Ape Caves

We went to one of the coolest places ever, Ape Caves!  The last time we went was three years ago and so we decided it was time to try again.  Here we are right before entering the caves.

The cave is cold and pitch black.  We did not pack for this so the day before we went to the thrift store and bought tennis shoes for me and sweaters for everyone.  We also picked up headlamps and batteries.  It was totally worth it.  I wish we had just packed those things, but I'm glad we spent the money on them even if it was just for the day.  The caves stay at 42 degrees regardless of the outside weather.    The main cave is 2.5 miles long so it quickly becomes blacker than you can imagine.  Everyone is supposed to have lights and extra batteries, just in case.

Here we go...

I didn't take very many pictures because it was so hard in the dark and it was kind of a pain to keep getting my phone out.  Anyway here is my dad climbing up the wall.  There is one part where you have to climb up a six foot wall.  This time there was a rope to help, I don't remember that being there before.

The whole thing is basically just climbing over rocks in the pitch black, with some areas of flat in between rock groupings.

Penelope and Scarlett did so much better than last time.  The three years for them made a huge difference.  Plus we were more prepared with warm clothes.  Last time we didn't know it would be cold and Tucker even ended up doing the whole thing in a T-shirt.  They did it with pretty much no help at all.

There is one whole in the ceiling close to the end.

This was Leon's first time and he did really well.  He loved it and also didn't need help.

Here we are climbing up the ladder to get out.

Once you get out you need to walk the 2.5 miles back to the car above ground.  This part can be a bit boring after the cave.

Calista stayed home and my sister babysat her.  I think it went pretty well.  She came back with new clothes and toys.  We thought about bringing her with a baby carrier, but I'm really glad we didn't.  It would have been hard to climb with her and make sure we didn't bump her head on anything.