Ape Caves and June Lake Hike

The Ape Caves and June Lake Hike

The Ape Caves

On August 3rd, 2018 we decided we wanted to go for a hike. We have been to the Ape Caves before but it is always a fun place to go. Afterwards we decided to do the June Lake hike as well to finish off our day.

The temperature in the caves is always the same and there is no cold breeze or rain to worry about. We hated not bringing Kai but with his recent concussion and skull fracture in June we decided it was best he stayed with the grandparents.

When we arrived there were a lot of people there that day. They had people explaining how we humans can track different fungi around on our shoes and clothing and contaminate the trails and caves. We made sure to brush our feet off well before and after the hike as instructed.

Usually we go all the way to the end of the trail and hike towards the parking lot but today we decided to go the normal way. Adam is always in a hurry and went ahead of me quickly into the cave. We walked along the pretty smooth path not having to do much climbing at all and quickly came to the end. It wasn’t until Adam crawled in this tiny space and found a wall at the end that we realized we had taken the wrong way. We had wanted to take the long route but missed the sign on the wall of the cave at the bottom of the stairs. We should have went under the stairs at the beginning but we went straight forward having not seen the sign.

Well finding out that we had taken the wrong path I got very upset. What a waste of time. I didn’t feel like going through the long cave after all of that. I was pretty mad and very frustrated and just wanted to leave.

June Lake Trail Hike

We had a lot of daylight left still because of the mess up so we decided to go do the June Lake trail hike. The road to turn into the parking lot was not well marked and we ended up passing it and having to turn around twice after asking some others for directions.

Adam had been on this hike before with my step dad and told me it was a nice short hike. He never said it was 90% all uphill!!!! I had been tricked. lol. Walking uphill for what seemed like forever and then we made it to the top. Just beyond some small trees was June Lake. It was a beautiful sight.

Just a small lake that was very clear and cold with lots of little tadpoles swimming around. There is a pretty nice 70 foot waterfall along the back of the lake that you can hear as you sit on the bank. To my surprise there wasn’t a bunch of mosquitos flying around and it was enjoyable to sit and have a snack before we headed back. You can even camp there for free if you like but there are no toilets and no garbage cans so pack out what you packed in.

The Lava Flows of Mt St Helens

After spending some time taking photos, having a snack and letting the kids play on the logs and watch frogs swim we walked over the lava flow. Wow it really is something to see up close. When Mt St Helens blew on May 18, 1980 it really impacted its surroundings. It was really neat to see the lava flow and get a feeling for how it changed the landscape up there near the mountain.

There are only so many pictures one can take so we decided to make our way back down the trail and head for home. Going down was by far faster then going up. At times we would just try to jog but would end up going too fast downhill and for fear of falling would have to stop and walk again. Zeke got too far ahead and we couldn’t see him so Adam ran to catch him. They never stopped though and we lost them.

We were unsure if they had left the trail or what so we stopped a few times to see if they would pop up. With no cell phone service we were unsure and just made our way down more slowly in case we passed them by unknowingly. Well to our surprise they are already at the car when we arrived. It was starting to get dark and we were all sweaty so it was time to go home. I would say our June Lake hike was a success!

Get out and Explore

We really enjoy getting out and exploring new places as a family. Sure the kids try to fight it but once we are there they enjoy themselves and are glad to have gone.

Another fun semi local place to visit in SW WA is Covel Creek Falls. Go in the summer and bring a bathing suit it is a great place to cool off and let the kids play in the water. Looks like an ideal place to have a big family bbq or reunion as well. Let me know if you go there and what you thought of it.

Thanks for stopping by my little home on the internet.

Do you also enjoy exploring?

What has been your favorite hike or waterfall?