June 12, 2009

June 12, 2009

From Provo, Utah we drive north along I-15. The mountains to our immediate right are spectacular…. high, craggy and snow covered. After only a few miles we exit and head uphill into American Fork Canyon, a narrow gorge in the Wasatch Mountains. Our destination is Timpanogos Cave National Monument. We sign up for the next tour. Unfortunately the cave entrance is 1000 feet above our head. After packing a few snacks and a jacket we head up the steep but well-paved trail. It is a strenuous hike and we are surprised at how popular it is. Especially by young families with several small kids in tow and on their back. But I guess this is Mormon country.

We make it to the cave entrance well in advance of our tour time. We rest a little while to let some sweat evaporate and then join a tour. It is a small but nice cave and the tour is interesting. But neither Aimee nor I are big cavers. We both prefer the views of the steep narrow canyon outside the cave. We like the canyon so much we decide to find a site in one of the campgrounds in the adjoining Uinta National Forest. It is Friday and crowded but we are successful. We spend the night in the shadow of a jagged glacier-carved snow-capped peak.