Day 2 - September 4, 2002 Last updated: 9/24/02 1:00pm PT
Day two was on Hwy. 503. First stop was at Ape Cave, which got it’s name because it leads to a geologically sealed off part of the planet that is dominated by giant talking apes. 🙂 But seriously, it was named after the boy scout troop that was the first to explore it from end to end in 1952. It is estimated to be about 2000 years old. Ape Cave is a lava tube that was formed when a lava stream cooled on top and hardened as the lava kept flowing underneath. We went on a guided tour with a park ranger, but you can rent a lantern and explore on your own. It was extremely dark. Take at least two sources of light in case one goes out.
After Ape Cave we stopped for a picnic lunch at the Trail of Two Forests. There is a short trail here that takes you past an old lava flow that flowed over and around trees. The trees are gone, but holes remain in the lava, showing exactly where the trees once stood.
Along the southern route, you’ll see many remnants of the blast from 1980. (It was sunny, that’s my excuse for the scrunchy face)
Near the Windy Ridge Visitor’s Center is the Harmony Viewpoint. We hiked a trail from the road down to what use to be Spirit Lake. There is a lake there today, but it not exactly in the same place, or at the same elevation that it was prior to 1980. There use to be a resort here. Now there are a lot of dead trees. The hike down is easy, but be prepared for the steep climb back up (rises 600 feet in elevation). The last picture is of Mount St. Helens, with Spirit Lake in the foreground.
