Venturing Crew 628

How to Keep Bearings to Avoid Spiritual Vertigo

2011-03-16T06:37:00.000-07:00

"A World War II fighter pilot teaches youth some essential truths to fly by—and to live by."

2011-03-06T08:32:00.000-08:00

The Duty to God Program follows the pattern: Learn, Act & Share

Learn

Each part of [The Duty to God] book begins with a learning activity that helps the young men learn what Heavenly Father wants them to do and why it is important. When a young man knows the “why” behind his priesthood duties, the Holy Ghost inspires him to act, and his actions can increase his faith and testimony.

Parents, consider working on the learning activities with your son soon after he is ordained to a priesthood office. Ask your son to share with you what he is learning about fulfilling his duty to God.

Court Of Honor Coming Up....

2011-03-06T08:30:00.000-08:00

On March 30th, parents and families are invited to participate in a Court of Honor. We will recognize the activities and achievements the Scouts have made over the last three months Scouts finishing up merit badges and other advancements will need to complete and report their accomplishments by Spring Break.

♫Through the river and under the woods♫

2011-02-10T06:25:00.000-08:00

Little did we know, as our journey to the Ape Caves peacefully began, the depth of the battle amongst mind, body and nature we would face. Did the wilderness-wise elk we passed on our drive towards the living volcano snicker under their breath with insight into our pending fate?

Slipping out to stretch our stiff legs in preparation for our hike to the cave entrance, the silence of the lonely mountain forest roared in our ears. Rain was our ceiling and snow our floor as the slippery walk warmed our muscles.

Scouts pose with lights out in the Ape Caves.

After a brief refueling we reached the ice-cold metal stairs which seemed to pull us into the depths of the hollow lava tube. Even the ice stalagmites that littered the ground of the entrance seemed to cower from the darkness. Guided by small beams of light through the tube, echoes of voices broke through the steady surround sound of water’s constant drip from above filling puddles below. How could water penetrate the seemingly solid, lava-sealed rock wrapped around us?

Looking down from a sturdy ledge in the Ape Caves

The true challenge began as towering piles of rock invaded our path--stretching the limits of our mental focus as we navigated over large boulders and dark pits. One must look ahead and not be foolish or hasty lest he finds himself trapped by his chosen path and he must backtrack in order to progress again. A prepared Scout’s rope lifted us over a stone-cold lava fall. Obstacle after obstacle—would we ever escape this cave that swallowed us whole?!....

This skylight gave us hope!

….Shortly after a being teased by a skylight in the ceiling we eventually reached hope: the welcoming site of stairs crawling up into welcoming light—to which we willingly climbed. A self-inflicted bombardment of flying snow helped us endure to the end of this peaceful, but self-lengthening, snowy trail back to the vehicles. Peaked in anticipation of the finish, our hearts sunk to see a flooded creek disabling the trail. Although already soaked by rain and frozen by snow, there was only one option. With varying degrees of dryness, we all made it over (or through) the swift water only to find another flooded stream to overcome. Pushing through our discomfort, we finally made it to the finish line!

Soaked to the bone, cold and tired we enjoyed the toasty ride home….filled with new knowledge, confidence and experiences revealed only through our adventure to the Ape Caves.

Venture Scouts Playing Ball

2009-03-09T18:52:00.000-07:00

John teeing off. Probably on Sterling.

Is that a dodgeball Brian?

Ploghoft about to smear some scouts.

Shawn shows promise for districts.

Nice follow through Bronson.

Sterling just before getting blasted. Keep smiling.

Heemeyer in battle mode

Thanks to Brian Ploghoft for gettin us some time @ Lewis & Clark Grade School to play ball last month. We were feelin pretty studly so we sported a Dodgeball attitude. Actually a excellent workout for young & old dudes. No one got hurt [maybe next time] and we all seemed to have fun. It did seem like organized mayhem.

2009-01-20T19:07:00.001-08:00

So far this year we started with a planning meeting and schedule drafting. Last week we went with Doughty to Ocean Crest Chevrolet to check out how cars get fixed. Sorry no pics. Everyone seemed to like it. Grab a schedule & get on board. We are having fun!!!

Aleutian Ballad Halloween & Cape D

2009-01-20T18:20:00.000-08:00

Sportin views from Cape D

Slummin at the D

Dude wheres my pumpkin?

