The Barri (more than one Barrus): Timpanogos Cave

In my mind, I have had a list of things I wanted to do with the kids this summer. Mostly, it has been "swim, to to Seven Peaks, swim, go canoeing, swim, ride bikes, swim." However, I also wanted to hike to Timpanogos Cave, and two weeks before school started, I realized that we hadn't hiked and the summer was practically over, and if I didn't make an appointment, it wouldn't happen. I am trying to be better about letting things go, but this is really one I didn't want to miss. While we were in Spain, we went to some caves and the children thought it was pretty cool, and I just knew they would like our very own super cool cave.

So today we hiked to Timp Cave. It was early out at school, so Blythe and I picked up Brandt, met Kent in north Orem, and went on our way. The hike itself is steep. From the base of the canyon you climb 1065 vertical feet, and the trail has 21 switch-backs. I had brought water and snacks and we were given an hour and a half to make the climb before our scheduled tour time. If I might brag just a bit here, Brandt and Blythe were troopers! They didn't complain, they didn't whine, they didn't tell me they wanted to go back. They just hiked. We did stop several times to sit on a bench and eat a granola bar/apple/crackers/string cheese and have something to drink, but they hopped up when finished and kept climbing. They wanted a story to help pass the time, Blythe specifically asked for a princess story, so I told them an exciting story about Rapunzel and Flynn/Eugene following their marriage. We stopped to look at interest rocks and to talk to fellow hikers (of which there were very few), and Brandt hoped to see a rattlesnake near the sign that said, "Watch for rattlesnakes." It was overcast and I wondered if it would rain while we hiked, but it didn't, and the cloud cover made for a cool if slightly humid climb.

In addition to telling the kids a made-up story, I also told them about one hike I took to Timp Cave. I was probably ten-ish and was hiking with my mom, siblings, my Uncle Charles who was in town visiting, my Aunt Georgianne and several cousins. We had been up to the cave, and on the way back down, someone saw a squirrel on the side of the mountain in a tree. I wanted to see the squirrel, but when I turned to look, I couldn't see it. Someone was pointing, and while I was straining to see the little creature, I stepped backwards several times. I was completely unaware of getting dangerously close to the edge until I lost my footing and nearly plummeted down the side of the mountain. Fortunately, Uncle Charles saw what was happening and grabbed my arm before I fell. As we hiked along today and I looked down the sides of the trail, I know he saved my life. There are very few places where I could have backed up and not fallen far. Thanks Uncle Charles for insuring I lived long enough to take my children to Timpanogos Cave. We saw squirrels and a chipmunk, but I stayed firmly on the trail--and made sure the children did too--as we watched them.

The cave tour itself was great, although our tour guide's presentation of cave information left something to be desired. He would spit out a sentence, then there would be a lonnnnnnnnnnng pause, and then he would say something else. I wanted to shake him several times to get him to talk faster. But the children thought it was great and asked lots of questions. Blythe did ask me a number of times when we were going to be finished, but that's because she was chilly (no body fat on our Skinny Minnie) and needed to go to the bathroom (again). The pictures I am including of the interior of the caves are all pilfered from the internet. I didn't even take my camera out of my backpack while inside. Brandt and Blythe both thought the formations were super cool, and they were good about not touching anything. It was super fun to be together in the cave, and I'm glad I didn't let the summer end without going.