Several years ago our family started hiking the Y for pleasure. I know. Who knew that we'd actually enjoy hiking and exerting ourselves on purpose. But after doing it one time, we've been hooked. It is such a priceless experience getting to the top and being able to look out over the valley, and know that we did something hard and worthwhile. So that's why when Misty asked me if we wanted to join their family for a hike up to the Timpanogos Caves this summer that I didn't even think twice about whether or not we would go. Tiera's teacher from school last year is a tour guide there in the summer and would be our guide in the caves. Later Naki and I realized that it wasn't possible for him to take off of work the day we had planned to go. So, I was in this a bit over my head at this point. But, I'd already told the girls that we would go, and go we would. They told me that it was only a mile and 1/2 hike, and I can do that no problem. What I didn't realize (and I don't think any of the other guys realized this either) was that although it was only a mile and 1/2 hike to the cave openings, you actually ascend over 1000 feet in the process. You get real high, real fast. It's up the whole way. Still, I thought, I can do this. Not a problem. I like a challenge, actually. (I rethought that whole I-like-a-challenge-thingy when I got to the bottom and read some info on the hike. It said that your hike equaled climbing all the stairs in a 100-story building. Good thing I didn't read it BEFORE I took to the trail. I never woulda gone.)
I borrowed a friend's steel-framed back pack to carry Ane in.
They did not allow strollers, and I thought it could get tricky with Eva, but Misty was in the same boat with Aria so I thought we'd make it just fine.
Here is the group of kiddos before we left.
Look at these two goobers.
Naki, bless his heart, knows me all too well. I would never presume once I was there to ask anyone for help. It's just not my way. He called Junior earlier to ask him to be available to help me out. Before we headed on the trail, he attempted bribing Eva with a cookie so she would stick by him during the hike. She definitely took the cookie, but she's no dumbie. She knows the more she resists, the more cookies she gets!
During the beginning of the hike she stayed with him, but insisted that she was mortally wounded in some pathetic way that resulted in Junior carrying her, up the side of a mountain, ON HIS SHOULDERS! A big shout-out to Uncle Junior. Even I'm not willing to go the distance that way. But eventually, she wanted Mom, and because of my pack I was left carrying her in the front and Ane in the back. Made for, umm, how do you say, a very interesting hike.
The views were astounding and the weather was absolutely perfect. I can only imagine what it must look like during the fall. Now, the one thing I REALLY wish I'd known about before we hiked was the fact that there were no railings whatsoever on the side of the paths to prevent, oh say, my 2 year old, or my 4 year old, or my 5 year old, or say my 7 year old, or my 9 year old, or even a clutzy mom-who-is-always-tripping, from going off over the edge to our death! Actually, it's probably like that 100-story building climbing thing. It's better that I didn't know until we were done because I REALLY definitely would not have gone. I felt my heart in my throat many times during that morning. Lose at one point started crying to me that no one would let her do what she wanted and therefore she wasn't having any fun. I asked her, "What do you need to be doing in order to be having fun?" She said that she wanted to run, not walk, and she wanted to run off alone so that she could, her words not mine, "Enjoy nature all by myself". Well, considering that at one point, when she didn't come when I called her, and I rounded the bend only to find her on THE VERY EDGE trying to pick up a rock, this was in no way ever going to happen for her. Forget nature and solitude, Lo. As long as you're on this hike you must remain GLUED TO MY SIDE. I handed the camera over to Line and told her that she could stop and take pictures if she wanted to, which she was more than happy to do since she loves cameras. As I was recounting the hike to Naki after he got home from work later that day I told him that I really want to go back some time, just he and I, so that I can really enjoy the views.
This first picture I took off the internet to show the sheer drop that I was hyperventilating over. *gulp* None of my pictures seemed to do it any justice.
This next picture is right before you climb the last bit to the opening of the caves. This little building was the bathrooms before you got to the caves. . . non flushing bathrooms. I made all the girls go so that I wouldn't have anyone say they needed to go to the bathroom mid-cave tour. Funny story. I've been trying to convince Eva that she really wants to be potty-trained. She, of course, isn't listening. Wouldn't you know, when we're by a toilet that doesn't flush, seems to have no bottom to it (when peering in I couldn't even see the bottom where everything was actually going), people are trying to leave the bathrooms to get to the cave, I have a baby in a pack strapped to my back, she finally decided that she wanted to go to the bathroom, for the first time, here! I can't imagine the mixed signals this sent, but I told her absolutely not. There is only so much I can handle, and stripping her down out of her diaper at this point was beyond my abilities. I abruptly told her what I thought of that idea, grabbed her, and headed for the top. The red stripes you see on the pavement are the zones you're not allowed to stop in because of rock fall. Yes, in addition to the sheer drop, there are rock fall areas. Oh, and did I mention that there were signs to stay on the path because we were surrounded by Rattlesnake habitat? Like I would even consider it...
