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March 9 & 10th, 2002 Heather Meadows, Mt Baker What do you do when the forecast is for mountain storms and you still want to get outside?

You go snowcaving of course, or at least that's what Mel & I (Mt. Baker Hiking Club Members) and a busload of "friends" with Whatcom County Parks decided to do on the March 9 & 10th weekend.

After we arrived at the Mount Baker Heather Meadows trailhead we were welcomed by a glorious sunbreak of warmth and vibrant light.

The deep new snow and jutting wind sculpted ice cornices were magnificent. Within about five minutes however a gentle breeze drew a thin veil of snow crystals over the sun. This quickly became increasingly stronger and as I write this account five days later, it still continues to blow and snow up there.

Mel and I and about another 10 fellow snowcavers made our way around the western edge of the ski area boundary before setting out across the deep, soft and untracked snow.

The snow was so fresh and soft that the sleds we hauled, in addition to our backpacks, slid along merrily in an instantly formed trench that was deeper than the high piles of winter camping gear that were piled on them.

Like shadowy dwarves following the elusive Snowwhite we made our way to a perfectly steep slope not far from the historic and nearly buried Heather Meadows Lodge.

Here we quickly formed into groups of two to four and began burrowing into the snowy slopes.

Before long we all discovered the ice layers of the now infamous February rains that had reached high up the slopes of Mount Baker.

With shovels only able to make small chips we resorted to sharing the few ice saws that we had among us.

Nightfall found everyone with a cave to call home though no two displayed any similarity at all. From condo to gothic pillar, from private compartments to group chamber there was an incredible range of designs.

	With the wind now reaching a fully realized blizzard it was only with the greatest difficulty that we got a couple of stoves sheltered outside to heat water for hydrating meals and bodies.

With a finality emphasized by storm and exhaustion we all settled into the deep comforting slumber that only someone who has slept in a snowcave can believe. There was hardly the barest whisper of wind, or hint of the deep snow that was falling outside.

By morning neither wind or snowfall had improved so with a relaxing pace the various cave groups woke, had breakfast, and packed for a midday departure for home.

Experiencing a noticeable caloric deficit from the intense and difficult excavation of the previous day, a stop at Milanos afforded a refueling with delectables.

After this special experience, we could all see how much work digging a snowcave was but also how incredibly safe and protected we were.

Except for the difficulty of firing up the stoves outside to make hot water, we could all have comfortably spent a number of days with little or no additional work to our safe havens.  I'm sure that Mel enjoyed it so much that he'll be out there the next time a really big storm comes in - right Mel? Bud Hardwick