “common hazards at the base of Big Four Mountain,” according to the bright orange signs.
“Danger!” the signs read in big, capital letters. “Ice caves kill.”
The ice caves draw an estimated 50,000 visitors each year, with hundreds of hikers and picnickers on sunny weekend days, but it’s not the only attraction on the Loop beyond Deer Creek. There are eight other destinations, including more hiking trails, campgrounds and picnic areas, Darrington District Ranger Peter Forbes said. Some have multiple trails that branch off from the same trailhead.
Snohomish County manages the gate at Deer Creek. Crews close it in November or December, depending on how much snow the area gets. The gate usually reopens by early May, once the snows have paused for spring and summer and crews can clear downed trees and other damage from winter storms.
The road is clear, but many trails remain partially covered in snow, Forbes said. This winter saw near-normal snowfall in the Cascade Range, and Forbes expects that higher elevations, including Big Four Mountain, would have seen regular avalanches over the last six months. The ice caves are formed each year when warm air currents eat away at the piled snow from those avalanches, clearing caverns in the ice.
Snow still clings to the north slopes of the mountains, Forbes said.
“They’re going to continue holding snow,” he said. “But surprisingly, at the lower elevations, the snow is coming off pretty quickly.”
Snowpack up high means there’s still a risk of avalanches at Big Four and on other trails that come up to the base of mountains. Hikers should check the Northwest Avalanche Center’s website, nwac.us, for forecasts and danger ratings — high, medium or low risk of avalanches — before they go, Forbes said.
“It kind of depends on where you go,” he said. “The message there is be prepared for the weather and the trail conditions that you’re likely to experience.”
Warm weather in April helped compact and stabilize snow at high elevations, according to the avalanche center’s forecast for this weekend. Some surface melting and softening of snow on steep slopes, particularly those that get sunlight, could happen on Sunday. People should be cautious of wet snow and small avalanches that could precede larger, more destructive ones. The forecast recommends avoiding areas below gullies or along ridges and summits.
“We advise folks to know where they’re going and if they’re going into an avalanche area, and Big Four is one of those areas,” Forbes said. “You’ve got a big mountain up there.”
Forbes also reminds drivers to be cautious on the 14-mile unpaved stretch of the Mountain Loop from Barlow Pass toward Darrington. Many areas are only wide enough for one vehicle at a time to get by, so drive slowly and pull over for oncoming cars, he said.
More information on the Big Four Ice Caves and other trails along the Mountain Loop is available at the Verlot Ranger Station. The station is open Saturdays and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com
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