Spelunking

I just can't go over to Bend or Sunriver without crawling deep into a few holes in the ground. Some people call this caving, others call it spelunking. 

It's so fun to escape the 100 degree weather and climb down into a cold cavern. These caves are always about 50 degrees so you need to wear a coat, and a headlamp...at least if you want to be able to see and keep your hands free, just in case you trip over fallen rocks.

It's easy to find these gaping openings in the landscape. You can't miss these lonely ladders sticking up out of the ground. And it's so much fun to climb down into the dirt. It always reminds me of Lord of the Rings and Middle Earth.

It's difficult to get any good photos when you're in total darkness but here are a few.

And when you crawl deep enough into the earth your eyes will start to adjust but then you'll turn a corner and you'll see the way out. It's a simple sign...light at the end of the tunnel.

I always try to find new caves to explore. One day I hope to be able to rappel into the Arnold Ice Cave. But first I'll have to build up my upper body strength to hold my own weight as I lower myself down into the cave.

How bout you? Have you ever wanted to crawl down into the Middle Earth? ;D

Spelunking

I love spelunking - always have. We used to take the kids all the time. Crawling around on our hands and knees with helmets on in case we hit our heads. We used to wear little headlamps

Ape Cave

SO YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT THIS SUMMER?

Just GO APE! At Ape Cave.


Have you ever wanted to go exploring or travel to the center of the earth? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a mole, rabbit or even an ant; all these creatures burrow away beneath the surface, down deep, inside holes in the ground. They travel through tunnels – never seen by human eyes.

If you have ever wanted to go exploring beneath the surface of the earth, then maybe you’re a natural spelunker and simply wanting to go spelunking.

A spelunker is someone who travels inside the earth by visiting caves and tunnels. One of the best places in the world to visit, if you want to explore these natural wonders is the Pacific Northwest.

And, Ape Cave is always about 45 degrees so it doesn’t matter whether you visit in the summer or winter.

Just visit Mt. St. Helens and you can enter Ape Cave or travel over to Bend and you can visit Lava River Cave, Wind Cave, Arnold Ice Cave, Boyd Cave and more. And not too far away, in Northern California, The Lava Monument offers stories of the famous Indian known as “Captain Jack” and the Modoc War.

Listen to tales of Captain Jack’s standoff and this little known war. Then learn about stalactites, stalagmites and the bats and other inhabitants inside these underground dwellings.

And with The Oregon Cave near Cave Junction, the opportunities for underground exploration are nearly limitless.

As you wander these underground sites, you’ll learn the answers to questions like:

How old is Ape Cave and are there monkeys living inside?
Where is Ape Cave?
How long is Ape cave?
Why is it called “Ape Cave” and not “Chimpanzee Cave”?

Maybe it should really be called Gorilla Cave because it’s the second longest lave tube in the entire world (almost 2 and ½ miles long!) And when you explore Ape Cave you can travel 4000 feet beneath the surface. Luckily, the floor is covered with sand, which makes walking easy inside this cave. This is a great first cave for any wanna-be spelunkers to begin exploring especially since it only takes a little over an hour for a round-trip walking tour.

This is one very old Ape. Can you guess how old this hole in the ground is?

The lava tube was formed when Mount St. Helens erupted about 1900 years ago and molten lava ran through the earth to form Ape Cave.

Ape cave wasn’t even named after an animal. It was named after a youth group called the St. Helens Apes.

So travel via the web or your welcome to come to the Pacific Northwest and explore all the caves we have to offer. Just go APE