This weekend, Brett and I decided to drive north and hike Ape Cave near Mount St. Helens. Ape Cave was discovered in 1947 and was formed 2,000 years ago during an eruption of the volcano. The official cave information explains the formation in this way: “About 2,000 years ago, fluid basaltic lava poured down the southern flank of the volcano. As the lava flowed, chunks of the lava’s surface cooled, crashed and fused together creating a hardened crust. In turn, the crust insulated the molten lava beneath, allowing it to remain fluid and travel down to the Lewis River Valley.

The hot flowing lava began melting into the pre-existing rock and soil. This thermal erosion deepened and widened the channel of the flow. The level of lava in the tube rose and fell as the eruption surged and slowed, contributing to the unique contours of the walls.

During this eruptive period, hot fluid lava pulsed through the tube for months, possibly up to a year, until the eruption subsided. As a result of this rare eruption, a spectacular 13,042 foot (3976m) long lava tube, the third longest in North America, was created.”

We weren’t expecting it to be so busy as it’s nearing the end of the season but the lot was crawling with visitors. In an effort to avoid the loud, boisterous groups we opted to hike above-ground to the upper entrance to the cave and hike the Upper Cave instead of the easier, more-traveled Lower Cave. This entrance was literally a hole in the ground with a ladder descending into the darkness. I made the statement that if at any point I had to get on my belly and crawl, we were turning around and returning from whence we came! Off we went. What an eerie feeling being underground with nothing but a flashlight to show you the way. There were several rock piles that had to be climbed over which was a little tricky, but not too bad. Actually, if I’d been able to see more, I probably would’ve been more scared but what you can’t see clearly isn’t that bad! The worst part by far was what they call Lava Fall which is literally a wall of lava. An 8-foot wall of lava and there’s no way around it. Since we were traveling “down” we had to go down the wall. I literally broke into tears at the thought of falling. I mean, where was I supposed to put my feet? There was a foothold about 2/3 of the way down and to the right. Brett went first, literally sliding until he got to the foothold while grasping with his hands. I came down next and with his helpful coaxing (and a helpful hand) was able to make it down. Looking back I can’t believe I did it. A huge benefit of the lava was it afforded many grips and holds regular rock wouldn't. That being said, it wasn’t enough to comfort me at the 8-foot wall.

It was really a lot of fun - a very exhilarating experience. Next time I’ll take more pictures. It was hard to hold my flashlight, scramble over rocks and take pictures at the same time! Also, my camera was acting up. Apparently it doesn’t like being underground! It’s not natural. And, to any of you wondering, we did not have any Bigfoot sitings - or smellings - though there were plenty of ledges on which he could’ve been hiding.