Lava Tubes

From my Seattle friends, I've heard of amazing caving experience they've had not far from Seattle. The decision has been made. The originally planned road trip to the famous Long Beach at the South West boarder of Washington with Oregon was expanded to include a day drive Mt. St. Helens - the home for Ape Cave.

Ape Cave is the third-longest continuous lava tube in US and one of the longest in the world (3,976 m). About 2000 years ago during the basalt flows, it hardened on the outside. When it drained, hot gases melted the inside surface again, creating stalactites on the ceiling and leaving flow marks on the sides.


This was the first time in my life when I've experienced a hike in a complete pitch black darkness for over 2 hours. The temperature in the cave was around 5 degrees (Celsius). There were 3 of us. To remember it better, we stopped for a minute somewhere about an 1-2km deep in the cave, turned off our flashlights and listened. All I could hear was teammates breathing, water dripping and a slight breeze of air. The experience was unforgettable.


Above is the basalt ceiling of the cave.

The tunnel, previously river of lava.


Fallen ceiling - stones over 2 meters each.

A first glimpse of a light we saw after 2 hours. It was not the exit yet.

I highly recommend this cave as an easy hike without the need for a guide. Recommendations: flashlights, extra batteries, warm clothes, good flash for pictures.

Links:
http://lewisriver.com/apecave.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ape_Cave
St. Helens: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mt._St._Helens