Because We are Crazy

We made it to our THIRD National Park this year. That will be tough to beat. Neither Jon nor I have been to the Timpanogos Caves in over a decade. Although the cave hasn't changed, our perspective and parental status have changed. Why did we decide to hike our quad (one of which would have to be packed) up 1 1/2 miles of steep mountain trail? The simple answer is because we are crazy.


Upon arrival, Jon quickly went to the ticket booth to get our reserved tour time and our start time for the hike. Only 20 people are allowed in each tour and you are assigned a specific time. You are given 1 1/2 hours to hike 1 1/2 miles - seems doable enough. It would be if it were just Jon & I, but we were not alone.

I started out with the pink backpack with everyone's jackets & assorted trail snacks on my back. This is necessary since it is only 45 degrees inside the cave and you stay in there for about 50 minutes. Funny how heavy a 1/2 dozen jackets can be when they are sitting on your hot back. I also shouldered my camera bag and held Jessica's hand. She wasn't given a lot of freedom to roam. Not with the tempting drop-offs at every turn. Jon toted the backpack which freed me up to pull out my camera and required Jessica to hold Dad's hand. The first part of the trail was mostly shaded with pretty trees, it was also more leveled than the trail ahead.

The ring pops were distributed in hopes that the whining could be stopped & the sweet flavor would overpower the tired feet. The trail was a steep climb.

There are stretches of the trail that are labeled "extreme rock fall area." Whenever the trail had a red line, this was a no-stop zone. Only once did my kids try tumbling rocks down these open areas.

The water pack is still a novelty with our kids. They are more willing to carry that pack than any of the other bags. We needed to pack water for all of us - no drinking fountains.

The boys usually led the way. I was a bit worried when they'd get out too far ahead. I've seen them be playful and silly. I just didn't want to see them be goofy by the cliffs.

It took much coaxing to get Jessica up the last bit. We arrived just as our group was to leave on the tour, which was a problem because Jayson needed to eat before being in the cave for an hour. We ended up going with the 11:50a.m. tour group instead.

No baby backpacks were allowed in the cave. We left that down on the trail in the "backpack parking" area. Jayson was switched to the Bjorn carrier. I decided to carry him so Jon could manage a tired and clingy Jessica. What I didn't remember about the inside of the caves were all the areas that required ducking and squating. There were narrow passages that you had to move through sideways and us tall folks nearly got a few stalactites in the forehead. Below you will see snapshot samples of carmel falls, stalactites with iron deposits giving them the added color, & cave bacon. Using the camera was NOT a priority. It was very dark inside and navigating was the priority.

James had to go the bathroom about half way through the tour which made his trip rather uncomfortable. Jayson started fussing, but luckily sucked on a blanket to fall asleep. Jessica did remarkably well in the cave. Jacob refuses to comment and won't claim that he liked it at all. Jon & I enjoyed the cave and even part of the walking. It was stressful going as parents. When Jon would turn and swing the backpack out behind him I had visions of him losing his balance. Kind of stressful watching my family use their agency. Not exactly a relaxing experience.

The forest service asks it's guests to allow 3 hours - 1 1/2 hours up, almost an hour in the cave, and 1/2 hour to walk down. If you have young children and you are still set on taking them to the cave before age five, I recommend that you disregard those estimates. There are warning signs all over about NOT running because of the open trail and steep drop offs. This was not our worry with Jessica. She was puttered out. She didn't even want to put one foot in front of the other going downhill. As the treat supply depleted, along with the water, we were happy to see our van in the parking lot. Finished!