Today we explored Washington and ventured into the Mount St. Helens National Forest (it took us about 1 1/2 hours to get there from SW Portland). Our first stop was the Ape Cave Lava Tube which was "formed when the surface of a lava flow cooled and hardened, but the molten lava beneath the surface continued to flow. This cave is the longest continuous lava tube in the continental United States." The lava tube was formed by an eruption of Mount St. Helens 1,900 years ago.
Today we explored the lower cave which is much more doable than the challenging upper cave which is 1.5 miles long and requires climbing over large piles of rocks.
My sweet boys.
The cave hovers around a chilly 42 degrees so we brought warm clothing. It's also completely "black" inside so flashlights and headlamps are a must.
Climbing into the cave...or should I say "running". The boys don't walk, they run...everywhere.
Pitch black.
Exiting the cave and still going strong!
The end of the cave...the kids had to belly crawl to reach the end.
Cave dwelling...the perfect pastime for boys. They loved it!
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