Hey guys.
Since moving into the house, we’ve been super busy emptying boxes and painting walls (all in varying shades of off white!). This weekend however was a national holiday weekend – Memorial Day. So, we decided to go to the southern side of Mt St Helens, the side which is still slightly in tact.
The drive up there was fantastic, passing a series of lakes all surrounded by mountains covered in Evergreen trees.
We made our way to the Ape Caves – tunnels underneath the ground which were formed by lava thousands of years ago. We needed lots of torches (or flashlights for the American followers) and although the tunnels were only 1.5 miles long it took us nearly 2 hours to get through. This was mainly due to the huge piles of rock fall that we had to climb over and the sheer rock faces we had to climb up.It was so cool and damp down in the tunnels that when we came out the other side, the heat and dry air really hit you. Although it was warm where we came out of the tunnels, due to the altitude there was still a lot of snow. It seemed strange walking through snow in shorts and a t-shirt.
On the way back down we stopped off for a picnic and some paddling at Yale Lake.
It was pretty challenging climbing through the caves; I was glad that the only ape I encountered was this one!
Love Liz (and Ed)
