Timpanogos Cave

I did it!

OK, it wasn't just me, but I took my girl scout troop to Timpanogos Cave and lived to tell about it. Honestly, the hike itself was much harder than I was expecting. We started the morning at 10:00 as the troop gathered at our house. Soon we were on the road.

We arrived at the visitors' center at 11:00 and I stood in line to check in. I had already bought my tickets online, and it was a good thing because they didn't have very many slots left and we had 23 in our group. Besides the troop, we had most of my other kids and Bossy's kids. We had to take 3 vehicles to get everyone there.

My sweetie took tons of pictures, but I only took a few at the beginning of the trail and one under the arch. It was pretty rough going and for a while I wasn't sure that everyone would make it up the path. I'm sure it's no big deal if you are a hiker, but for us who rarely venture on these sorts of outdoor expeditions, it was hard.

When we finally conquered the uphill trail, we were allowed into the cave. Parts of it were pretty cool and other parts were terrifying because we had to squeeze through some tight places. I tend to be a bit claustrophobic and I found myself watching my feet as I crouched and contorted my way through the cave.

Fortunately everyone returned safe and sound. Then we had about 1 hour to pack our van again and head south. Friday was our only opportunity to see the Mormon Miracle Pageant in Manti and I didn't want to miss it. We arrived with enough time to drop our sleeping bags and gear at Grandpa's house and then drive the last 7 miles into Manti. Then we got parked and walked to the temple grounds.

We had great seats and just enough time to take some fun cell pics before the show started. It was amazing as usual! We got back to Grandpa's house about midnight and had the kids mostly settled before 1:00 AM. Thank goodness we were able to sleep in this morning.

It only took us about half an hour to load everything up and get on the road again. Our first stop was Terrell's in Mt. Pleasant for doughnuts. Seriously, they have the best doughnuts I have ever tasted! I love their apple fritters.

Princess's boyfriend had to be in Heber by 1:00, so we didn't stay. After dropping the two of them off at the reunion, we drove back to Vivian Park and found a little pavilion where we could grill some hamburgers. Crafty had a homework assignment for her science class so Dog Walker took a bunch of them on a hike.

After lunch and a little more hiking, we packed up and drove home. Princess, Crafty, and Prima Donna all had a trek party at 6:00. More family togetherness tomorrow, so we made several trips to the store trying to get a jump on everything.

We are headed into an incredibly busy week with three birthdays, trek, baseball tournaments, dance exams, pack meeting...

 I'm tired just thinking about it.