Is there supposed to be water in there?

This is a really cool boat. As Bronson found out when they say the boat leaves at 7:00 they mean it. Sorry Bronson but you looked funny runnin down the dock.

The only warm spot on the boat.

No hawkin loogies on the dude!
Seriously they had an awesome presentation.

Happy New Year Crew 628. Its been awhile since anyone has updated this blog but only cause we kind of forgot it was here. To summarize from mid last year to present we did a whole bunch of stuff. Most was pretty cool like the trip to the Tillamook Air museum and Cheese Factory and the camp out at Cape D that was cool but uncool because USCG bailed on our boat ride, then bailed on the make up ride. But the Lethins took us on an adventure on the Aleutian Ballad out on the Columbia which more than made up for the Coastie bailout program. Most of the weekly meetings were alright but it's hard to accomplish much with just and hour but we manage. There are lots of cool things coming up in the near future so stay tuned and stay active. We need all of our crew to be at the meetings and events so we can have maximum fun and learn the most possible. Thanks to our awesome leaders who make it happen as well as the support from parents and our Bishopric. If you have questions, concerns, comments, complaints, or need a schedule call Bro. Doughty @ 503 861 1219 or email me @ doughty1960@gmail.com Enjoy every day. Jeff

Crew 628 Dutch Oven Beach Party

2008-05-11T17:17:00.000-07:00

So OK, it only turned out to be a mile or two from the beach. We meant to have it down there with a bonfire, but the weather didn't cooperate. May, in Oregon . . . go figure. JJ was our chili chef. Apparently he cut the recipe to 1/4th, but still put in the full amount of jalapenos. It was some zippy, but very manly, chili. I finished my bowl.

Even the chips were spicy. Scott and Bronson are feeling pretty tough here.

Crew Chief Jeff, Sterling, and Mitchell chowin' down!

Enjoying the chaos of Super Smash Bros Brawl.

Airbrush Fest 2008

2008-02-02T15:42:00.000-08:00

Mike Burgess showed us how to airbrush and we got to try our hand at it. As you can tell, we've got skills (both in airbrushing AND in Spanish!)

Once we'd gotten educated on airbrushing and seen some of Mike's cool work, the group turned to Madden '08 on the PS3. Sweeeeet . . . Had it not been raining, we would've airbrushed a unicorn on the hood of my GTI. Oh well, maybe next time.

Trip to the Evergreen Aviation Museum

2008-01-12T23:07:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure I've heard of Evergreen before, but I didn't know much. Turns out, they've got a lot more than this great museum. It's a huge corporation that does a lot of cool things with helicopters and jets.

Scattered throughout the museum they have these older 1st class seats where you can watch various videos about nearby aircraft. The guys are excited to get some for home use. Here's we're sitting near the Spruce Goose working on the scavenger hunt.

We arrived at the museum about 40 minutes early (we left around 6:15 AM and it took us a little over 2 hours to get there). This gave us plenty of time to stomp the squishy grounds and see cool planes like this!

They've got a little bit of everything at the Evergreen Aviation Museum. And, in a matter of months, they're planning to open a new space museum, too!

Evergreen Air Museum

2008-01-12T22:41:00.000-08:00

Settling in for the IMAX movie "Fighter Pilot" It was loud, and there was lots of flying and explosions. In other words, it was GREAT!

Mr. Dowty (not related to our Doughty) told us a lot of cool things about some of their World War II planes. And yep, we actually did have a little sunshine (a tiny little bit).

.002 seconds later my head comes squirting out the other end . . .

Sean, Scott, and JJ keeping entertained while tour arrangements were made.

Evergreen Air Museum

2008-01-12T22:39:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure you'd want to strap into this helicopter.

Yes, this is an actual aircraft. It was a kit plane that a guy spent an estimated 11,500 hours assembling. My right shoe got caught on the way in and it was really really stuck. So, perched halfway in the plane, I managed to untie it, get my foot out, and free the shoe. Anyway, even when they got some of the engine issues sorted out, they still didn't recommend you go any further from an airport than where you could glide back safely.

Mitchell, Sterling, and Bronson had fun with the simulator.

The Spruce Goose was OK, but the coin race was REALLY impressive!

