Caving In

 We went to the Ape Caves!  The Ape Caves do not in fact contain an ape (unless you count the guy who left a banana peel at the end of the cave); it was discovered by a patrol of Boy Scouts called the Apes.

My brother, being the son of my Dad, is prepared for anything.

We went with packs, water, food, emergency kits, glow sticks (strapped to our packs so as to be undroppable, in case we were separated), hats (water drips constantly from the roof of the cave), jackets (42 degrees year round!) and at least two flashlights and/or headlamps (which was good, because my primary flashlight went out)!

 The caves themselves are ancient lava tubes under Mount St. Helens, and the longest in the US.


They are full of curious formations left by the lava flowing through the tube.

Parts of it were easy walking on level ground, parts of it were a scramble over ankle turning stones embedded in the path.

And parts of it have rock falls where parts of the ceiling have fallen in.

There's a reason we call Klenda "Danger Girl!"




And I did not get sunburned underground!