Well, QP mentioned the hidden ice caves in TomT latest post and I didn't want to hijack the thread.

What are these hiden ice caves? I'll take all rumor, inuendo and speculation

Just like it sounds ... holes in the ground with "perpetual" ice. In some cases, calling them caves could be a stretch, but still an interesting phenomenon.

Many years ago, QP told me about the existence of one of those on a more northern lake ... long enough ago that I don't' remember if it was Sturgeon or Jean ... I'll have to recheck my old trip maps to see. But whichever, I didn't find it. Thus, the label "hidden" I suppose.

dd

Rumor has it located somewhere on Emerald. Never found it only heard of it. Seems there was a post on the CCBB that mentoned it back several years ago.
qp

I will have to look at my map book, but I think I have one marked up by Ted or Joyce that was given to me by a very experienced outfitter / guide.

I would like to check one of those out, Ted/Joyce area is probably within next years trip. Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks

Jeff

the only other info I could find on them indicates that they are caves that hold ice longer than normal ice out, but not indefintely. Probably best to find them before mid june?

This makes more sense to me because a normal cave has a pretty steady temp that is well above freezing.

Still, I like to have trip goals and wouldn't mind trying to find one.

I have heard there is one on Burt. Jeep LaTourell told us back when he was young (he's in his 70's these days) he and his dad would haul in loads of canned food and stash them in a cave in the McIntyre Lake area (if I remember right). I think they did this right after ice out. Then when they guided in the summer they wouldn't have to carry so much food.

It's threads like these that keep me checking in on this site

I've been in a cave in Quetico, in May, and it did have ice in it. Not sure if it is technically an "ice cave".

Get out your maps...

Quetico Lake, the southern long arm (the one that goes almost exactly E-W). See where Robin Lake, to the south of it, has portages to two seperate bays on Quetico. The eastern portages leads to a long, sheltered bay that connects to Quetico, but almost looks like it could be its own lake. The place where that bay connects to Quetico, there are two penninsulas touching the narrow opening. The western penninsula, has a great campsite (with an old trapper's cabin on it), right there at the mouth. Now, from that site, if you walk or paddle along the shore of the bay (not of the larger lake) headed west (so, the north shore of the bay, if you will), somewhere along there not too far from the campsite, is a cave, just above water level. You can climb about 10 feet into it, maybe 20.