Monkey Mountain

So, I have known for a VERY long time that Mike and I have completely different opinions on what to do for fun but today was by far the topper!!!!!!
We decided on about Thursday last week that we should do something for fun this weekend since we would all be home and we had an extra day.  I quickly discovered that if you want to go camping on a holiday weekend that you need to plan that far before the day that you want to go.  There was literally not a state camp site open within the State of Washington.  Mike suggested that we go to something called the Ape Caves.  He went years, and I mean years, ago and said it was really fun.  It is only an hour and a half away and it is 1 1/2 miles of caves created from the lava of Mt. St. Helens that you can walk through.  Me, the one who can not stand outdoor activities like hiking, says ok.  Bad move on my part!!!!  I was then told by Megan that it was actually about 3 hours away and as Mike talked about how cool it was more he also leaked more information about what we were doing.  Now to me a 1 1/2 mile walk should take about 30 minutes tops.  No one informed me that we would basically be rock climbing and hiking through the wilderness for close to three hours.  Really,  I like white sand, crystal clear blue water, and sunshine.  I do not like Nature.....  I hate bugs, I can not stand rodents, I jump at the sight of baby snakes and hey bats, now that doesn't make my top ten list of things I like either.   So it is to late for me to do anything but complain for the entire day about what we are doing so we load up the car and head out. 

Alex, Megan, and Jake taking a nap before we even get there.  They had plenty of time.  Keep in mind our 1 1/2 hour drive was converted to 3 hours.

 We were hungry when we arrived.  That is what happens after a long drive.  We had some snacks to fuel up for this upcoming fun filled walk.

 This doesn't look to bad.  It is paved and only a small incline.  Ha Ha, we are barely at the entrance of the park.  Just wait for the fun to come!!!!!!

 Now, you might say that looks like a nice cave.  Oh yes, we walked down the stairs but since Mike had been there before, 15 years ago, he insisted this was not the right entrance so we come back out and decide to hike up hill for the next hour.  Yes, an hour I said and was it ever fun.  There were birds making noise, woodpeckers pecking on trees, and lots of tree stumps and rocks.  Luckily no sightings of rodents, snakes or bats.

 Are we close to the top so we can start our cave walk.  Hell no, we aren't even close.  You can tell because I am still smiling.

 You are seeing correctly,  we are now climbing a steep ladder down into a dark hole.  Um, not my kind of fun.  Did I mention sunshine and beaches?????

 We made it inside this cave.  Apparantely it is really cool.  Oh yeah, did I also mention we are at the end of it? We should have started at that first set of stairs.  We have now entered the exit and for the next two hours we are climbing up and down rocks and trying not to get killed while everyone else in there is coming at us.

 I also forgot to point out that not once was I told that perhaps wearing my good jeans and good clothes might not be a good idea. Oh, and showering before hand was a total waste of time.  It is dripping so much water inside that we had to wear our hoods.  Luckily we had some and as we were sliding down rocks all I could think was if I ruin my good jeans I am not going to be happy at all.  On the up side, I have owned a pair of hiking boots for atleast twenty years that still look brand new because I only wear them a couple of times a year.  That would be Christmas tree hunting at the nicely manicured tree farm and the couple of times that I go out in the snow.

 I also keep getting asked if I like how cool it is in here.  Um, I would have to look somewhere other than the ground to make sure I don't fall or that a rodent of some sort doesn't try to attack me.  You also can only see with your flashlights and lanterns, if you have them, so it is hard to see much of anything.  I would suggest taking lanterns for anyone who wishes to go our flashlights were not very bright. 

 Close to three hours later we are right back at those stairs that we started at.  I see sunlight, Yeah!!!!!  I am not really sure after 20+ years what made Mike think I would enjoy doing this at all but he did point out when we got back to the car that I can now say I have been there and I can almost guarantee that I will not be going back.  If I do I will have on my old clothes, a rain jacket, a lantern, and I will start at the entrance so that when we get to the end we can hike back down hill instead of an hour hike up hill!!!!!!

On the upside, these four had a great time so I guess my misery was worth it.  I can now say I have been there, I got my exercise for the day, and I didn't see one rodent or bat!!!!!
Apparentely it is a big thing to do because it was really busy inside the cave and when we came out it was packed.   For any of you that enjoy Washingtons outdoor activities you would probably really like this one.  Get there early and beat the rush. 
I will be the one waiting for you at the end with food!!!!!