waterfall

Spelunking Fulford Cave

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A bunch of friends and I went up to do some exploring in Fulford Cave this weekend. We didn’t arrive till late on Friday night and ended up setting up our tents in the dark at the Yeoman Park Campground. We still had enough time in the evening for some s’mores and a few beers though.

We woke up relatively early in the morning. I had my traditional camp breakfast of eggs-in-a-corned-beef-hash-nest. Then we headed up to the cave. The cave entrance is about a mile climb up the side of the hill just outside of Fulford Campground.

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Once you reach the top of the trail there is a culvert that is about two feet in diameter and 75 feet long, with a broken, metal ladder that drops you into the cave.

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The cave has two separate levels. We only explored the lower level this time around but we still spent about three hours underground, in the complete darkness, exploring and climbing around. Getting around is slow while trying to take note on directions to get out. Multiple tight squeezes, rope climbs, slick surfaces, and a bunch of scrambles through mud, water made the cave physically challenging. Fortunately we came prepared for the consistent for 40 degree temperatures inside.

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Thoughts of the recent mining accident, knowing the fact that you are several hundred feet underground, memorizing your way around, and a several minor claustrophobic episodes made the experience mentally challenging as well.

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There were all kinds of cool features inside. The large cathedral-like rooms the Lower Room and the Breakdown Room were probably my favorite areas. But many enjoyed climbing the underground waterfall the most.

There were also plenty of strange geological features.

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After the cave we headed back down to camp for some relaxation under the wide open sky’s of the Holy Cross Wilderness. The caves are a lot of fun for you adventurous types. If your interested in visiting, Margaret Harrison, over at Colorado Caving as a great write-up about the cave. Here is fairly detail Map of Fulford Cave. Also, if you’re not into the cave thing, both the Yeoman Park and Fulford Cave campgrounds are beautifully located in large aspen groves with surrounding beaver ponds and fishable Brush Creek running through it all. It is all located on the edge of the holy cross wilderness and has some great hiking trails to boot.

Hawaii Day 5: Kipu Falls / Honolulu

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Kipu Falls

Pina Coladas On Waikiki

After a late night we slept in as long as we could. We checked out, did a little shopping (unfortunately I was just a little too early to enjoy one of the famous puka dogs), and then headed straight to Kipu Falls. The falls are off in the country a ways and they take a short hike through some cane fields to get to but they are popular with tourists and locals alike. And rightfully so. Besides the natural beauty of the falls there is a giant rope swing and cliff jumps here too. In addition, the swimming hole is really large, mellow and glassy.

After a few jumps and a quick swim we rushed off to the airport changing out of our swimsuits on the way. We puddlejump over to Oahu and were in Waikiki in about three hours.

While in Waikiki we stayed at the gorgeous Sheraton Moana Surfrider. We immediately hit Waikiki Beach for a quick dip, pina coladas, and people watching.

For dinner that night we went to a hidden gem for dinner and drinks (When I remember the name of it I’ll put it here. It was an izakaya style restaurant located in a strip mall next to a Papa Johns. It was super friendly, had like a 15 page menu and authentic gyoza. It was a lot of fun and had a great atmosphere to boot. Most of the locals we talked to were surprised and a bit disappointed we found out about this place (probably because they wanted to keep it to themselves). Our check-out guy told us it was one of his favorites. Go there if you can.

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