Sand Cave and White Rocks Revisted

To end 2012 we took another hike to Sand Cave and White Rocks.  This was my third trip and J's second trip.  It was a cool 26 degrees when we parked the car and headed up the trail.  When we made it about one mile we started seeing snow along the trail.  By the time we were two miles into the hike the trail was completely covered in snow.  Luckily there was only 2-3 inches of snow.

The greatest treat of hiking in the snow is the multitude of animal tracks that you see.  We saw coyote, fox, and deer tracks.  We also saw what we are both convinced were bear tracks.

 Standing inside the cave and looking out at the waterfall is a great treat.

Even after three hikes to the cave, I'm still amazed by the scale.

Looking out from the back of the cave is always a beautiful sight.  This trip it was made all the better by the ice and snow covering all the trees.

When we made it to White Rocks we quickly discovered that the trail between the rocks was impassable or at least very unsafe because of ice.  It was like trying to climb a frozen waterfall.

Luckily I remembered seeing hikers taking a different route to the top on a previous trip.  After a minor scramble through a rhododendron thicket we were greeted by a beautiful view.  There was fog visible between the mountains off in the distance.

I love hiking new trails, but sometimes hiking a trail I have hiked before in a different season can be just as exciting.