Monday, August 23, 2010

We Had a Blast!!!

On Saturday, my family came down from Olympia to join the four of us on a day trip to the south side of Mt. St. Helens. We started out at the Ape Cave. Grammy held back for a few minutes to stop a woman who was trying to bring her dog into the cave (inside her backpack). Grammy took no excuses & told her the sign specifically said NO DOGS or ALCOHOL. Grammy gave her the 'eyes' & the woman stayed back. Don't mess with Grammy. If Grammy's dog isn't allowed in the cave, neither is yours.

We compared ourselves to this diagram. Happy to report we were prepared cavers.

Entrance to Ape Cave


Tip: Bring gloves & a hat!

There was a lot of dripping water & our fingers were COLD (the cave is 42* year round).


The end of the cave.


Nas & the Lahar Riverbed




Matty in the riverbed.

The clouds finally parted so we could get a mountain shot.


Next we hiked down to the Lahar Canyon.

Tip: Wear sturdy tennis shoes. We saw a couple of people biff it wearing flip flops.

Danger was everywhere!

The scenery was beautiful!


Suspension bridge! Some of us liked it more than others!

If you go: Bring $5 for a day parking pass. The cave & Lahar Canyon are free. Parking is not.

Bring lanterns/flashlights. If you don't have any, lanterns are available for rent at the cave entrance.

Also: Mt. St. Helens is a 'pack it in/pack it out' park. There are no garbage cans.
To get there: Exit 21 (Woodland) off of I-5. Travel east on SR 503 to Forest Service Road 83. Turn left on FSR 8303 & follow the signs.
We came home and Omid made the most delicious shish kabobs for
dinner (as we were starving!).

3 comments:

The Rinkels said...

That scenery is beautiful. Great pics! I'm glad you didn't literally "have a blast" while exploring the volcano. : )

p.s. can't wait to see your television debut!

Chris and Sarah said...

That looks like an AWESOME day trip! That cave reminds me of the one we just went to in Bend, but we've never been to the Ape Cave. I'm doin' it!

Unknown said...

How nice Erin joon. I am happy you enjoyed everything.