Evergreen Air Museum

2008-01-12T22:28:00.000-08:00

OK, so this is pretty much the coolest mens bathroom sign ever! (the womens says "Aviatrix")

View of the HK-1 ("Spruce Goose") from the balcony. It's got a longer wingspan than a 747! You can walk in and look at the middle deck of the plane, and for $50 you can go up to the flight deck. Maybe next time . . . :-)

Bishop Houghtaling, I found your shirt! Understanding why will require watching this. (and you should, because it's hilarious)

The museum moved up a couple BIG notches in my book when I looked at the floorplan and saw they have an SR-71 Blackbird. Sweet! Sometimes, missions in this bad boy would involve going Mach 3 (mach 3 = 2 283.62115 mph . . . thanks Google!) for 5 HOURS!

Santa Dress-Up (Part 2)

2008-01-12T22:03:00.000-08:00

Matt's got a reeealllly serious beard, Thomas has got an awesome belly, and Emily's very accurate and well-labelled.

She's got the belt AND the cuffs. Nice details, considering there were no scissors allowed.

The final group shot. Nice job, everybody! (Thomas, you crack me up!)

Santa Dress-Up Joint Activity

2008-01-12T21:58:00.000-08:00

OK, so it's not really December anymore. These pictures are a lot of fun, though, so I'm posting them here now! Each group had the same bag of supplies and the assignment to dress one of their team members as Santa.

"I can't lower my arms!"

Kimberly, Kelsie, and Jessica hard at work dressing Emily for the season.

Scott: "For my next trick, I will cause this hat to levitate off your head!" Thomas: "I don't feel so good . . ."

"Yarrrrrgh, Matey." JJ (and his group of Sean and Jacob) seem a little confused about who this "Santa" person is.

Camp Meriwether Weekend (Stormy and Sunny!)

2007-11-11T19:15:00.000-08:00

This weekend I pitched in with Troop 628, which explains why this is on the Venturing blog. Thomas, Hunter, Frank, and I made the rainy drive down south of Tillamook to Camp Meriwether. We're scheduled to go to camp there for a week this summer, so it was good to let the boys check it out. They have made some MAJOR improvements in the 17 years since I was there last, most notably a huge new lodge for dining and stuff. Our adirondacks had very waterproof aluminum roofs, which kept us dry but also relayed the noise of the huge storm very loudly all night. A cool site about Camp Meriwether is here.

Well, there weren't enough of us for capture the flag or anything, so I played with my camera. I set it up on a timer on a small tripod and exposed for about 5 seconds.

Then I figured out I could even do letters. My 5-year-old son would be very pleased.

Frank was the first up, and he had water ready for hot chocolate when the rest of us rolled out. This is how you cook when your car is just up the trail. The crab cooker and the cast iron are very effective and quick (and heavy)! Mmmmmm . . . bacon!

Camp Meriwether (The Weather Turns . . .)

2007-11-11T18:52:00.000-08:00

We arose to blue sky and sunshine. And, it stuck around! So, we didn't even need raingear to accompany Frank on a tour of the camp. Since we arrived after dark, it was neat to see things beyond our beloved home, Viking.

One campsite we poked around in (which of course was unoccupied) was Bunyan . . . as in Paul Bunyan . . . although many Scouts might encounter bunions if they persist in ill-fitting footwear. In the distance is Cape Lookout. One summer my high adventure group went rock climbing (supervised of course) out at the tip. I believe we climbed up from that small ledge you can see off the end. It was really really cool, and kind of scary because the weathered rock was not exactly trustworthy (thankfully our ropes were).

Thomas and Hunter at Lake Chamberlain (named for early settlers . . . or perhaps that character in The Dark Crystal . . .) This begs a gelfling joke about my Scouts, but I'll pass. :-)

The super Frank tour also took us to the meadow, where we stood alongside a flagpole and the old anchor chain from the Struan. Even photoshopped, it's hard to see the beach very well in the background. Special thanks to the random Scouter with the BYU hat for taking our photo!

Camp Meriwether (Guns and Dogs!)

2007-11-11T18:32:00.000-08:00

Camp Meriwether offers a lot of merit badges that involve shooting things, so there are areas for archery, black powder (where this Fort Clatsop-inspired building is), .22 shooting, and shotgun shooting.

