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Lake Cave is a lava tube in Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, Washington. It is the next major cave below the more famous Ape Cave & reaches a total length of about 4,095 feet. Like Ape Cave, it has a collapse pit with an upper tube that goes in about 100' before there is a signifant drop to a lower level with a stairwell probably placed in the 1970s. The cave is not nearly as well-known as Ape Cave & the first third of the distance involves some scrambling & crawling through some large breakdown boulders. In fact it seems like the cave doesn't go that far until you continue on & it opens up into a lovely lava tube with no breakdown lasting to the very end where it gets plugged with sand. The reason it is called Lake Cave is because during an intense rainy season the back of the cave as seen here can fill up with water, taking awhile to drain itself. There is likely an actual lava seal at the end as you can see sand has accumulated at the very end. Don't expect to not get wet in this cave! When I made it to the end, the cave was relatively easy to photograph, however my lens started fogging up significantly as I was taking shots of the ceiling. I then realized that about 2/3 of the way into the cave, there is a small side hole one can crawl up in. That is where water enters the cave during heavy rain. I passed by that hole reaching this spot & it was dry, but upon returning a significant stream was pouring out of it, flowing its way to the end here where enough of it would create the famous lake. When the stream made it into the cave, it changed the dew point of the cave causing a slight decrease in visibility due to condensation & fog forming. Another visit during the end of rainy season I will have to return to see if I can see a definite lake at this location.
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The United States is one of the most diverse countries on earth, jam packed full of amazing sights from St. Patrick's cathedral in New York to Mount Hollywood California.The Northeast region is where it all started. Thirteen British colonies fought the American Revolution from here and won their independence in the first successful colonial rebellion in history. Take a look at these rolling hills carpeted with foliage along the Hudson river here, north of New York City.The American south is known for its polite people and slow pace of life. Probably they move slowly because it's so hot. Southerners tend not to trust people from "up north" because they talk too fast. Here's a cemetery in Georgia where you can find graves of soldiers from the Civil War.The West Coast is sort of like another country that exists to make the east coast jealous. California is full of nothing but grizzly old miners digging for gold, a few gangster rappers, and then actors. That is to say, the West Coast functions as the imagination of the US, like a weird little brother who teases everybody then gets famous for making freaky art.The central part of the country is flat farmland all the way over to the Rocky Mountains. Up in the northwest corner you can find creative people in places like Portland and Seattle, along with awesome snowboarding and good beer. Text by Steve Smith.
