MIGHTYKILLERS®

ice caves

COLD

Lifestyle.Comment

Life is cold AF. 

I don't know when it starts or what prepares us for it, but there's a moment when you realize that shit starts to get real. You're standing there faced with this giant cave of uncertainty. As you enter, a cold draft of emotions smacks you in the face. It hits you, and you realize that gust is everything from excitement to fear. 

These are the moments I really enjoy because they're what truly define us in the end. The destination is never where we learn our lessons, but rather the journey. As we move through the cave, we follow a path that we hope will eventually lead us out. And in the end, it always does as long as we keep moving forward. When we make it out we're greeted by bright skies and the winding roads of the mountain side. As we're cruising we look forward towards the sea of green in front us.

"The destination is never where we learn our lessons, but rather the journey." 

Much like staring at a vast forest- families, relationships, and careers can all be extremely daunting. But these are the moments where you take a step back and simply enjoy the view. Because at the end of the day, you might find yourself standing on a pier staring out to the horizon watching the day break. You won't know how you got there, but it doesn't matter because the snow will be untouched, the water still, and everything perfect. 

The Last Cave

TravelConnor Surdi1 Comment

I guess I should introduce myself first....My name is Connor Surdi and I am a photographer from Seattle, WA. This photo trip was a bit difficult to say the least....I left to hike Pilchuck around 2AM. But - as soon as I was about .6 miles away from the trailhead, the road was blocked with fallen trees and bushes. So I had to find a cool place to go to and some place that was easy to get to by sunrise....And the Big Four Ice Caves was about 40 minutes down the road! So - I ended up driving there and walking in the dark with a terrible spotlight until I reached the caves...Or shall I say, Cave..Since the other 3 have already melted away.  I fell asleep and set an alarm for the sunrise but...I was so cozied up in my sleeping bag, I woke up, saw the sunrise, made a mental photo of it and then just went back to sleep. Do I regret it? Yes, it was a beautiful orange hue with fluffy clouds. I'll just go back another day, no problem!  As soon as I woke up again a few hours later, Skye and I just walked around the caves and even went in for a few minutes. This cave is melting quick and it's not safe at all to go inside of it but......I got some cool photos out of it and I'm still alive so I can call that a mission success. After shooting inside the cave and outside with the smoke grenades, we walked over to the little waterfall area and just enjoyed the sun beating down on us while we tried to warm up from the icy cave earlier.  I thought it would be a good idea to try and climb up onto the big rock and take a photo of me...But man I didn't realize how difficult that would be! Nearly killed myself but hey, I have a cool photo so it was worth it. After we walked around that area..It was time to go home. My second trip to the Ice caves was definitely worth it! Until next time.

Cave Dwellers

Travel.Comment
bigfour.jpg

Exploration with friends is always a good time, but exploring won your own is something that everyone should experience.

Recently, I took a spontaneous trip by myself to visit the Big Four Ice Caves in Granite Falls Washington. I'm not sure what cam over me to venture on something so out of my norm. Maybe it was the constant reminder on Instragram that there is something bigger out there beside my mundane 9-5 lifestyle. Or maybe it was the the excitement of not knowing what adventures a "fuck it" mentality might bring

Once I landed in Seattle,  I rentred a car and took off driving in whatever direction the GPS told me. The weather conditions were perfect for my first time, and exactly how I pictured the weather in the Pacific Northwest to be. Everything was covered in a low rolling fog that sat just above the tree line. Pockets of clouds would clear up every so often; allowing you to see the mountain range bend it. 

I got to the ice caves and quickly realized that pictures simply don't do it justice. The sheer size of the cave is amazing. I was stuck starring at it; wondering how the different layers of ice are layered and carved so perfectly. Its easy to say that the ice caves left me in awe, and gave me confidence that I did not need to rely on anyone to go out and experience something this great. 

The journey is not the most difficult part of travel, but rather getting yourself up to actually start it. Everyone has obligations on a day-to-day basis, but finding time to for personal growth through exploring could have you coming back with a whole new perspective on things.