The four of us went through about 150 rounds (total). Thomas really needed a gun with a shorter stock on it so he could better brace against his shoulder. He did his best with what he had, and only a few shots killed the plants beyond the target range. I was impressed with Hunter's marksmanship, and his targets probably look better than mine. Frank, who was kind enough to sponsor our ammo, did really well too.

So here are my targets. I'm going to go out on a limb and venture that rifle #6 (the one I had all 3 times) needs its sights adjusted up and to the left. I'm pretty happy with my clustering, though, and Frank said I could've gotten the merit badge for 5 within a quarter. I never got that badge when I was in Scouts though.

Frank was also the foodmaster for lunch. It was a bit like cooking hot dogs with a blowtorch, but dry firewood was hard to come by (as you might imagine).

Camp Meriwether Overnighter (cont'd)

2007-11-11T18:17:00.000-08:00

Needless to say, there weren't a lot of GTIs around. It's not really intended for muddy service roads . . . Still, I managed not to get stuck, and we were able to haul the boys and I with all our gear back home when it was over.

We did some exploring after lunch on Saturday and found this Order of the Arrow ceremony site. It has posts that contain kind of a synthesis of the Scout Law and Oath.

I am helpful AND friendly (and good at cheesy smiles)!

Many moons ago, I was at Meriwether for Senior Patrol Week as part of summer camp. During that time, we stayed down the beach a little ways at David Douglas. Frank said they don't really use it anymore and it's probably overgrown. So, we HAD to go see if we could find it, and after ascending a steep trail we did. It must have been a bit of a workout to get from that campsite to the main lodge and camp. Anyway, Thomas and Hunter were having lots of fun with wood and rope here and it was just great to be there with the sunshine and beatiful Cape Lookout in the background.

New Venturing Schedule Available Here!

2007-11-05T13:53:00.001-08:00

You can click on this link below and you'll be in-the-know through February!
CLICK HERE FOR THE SCHEDULE (MS Excel file)

Eaglefest 2007

2007-10-28T18:10:00.000-07:00

Steven, Sean, and Matt just got their Eagle Scout award at a joint Court of Honor on Sept. 29th. I had to be out of town, so I'm glad we got some great pictures. Nice job guys!

Earlier we had the "Flight of the Eagle", and here we have the "Bite of the Eagle". That would be kind of a cool scar to show off . . .

No Eagle is an Eagle without a lot of help from Mom. Nice job to you too, Diana and Bonnie!

Fort Columbia, October 17, 2007 (part 3)

2007-10-26T21:54:00.000-07:00

Our tour concluded in the old barracks. The men who fired the big guns were elite in their day, and they had their own barbershop. Sweet! I guess it gave them something to do when they weren't fighting their worst enemy (which was boredom, Roben told us).

Thanks to Frank for having the presence of mind to bring a camera and capture this surreal supernatural image. Hey Mike, see any ghosts? Veeeerrrrry strange indeed.

Well, for a heavily photoshopped image taken from 20 or 30 feet away in a dim room and cropped a ton, this looks pretty good.

Another item posted on the wall in the barracks. Nowadays, I wonder if they'd still post such a thing in a US military building. Pretty cool, but pretty un-politically correct, I'd say. JJ would approve, I'm sure.

Fort Columbia, October 17, 2007 (part 2)

2007-10-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

It was a dark and stormy night . . . Roben was brave enough to bring some vintage maps to show us.

JJ! Duck!

Well, if you can zoom on this, it's pretty interesting. It's a prime example of government "efficiency", showing that a battery was built some 50 years before the guns were finally installed.

Roben had lots of keys to get us into cool places, like the Fort's jail!

Fort Columbia (part 1)

2007-10-26T21:42:00.000-07:00

October 17, 2007

This is Roben and he gave us the tour at Fort Columbia. It was really cool, largely because his genuine enthusiasm for the history of the Fort made following him around fun and interesting.

They heard we were coming and had the ambulance ready. (I seriously have no idea why it was there)

Thomas is standing behind a passage that was likely used to pass the gunpowder out from its storage area so it could be loaded into the shells before . . .

. . . they were hoisted up to the gun. You can see the hoist hole right above Roben's hand, and the overhead track was a system they moved the shells with. The hoist mechanism was designed by the same guy who did the Panama Canal.

