Читать книгу Day Hikes in the Pacific Northwest - Don J. Scarmuzzi - Страница 13

7	APE CAVE LOOP

ELEVATION: 2480 ft, with 400 ft vertical gain plus 200 ft more for the lower cave

DISTANCE: 4¼ mi round-trip loop including the lower cave spur

DURATION: 2½ hours round-trip

DIFFICULTY: Mix of easiest (gentle slope and wide trails at ground level, obvious route in/out of caves, wide mellow lower cave, headlamp required) and moderate for the upper cave alone (sharp volcanic rock, steep navigating, brief rope support provided, narrow at times, multiple lights recommended)

TRIP REPORT: Spelunking for miles through an underground lava tube near the climber’s TH for Mount St. Helens is certainly not your average day hike! The very best time is on the hottest summer days as the temperature stays a constant 42 degrees Fahrenheit year-round in the tube! Remember to bring a jacket, hat, and gloves. Also bring solid hiking shoes for the magma and multiple flashlights per person including a headlamp. If it’s raining outside, then it may also be raining within the tube. The upper cave, although rated as moderate, is not for people with a fear of enclosed places, the elderly, babies, and very small children.

Most folks, however, have no problem with the lower cave and the trail that follows the entire tube above ground. No dogs either way. Ape Headquarters is the TH located between the upper and lower caves. The only other entrance into the tube is from the top and so it makes for a great loop in either direction. Here we descend the tube from the top as it seems a touch easier and with better anticipation! The tube is open year-round, but a closed gate in winter moves the TH back almost a mile on the road to Trail of Two Forests TH (Washington Sno-Park Pass and snowshoes required). Ape Headquarters is open mid-June through Labor Day (10 a.m.–5 p.m.), then weekends through September; guided tours and lanterns are offered for a fee. One more noteworthy option from Ape Headquarters TH is Volcano View Trail heading NW from the parking lot ¾ mi up 400 ft through woods (for shade) to a paved viewpoint (also accessible from farther up FR-8303). Northwest Forest Pass required, and restrooms are present.

TRAILHEAD: Ape Headquarters. Take I-5 N from Portland to exit 21 (Woodland/Mount St. Helens), turn right on Lewis River Road (WA-503) 28 mi to Cougar, then into rougher FR-90 at exactly 31 mi from I-5. Continue 3½ mi more (1 mi past seeing Swift Dam from the highway and third consecutive reservoir passed). Turn left on signed FR-83 N for 1¾ mi. Turn left on FR-8303 (small brown sign) for 1 mi to the large parking lot on the right (65 mi, 1½ hours from Portland).

ROUTE: Walk the main trail a hundred yards to the information kiosk at the lower entrance to the lava tube. Continue to the right on Ape Cave Trail 239 aboveground to warm up with a brief hike before cooling off. Travel the wide trail N through trees and sizable openings crossing magma fields a bit steeper at times. One short spur path around a lava field early on will provide a great shot of the top of Mount St. Helens in the same direction (N). Enjoy the unusual landscape with more surprises and after around 1¼ mi and 30 minutes you’ll reach the upper cave entrance with less fanfare. In fact, you will barely notice the opening except for a sign and the steel ladder.

After a nice picnic, layer up for your subterranean trek and begin down the steep ladder into the darkness of the upper cave. Unlike what many people may think, the lava tube was formed almost 2000 years ago and was not at all affected by the explosion on Mount St. Helens in 1980. Although Ape Cave is impressive, the longest lava tube in the world is the Kazumura Cave in Hawaii at almost 41 mi! Walk S as you immediately realize this is no ordinary cave. It’s 1½ mi and about 45 minutes to the main cave entrance, so take your time. After more than ¼ mi you pass the only skylight (besides the cave entrances) far too high to escape, but notice how the moss and ferns grow into the cave only as far as the light penetrates.

Meatball in the lower cave is simple to reach but only with abundant lighting!

The ceiling appears white for a ways, then the walls, too, as the tube narrows for a few feet. The cave widens again and the floor might be wet for a bit as you also must work down magma boulders (hiking gloves help) over a couple sets of steep lava falls. It does in fact funnel down quite narrowly with help from a fixed rope on one little 8-ft section. Then you hike over a few sets of rock piles where ceiling collapses have occurred and end up in a large section that’s very wide and tall just before the metal staircase and sign at the main entrance juncture.

The lower cave is very easy and only ¾ mi long with gradual elevation change as you notice the interesting formations including a large boulder, known as the “meatball,” wedged in a narrow section about halfway. For the most part, the floor is much smoother than the upper cave and it stays fairly spacious until the tube tapers down to the end where you must crawl if you wish to explore the last few feet. Return the same way and ascend the metal staircase that turns to stone near the entrance at the information kiosk.