Ape Caves — Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013

South Cascades > Mount St. Helens

We stayed at a cabin near Mt St Helens for the weekend, and on the way home, visited the Ape Caves. Pretty drive, though much of the fall color is on the ground now. Easy to find and toilets near the parking lot. Short walk up a paved path to the entrance to the (shorter) lower cave. Great hike for any type of day, hot or cold, sun or rain. Lots of metal stairs down (and up) and we were really glad we were prepared. It was a free day so we didn't need to use our Forest Pass. There are two caves, the lower is the easier of the two and is 3/4 mile down and back (1 1/2 miles total) and the upper cave is 1 1/2 miles and is more difficult (3 miles total). You return above ground on a trail if you do the upper cave. When I lose weight I want to go back and do the more difficult cave! Here's what made a comfortable hike: -water-resistant coat (lots of dripping in the cave and about 42 degrees F) -good solid footwear (I wore Keen-type sandals, but wish I had my hiking boots for ankle support) -the best part was our lighting (we each had a mini flashlight...this was vital for seeing where I was stepping, the large lantern and flashlight really didn't do much to light our path, thought we could see parts of the walls and ceilings, but there's really no way to light up the entire cave so you can walk in "daylight"...we really benefited from the individual flashlights...and loved having the camera flash to see the walls and ceiling!) -empty your bladder before the hike! My 13 year old son didn't have any trouble navigating his way, but as an overweight 45 year old mom, I found it a little hard on my knees and ankles. We were very slow compared to other groups we encountered...we spent about 45 minutes each way. I can't believe we hiked a mile and a half in the dark! This was a great experience! We'll never look at caves the same way again!