Touring Coast Guard Navigational Aid Station

2007-09-26T22:32:00.000-07:00

"Hey, I believe I ordered the LARGE aid to navigation." "JJ, are you LISTENING?"

Some behind-the-scenes secrets. When one bulb burns out, another one flips up into use. Also, they're starting to implement LEDs (I was thinking the bulbs look a bit old-school).

Do NOT blindly reach into these drawers. And the Coast Guard does WHAT with these? I believe Mike uses them in his Ninja training.

So I saw this box sitting on the shelf. Some caption possibilities (feel free to comment with more): "See, people with scary teeth DO have a future in modeling!" Or, "So, you say you're a model. GQ? Esquire? Fred Meyer ads?" "No, I do respirator masks . . . and a little hand modeling on the side. Have you seen the 1996 Bulova watch catalog? That's me."

Coast Guard Navigational Aid Station (part 2)

2007-09-26T22:17:00.000-07:00

Um, Bronson, the boat works better IN the water.

Sterling goes with a Jared Hess theme here, riding a Nacho Libre-esque cycle and wearing a Napoleon Dynamite shirt. "Sterling, where are your robes?" "They were . . . stinky. But these are my recreation clothes." "They look expensive." "Yes, they have the appearance of riches. But beneath the clothes, we find the man. And beneath the man, we find . . . his . . . nucleus."

What is this!?!! A life preserver for ANTS?!? (Warning: not intended for use as a flotation device . . . they will, however, help keep the water out of your ears as you are sinking.)

If you need some help navigating, Mike is your man. Go team!

Something I Found . . .

2007-09-23T22:39:00.000-07:00

So the screensaver on my laptop scrolls through my photo folder, and I saw this one go by recently. It was SO worth it to rummage back through Picasa 2 and find it for real so I could upload it. I figured it would be a good test to see if you're still checkin' the blog, Steve. FYI: It's from May 20, 2004.

The Scout Camp Slideshow

2007-09-09T16:36:00.000-07:00

I posted the Camp Pioneer slideshow on YouTube! It's a bit gritty, but now you can show it off to all your unsuspecting relatives and stuff. And, for those of you who went to camp (and Thomas just because you were so stoked about it), I made copies of the Video CD for you to watch and cherish forever on your home DVD players. Track me down and make me give you your copy. Enjoy!

Wii had a Meeting

2007-08-29T21:22:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had a planning meeting at Bro. J's house. We concoted some plans for upcoming Wednesday evenings and are excited to do some ultimate frisbee, rappelling, flying, bowling, and behind-the-scenes tours at the vetrinarian's, Wauna mill, the movie theater, Freddy's, the jail, and so on. It should be a really fun next few months! Oh yeah, and we had to fire up the Wii tonight, of course. That makes any meeting worth attending. That, and all the chips, cookies, and candy we ate.

Steven puts the smooth in Wario Ware: Smooth Moves.

Pass the "form baton" to Chimi . . . who's Chimi?

Squat, Bro. J . . . do it AGAIN . . . nope . . . too slow. You can actually break a sweat on this game.

Ape Cave Trip -- August 25, 2007

2007-08-25T21:11:00.000-07:00

Today we took off on another wild expedition seeking to put the Ad in Venturing. The Odyssey served the six of us well and helped us rock out to lots of Weird Al and enjoy fine quality entertainment such as "Nacho Libre". My wife will be pleased that we did not get it all muddy. We met at 7 AM and were back in Astoria by a little after 4 PM. Linner was at Burgerville in Woodland, and I learned that Steven and Sean have no trouble putting away Ultimate 1/2 pound cheeseburgers, Dean is very very into blackberries (having them in both forms: shake AND lemonade), Burgerville serves the largest onion rings known to man, and if they drop a few of the fries from your basket they'll bring you a whole 'nuther basket more (which the Bishop and Dean will help you with). I love saying "a whole 'nuther", by the way. In any case, we all had lots of fun and nobody got broken.

Um, yeah. We picked up J.J. from the Cougar Recreation Area Campground on our way up to the cave. Evidently they must have trouble with people recreating in the campsites, when clearly that must be done in the area exclusively set aside for recreating. Dang it, if I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times: these campsites are for CAMPING!! :-) We also felt very thoroughly warned about the Slow Children, which actually appeared to be pretty fast. Lastly, it would seem to me that a recreation area for cougars and slow children would be a bad combination.

