Jen and I took a short trip over to Vancouver Island to hang out with some of her family for a few days and keep things chill while my ankle heals up for a minor tweak. While we were there we decided to head up to Horne Lake and get a guided tour of the Riverbend Cave with Martin and Paige.
I actually went down this cave twenty years ago (when our guide was three, as best I could tell), and it was every bit as awesome as I remember—lots of tight crawling, rappelling, ladders, and the most incredible calcite formations I’ve ever seen.
If you find yourself on Vancouver Island with a day to kill and want to check out something absolutely amazing, I cannot recommend it enough.
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_011.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_019.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_007.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_023.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_024.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_029.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_040.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_051.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_057.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_058.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_074.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_079.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_089.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_100.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_101.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_102.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_107.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_108.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_115.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_118.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_122.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_124.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_127.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_129.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_130.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_131.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_146.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_158.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_161.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_170.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_173.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_180-1.jpg)
![](https://www.adamriser.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AR_20230903_Riverbend_Cave_186.jpg)