PURE IMAGINATION CAVE

You are viewing the Pure Imagination Cave on Mt. Hood. I wanted to visit the cave after I viewed a photo online, so I started doing research. One of the first findings were suggested times to visit; cooler months when the cave is frozen, lessening both rockfall and cave collapse potential...it was early Fall and warm. I kept with my plan to make a visit and would surmise the situation upon nearing the entrance. A friend and I arrived at the entrance, it was 50' in diameter, way bigger than I had imagined. There was constant rockfall from up high on the glacier, cascading down to the overhang, and dumping rocks in front of the entrance. Damn. I looked at my friend and asked, "what do you think about putting our helmets on, and individually making a charge into the cave?" He replied, "I guess." I went first, and my friend watched closely. You couldn't run, the boulders on the ground were the size of garbage cans, but you could keep a steady pace with your head down, hearing the rocks land all around you. I made it inside and my buddy followed suit; he too made it in safely. Yes, dumb idea.

Now we were in the cave and my mind had a hard time grasping what I was witnessing; we were encapsulated in ancient ice, the textures, the glow, a creek flowing from the back, a waterfall flowing from the top, over the exit, a sunset, it was big, it was powerful, and the noise, the noise was almost defining from the water, the sound had no where to go and neither did we. I understood instantly why it was called "The Pure Imagination Cave."