Steven, Sean, J.J., Bishop H, Dean, and I (taking the photo) arrived and quickly established our headquarters. We arrived at the cave entrance by 9:45 AM, and this was great because the crowds hadn't shown up yet. So, if you're heading up there, go early! People were waiting for our parking spot by the time we left, and there were tons of cars lining the road on the way out.

Intro to Commando Crawling

2007-08-25T20:59:00.000-07:00

The intrepid explorers prepare for their descent into the abyss, never to be heard from again . . . until 3 hours later. (L to R Dean, Sean, Steven, J.J., and Brian)

Almost there, Steven, you can make it! We got to test our claustrophobia level at the bottom of the cave. Thankfully, they installed the sand to cushion your elbows. Thanks, Mt. St. Helens!

OK, so this almost looked like an impressive place to be. Dean, however, is really just relaxin' and having a good time. The happiness is probably actually relief since he's finally reaching an area with a ceiling higher than 18 inches.

Bishop H leads the remaining train, happy that Brian scurried into the chamber ahead to get photos (if for no other reason than that Brian's feet are no longer in his face) "Hey, could you guys back up?"

Good Times in the Lower Cave

2007-08-25T20:15:00.000-07:00

This is mostly fun for J.J., but he's scarred from a childhood experience. Apparently, he was sent headfirst into a small passage and became stuck. This was, shall we say, unpleasant. So, he's mostly having fun here, but you get a hint he's feelin' a little crazy.

Possible captions: Sean's elbows could take no more. OR, Sean gets delusional and starts chowin' on the sand. OR, Sean breaks in his school clothes.

Dean, Steven, Sean, Bishop H., and J.J. havin' a little pow-wow in the very bottom of the cave. Just after the commando crawl, you get to this little chamber. And we had to, of course, turn off all our lights. It's dark. Interestingly, though, you wave your hand in front of your face and it still looks like you can see it move. Apparently, it's a brain trick.

Possible captions: Two passages diverged in a smelly cave, and I took the one less travelled by . . . (shout out to Steven) . . . and got a cool picture. OR, Sean, Steven, and J.J. perform a recreation of the Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors story on poor unsuspecting Brian.

The Upper Cave Begins

2007-08-25T20:04:00.000-07:00

This is our last Lower Cave picture. It splits high/low and Steven, Sean, and J.J. checked out the top passage and thought it was pretty cool. Anciently, many many moons ago, it was this passage in which a close relation of mine had uncooperative guts and had to answer nature's urgent call. There is now a commemorative plaque to mark the location.

Having completed the Lower Cave, you come back up and bypass the stairway you first came down. Then the fun really begins! The Upper Cave is not where you see the groups of underdressed 10-year-old school kids (it's 42 degrees in Ape Cave all the time). It's 1 1/2 miles of terrain often similar to walking on the Jetty in the dark. Yes, all ankles are still functional.

"Spiderman, Spiderman, does whatever a spider can..." There are some well-placed holds that make this pretty straightforward, but it sure looks cool!

I'll hold the rock, and you guys squeeze through!

Ape Cave: The Great Escape

2007-08-25T19:53:00.000-07:00

Steven's happy, but not happy to be leaving Ape Cave.

Dean exceeding the load limit for the ladder, and, well . . . thankfully it didn't altogether separate. :-)

Oh no . . . this isn't the exit. It's just a skylight! Feel the dread . . .

Yes, my brain is glowing (I am secretly Tron) And, coming out of the dark, damp cave into the damp, warm Washington daylight environment made the camera lens fog.

Planning Some Spelunking

2007-08-19T16:57:00.000-07:00

We're heading to Ape Cave this Saturday. Here's some info:
From: U. S. Forest Service, Volcano Review: A Visitor's Guide to Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument: Summer/Fall 1995

"Ape Cave: Named by members of an outdoor group called the Mount St. Helens Apes, this cave is the longest continuous lava tube in the continental United States. Cavers should wear warm clothes, sturdy shoes and have at least two sources of light. Lantern rentals are available at Apes' Headquarters.
Two different routes of exploration exist inside the cave and an above-ground trail (Ape Cave #239) connects the main and upper entrances. The lower cave is a relatively easy 0.75 mile hike that takes 1 hour round trip. The challenging upper cave is 1.5 miles long, requires climbing over large piles of rocks and takes 2.5 to 3 hours.
Trail Difficulty: Easy to Most Difficult"

Based on my prior experiences, I'd also recommend bringing gloves. Really be sure you have enough warm clothes. It's 42 degrees and damp in there pretty much all the time. Also not a bad idea to bring some clean clothes. Your sturdy shoes should have good traction. You'll be happy if they're waterproof and have some kind of shank in the soles too.

