Early this Spring, the kids and I were talking and somehow it came up that they wanted to do the Timpanogos Cave hike. I adamantly stated that we couldn't do that hike this year, but we would definitely do it when everyone was a little older. You see, David and I hiked to the cave with my family in 2017. I carried Caleb as a baby, David carried Austin as a toddler, and Melissa basically carried Lydia. I remember the hike being HARD and not being sure if I would make it to the top. Plus the hike is basically on a cliff face the entire time and felt too dangerous to hike by myself with four kids.
But the kids REALLY wanted to do it. So I made a deal with them - we could hike it in parts and if they could show me that they could hike each section safely and well then we could move on to the next section. It became a family goal of ours to hike to the top of the Timpanogos Cave hike.
We hiked to the 1/4 mark, to the 1/2 mark, to the 3/4 mark, and to the cave. This ended up as one of my favorite summer activities and the kids all loved it too. We were so proud of ourselves for accomplishing our goal and I was proud of what great hikers my kids are.
Hiking to 1/4
We did this early spring before the rest of the trail was even open and there was still snow on the ground. It was our first hike of the year and it felt so crisp and wonderful.
Hiking to 1/2
The kids did such a great job to 1/4 I knew we would come back to hit the 1/2 and after this hike, I knew that we would be able to make it to the top. I love things like this and loved the repetitiveness of this goal. The kids recognized things from our first hike and discovered things that they loved each successive time we hiked. (Particularly, you can sit on the floor of this tunnel, and if you stand up and start walking it feels easier because of the steepness of the path.) We hiked this just days after Caleb and Austin's orchopexy because we were bouncing off the walls at home and they all did amazing.
Hiking to 3/4
3/4 is significantly farther than just 1/2 and we recruited David into joining us for this hike. We packed significantly more snacks and more water. Austin was raring and ready to hike all the way to the top, but I made us stop at 3/4 because we were doing-a-thing. We had to follow our process! (Also, we didn't have cave tickets for that day). And in truth, I was tired at 3/4, and it just gets steeper from there. We loved having David hike this with us.
and finally,
Hiking to 4/4
We made it to the top!
That last quarter of the trail is the steepest and hardest to push through, but our kids had trained for this moment and were SO excited to finally be accomplishing their goal. We packed loads of snacks and left with plenty of time to get to the top before our cave tour started. David joined us again (we joked that we were training for our big hike in Hawaii coming up) and it was all the better for having him there. The cave was beautiful and the
This was one of my very favorite activities of the summer. I loved working towards this goal as a family and learning about how we can do hard things when we make the effort and take the time. We hiked a lot this summer and although this hike was special because we hiked it four times, working to get to the top, this next sentiment is really true for all the hikes.
I am grateful for my body.
My first pregnancy was in May of 2011, which is over ten years ago. After 10 years of pregnancy, nursing, and caring for small babies - I feel so proud of what my body has accomplished and also grateful for what it can do now. I feel like I am entering a new stage of life and I am learning what my body can do now. I feel strong and more fit than I have been in my adult life. This hike, and the other hikes I have been on this summer, have been fun because I enjoy hiking and nature with my kife, but more than that- they have been healing and strengthening in a way that makes me grateful for this place we live where hikes are so available and also grateful for my body and all that it can do.
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