The cave tour lasts for approximately one hour. By the time we'd reached the top, Ane was overdue for her morning nap. Now, imagine her in an enclosed space where sound echos off of the walls for one whole hour, tired, whiny, ready to sleep. Add to the equation her darling favorite new sound to make, which I claim sounds like a pterodactyl dinosaur, and I knew that I'd reached my max in my pleasant demeanor department. I left the rest of the kids with the family to take the tour, and Ane and I hiked back the way we came and over to the exit of the caves where we waited for the tour to finish.
Since I wasn't in the cave, here are some pics that I took off of Mona's blog from inside.
The girls had SO much fun in there. Apparently, Eva crashed. Well, what did I expect. She was tired, it was cool in there, and mostly dark. It was bound to happen. I just felt bad for Corey, who ended up with her for the tour. Especially after I found out that there were some spaces only 3 feet high that they had to bend down to get through, and he did it with this heavy lug on his shoulder!
Eli, however, didn't fare as well. We all know that she likes to feel a sense of control in her environment. (Not a clue where she would ever get that from.) After she realized I was gone and after she'd heard the word "bat", it was a bit downhill for her from there. Needless to say, she was relieved to see me when they came out of the cave. Most of the family decided to have a bit of lunch when they were finished with the tour. We started down while they ate to give us slowpokes a bit of an early start.
Kyra caught up with us. I love that girl. Corey and Kaika also caught up with us and Corey took my Ane-pack for me. Of course, she waited to conk until he was carrying her. At least he didn't have the lovely shrieking in his ear!
Eva refused to walk after waking from her nap, so I carried her down the trail. Honestly, the kiddos were wiped. I was so impressed with every single one of them...not just my kiddos, but every single one that did the whole hike. When we met up with Misty after she came down the trail back to the Visitor's Center, we discovered that Eva wasn't the only one to be carried down the trail. Corey's holding Aria here, but she fell asleep halfway down the trail and Misty carried her! When Junior emerged from the trail, he was carrying Leka...asleep as well.
After we all rested for a bit, Grandpa Maile announced that we should head over to Macey's for some ice cream, his treat. We were there! By now it was about 2:00 and we had started our morning meeting at Rex and Misty's house at 7:45 in the morning, so we were ready for a yummy treat.
You know, it's interesting to me. Naki and I know that all of our babies came to our family at a certain time, for a certain reason. But at times things can get really difficult and quite challenging. I've always felt that I've learned more about myself in these last 10 years than I could have learned in 50 because of having these beautiful children. .. a crash course, so to speak. Sometimes doing the things that we do in order to create memories for the kids' sake, like pumpkin picking and carving, easter egg dying, trick-or-treating, visiting Temple Square, going to the park, etc etc., is so super hard I wonder if I'll ever make it through to the end of whatever activity it is we're doing at the time. But I know it's all worth it when I hear the kids talk and talk about what we did as a family, and their precious memories about those times together. This was one of those events. It by far tops the charts as one of the most difficult things I've done as a mom with my kids. But the kids haven't stopped talking about it, it was that much of a memory maker for them. Thank you Misty and Rex, for inviting us along for some great memories. This final pic I had to post...Line took it without me knowing it. I think I'm unconciously biting my lip, or something like that. But I remember that when I was sitting there, waiting for everyone to come down from the caves, I was thinking about what I just wrote in this paragraph. That we actually, as a family, did something spectacular together that helped create a stronger bond and priceless memories. Oh yeah...I think I might have been thinking that I was relieved that no children tumbled over all the cliffs and probably was thinking that I was about ready for some ice cream, as well.
We started our Pioneer Day the night before by camping in our backyard. We seemed to be surviving our week okay without Line since she was at the 1st Annual Grandparent Retreat... But this night was really hard for Mom and Dad. We missed you, Line! We still managed to have a spectacular time. I know, Line, you're shocked that life went on without you!
