February Hike – Ape Cave

For our February hike, we drove 3 hours to Ape Cave which is a lava tube located just south of Mount St. Helens.  At 13,042 feet (3,976 m), it is the longest continuous lava tube in the continental United States, in terms of passageway length. We hiked both the lower and upper caves and it was nothing we’ve ever imagined or experienced.  Pretty cool.

Fueling up before we descend into the abyss…


    
We climbed over 27 such boulder piles and scaled an 8 ft high lava wall!!

  
If you turn off your headlight and torchlight, it is pitch black like the background of this picture. You can’t even see your fingers.  Eeerieee..

  
I see light!  I made it!