2024 Summer Trip - Hiking Ape Caves and others with the Washington Flowers - 2024/07/05

Visiting my brother and his family in Washington this summer. Washington is has such beautiful forests and mountains. There's great hiking and my brother found a really fun one for us! 

We all piled into the car and drove up towards Mount St. Helens. Crossing a one-lane bridge. 

Here we are in the Mount St. Helens area. 

But specifically Ape Cave! 

Luckily we've got reservations and found a spot to park in the upper lot. 

Jon made sure we had plenty of illumination. 

Wiping off our shoes so we can protect the local bats. 

And here we are! Ape Cave! It's a lava-tube cave (makes sense near Mount St Helens) that is the third longest in North America! 

Down we go! This is exciting! 

There were manufactured stairs leading down into the cave.

But once we got to the bottom, all signs of man-made things disappeared. I loved this part about it! For the other caves we've visited, we've either had a guide, paved pathways, or both. This one, we are all on our own! 

There's two directions you can go when you enter here. Either a relatively flat 3/4 mile hike. Or a 1.5 mile uphill hike climbing and scrambling over boulders. The longer route is less traveled and that's definitely the direction we're going. 

It's summertime here in Washington and we are hot outside. It's low 90s up above. But down in the cave, it's a constant 42F! That's a bit chilly! Cold enough for coats! 

We didn't see many people in the direction we went, which meant there were many times we were able to stop and have everyone turn out their lights. It was crazy being so dark that you couldn't see your hand when it's inches in front of your face. 

Seeing parts of the more exposed lava pieces. 

And these things that look like melted rock icicles on the ceiling. 

Some parts of the cave were wide open. 

And others were narrow enough that you had to squeeze through it. 

Definitely some loose rocks that can make for precarious travel. Theresa ended up scraping some ankle bones. 

There's one place along the route where a vent-hole pokes through to the surface. 

Really fun hike Jon and Jess! Thanks for recommending it! 

To get out, there is a ladder that leads to the surface. 

And out we come! 

Time to strip off all that extra clothing. It's hot up here! 

It's a 1.5 mile hike above the ground to the parking lot. Crazy to think about what is below us that we don't even know about. 

Brushing off those feet again before we go. 

Another park that is nearby is walking around Battle Ground Lake. 

The path is fun, but horses are allowed. That meant that it is literally covered in horse poo all over the place. Watch your step...

A giant field where they've mowed and bundled some hay. 

Good hike! 

But tiring I suppose. 

We'd head to the Battle Ground Lake hike often after dinner. 

Emma and Jess are getting ready to hike Pikes Peak later this summer, so all this hiking is good practice. 

Another after dinner hike. 

Catching a mama deer and her fawn. 

I was trying to get Jess out to help me build a hay fort, but she didn't get back out there with us. Instead, Alli and I put together something quick. 

Cool to see all the wildlife here. 

Our last hike in Washington at Moulton Falls. 

Jess noticed these salmonberries growing alongside the pathway. 

Ripe and ready!

We tried a few and they were tart but tasty! Now Ian is on a mission to provide snacks for everyone! 

We made it to the Moulton Falls Bridge. It was a beautiful hike next to the East Fork Lewis River. We saw many beautiful houses with backyards overlooking the river. I'm sure it's beautiful in the fall and winter. 

There was a sign that said No Jumping, not that any of us were tempted to dive off. 

Fun times! 

On the way back, Jess came close to a little snake on the path. 

Scoot along little snake. 

And Ian had plenty of berries for us to enjoy on the way home!