Northern Colorado Grotto

On August 5, 2006, Jess and I hopped into the car and headed to the White River Plateau for a much-anticipated trip to Lasunder Cave. After a few pit stops (coffee, bagels, and gasoline) we were finally on the road and heading out of Boulder.

On August 5, 2006, Jess and I hopped into the car and headed to the White River Plateau for a much-anticipated trip to Lasunder Cave. After a few pit stops (coffee, bagels, and gasoline) we were finally on the road and heading out of Boulder. Since the traffic was light, we were able to make excellent time and arrived at the trailhead around 9:30. After scrutinizing our water and battery needs we headed to the pit toilet for an obligatory stop and laced up our boots for what was advertised as a two hour hike to the cave.

After no more than 100 yards of hiking, we removed our boots and socks to wade across Deep Creek. The water was a bit fast moving, but the crossing wasn't too dangerous and the cool water felt refreshing on our feet. Once safely across the creek, we put our shoes back on and began hiking in earnest. After an hour and a half and a few short breaks we began hiking up the talus slopes that formed the canyon wall in search of the entrance to Lasunder Cave.

Another three hours passed while we searched around the cliffs and slippery talus slopes that lined the canyon. General fatigue was beginning to set in just as Randy announced that he had found a route that accessed the entrance. We all changed into our cave gear and headed into Lasunder.

We passed walls dripping with bat guano and dusty piles of pat rack poop in the main entrance room before we reached the locked gate that separates the entrance from the mile or so of cave passage beyond it. Stalactites hung above the pat rack nest near the gate?little did we know how many more formations we were about to see! We crawled past the metal door and into the cave proper. After crawling through several body-sized digs, we stood up to find that Lasunder is mostly walking passage. We spent a couple of hours caving and taking photos of pillars, stalactites, stalagmites, formations that looked just like sea anemones, soda straws, and other spiky crystals growing at strange angles from the walls and ceiling. What a beautiful cave!

When we got tired of taking pictures, we locked the gate and climbed out of the cave to fresh air and a less potent sun. All that was left was to make our way back to camp. We slid down the loose talus slopes with rocks bashing the backs of our ankles and slipping out from under us at every step. When we finally made it to the bottom of the slope, we hiked along the rolling path next to the creek for more than an hour under a light patter of rain with sharp rocks in our shoes. We crossed the creek again and said our goodbyes, ready to be asleep already. We drove into Eagle to wolf down a late dinner and made it home safely despite the dark, high-speed curves of I-70 and our utter exhaustion. We took showers and crashed into bed, to fall asleep instantly.

In retrospect, Lasunder was worth five miles of hiking on slippery talus slopes with sharp rocks in our shoes, not enough water, only a little bit of cheese and fruit leather to eat, and heavy backpacks. We got some great photos of its incredible formations and had a really satisfying day underground.