Wednesday, June 19, 2013

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Local ice cave draws in crowds
Posted: 01.29.2013 at 4:48 AM
Updated: 01.29.2013 at 8:45 AM
Gabrielle Mays

Weekend Anchor/Reporter

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EBEN -- It's a three-quarter mile trek from the parking lot and through the woods to get to the Eben Ice Caves. Once you are there, many say the hike is well worth the wait.

Originally from Wisconsin, Ben Tyriver and his family are spending the afternoon at the ice caves.

"She's a trooper! It's definitely not an easy trail, but it's definitely well worth it. There's no shortage of things to do in the northwoods, and my wife found out about it through word of mouth, and this is definitely one not to miss," said Tyriver.

Heidi and Tim Swajanen own a part of the land that is within a decent walking distance to the Eben Ice Caves.

Once you make it to the caves, you can be adventurous and even walk through them.

"This is like the main flow for the ice caves, and you come here in the summer time, and this is like a waterfall coming down right here. It creates a spring that goes down to Silver Creek," said Tim Swajanen.

Winters with the heaviest amount of snowfall create the best ice caves.

"They're formed primarily from the springs that are above and then from the melt off from the snows that we get," Tim said.

This year the ice caves are becoming much more family friendly with the addition of portable restrooms and a hot dog stand...just in case you get a little hungry after that long trek from the caves.

"After several knocks on the door asking directions or asking to use our bathroom, we thought, you know, there's so many people out here. Let's try and just make it convenient for them so they can come out here and just relax and not have to rush back to town," said Heidi Swajanen.

The owners say mid-February is the best time to visit the caves because that is when the ice becomes more blue in color.

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