Ice Blocking Activity

2007-08-15T22:35:00.000-07:00

Ah, the cardboard toboggan!

Adults had fun too (chatting).

A gorgeous evening (much more gorgeous than AMS, I might add).

Ice Blocking Activity

2007-08-15T22:29:00.000-07:00

Who's got next?

The ice gets to the bottom faster than Jacob.

Bronson, look more intense please!

"Gittin" on down the hill and looking relaxed at the same time!

Ice Blocking Activity

2007-08-15T22:23:00.000-07:00

So the surfing technique is a bad idea . . .

Yee-haw!

Kimberly's slip-slidin' away.

Leavin' the ice behind . . .

Ice Blocking Activity

2007-08-15T22:18:00.000-07:00

Sean's slidin away.

Here comes Thomas at the front of the freight train!

Sterling pioneers the frozen belly technique.

Courtney and Thomas parting ways from the cardboard.

Soarin' With the Eagle

2007-08-12T21:50:00.000-07:00

THIS is the new wallpaper on my laptop! Matt and his father Doyle let me come along for his "Flight of the Eagle". Thanks a TON! LOTS MORE Flight of the Eagle photos at brionicman.blogspot.com.

Caving Opportunity?

2007-08-03T18:15:00.000-07:00

This sounds pretty sweet:
(from the community page of the Daily Astorian on Aug. 3, 2007)

"Gene Hancock, The Daily Astorian's Internet designer, has been a member of the Oregon Grotto, a caving club that explores and maps the hundreds of lava tube caves on Mount St. Helens, for six years. Hancock and the Oregon Grotto are also members of the National Speliological Society.

In addition to exploration, the Oregon Grotto arranges Boy Scout tours of caves and spearheads conservation efforts to preserve the caves for future generations. To see photos of the group's explorations, go to www.oregongrotto.com.

The Ear has learned that Hancock has made a slide show of his own experiences on his last caving trip July 28. "I really enjoy being involved with an organized club that has access to all those hidden caves." said Hancock.

To watch the caving slide show, go to http://movies.dailyastorian.biz/caving/caveshow7-28.swf
"

Fort Columbia, August 1, 2007

2007-08-02T19:37:00.000-07:00

Crew 628 (L to R) members Steven, J.J., and Matt all have Creative Camera Posing Merit Badge. Behind this dam on the hill above Fort Columbia, bats were skimming the surface of the water to munch on delicious insects. J.J. is the only one of the group who's received advanced training in swimming with leeches (a favorite passtime in Iowa, evidently).
Steven and Matt also have Synchronized Stump Stepping Merit Badge.

Matt redefines "stumpjumping"
Steven soaring.

Fort Columbia, August 1, 2007

2007-08-02T19:17:00.000-07:00

Fort Columbia, August 1, 2007

2007-08-02T19:10:00.000-07:00

We picked a perfect, sunny evening to head across the Columbia River to Fort Columbia. Surprisingly, many in our group had never been to this cool place that's so close to home. But now that it's a toll-free trip across the bridge and Washington State Parks have no day use fees, it's a great low-cost excursion.
The crew members enjoyed scrambling up rocks. Here's Steven, the mighty conqueror, in the classic Steven sweatshirt.
Steven's not really getting the help he needs here. The view is great looking toward Saddle Mountain with Astoria and the bridge in the background. Pictured (from L to R) are Matt, Bro. Doughty, J.J., Sean, and Steven.
Matt striking a dramatic pose atop a battery. Fort Columbia has several old military batteries.
Steven has joined Matt atop the battery. This is after J.J. semi-successful throw of Matt's backpack. The plastic water bottle only survived enough for Sean to discover that Matt's water tasted weird.