Aspen Grove - Day Three (June 6, 2008)

On the last full day of the reunion, Joshua, Allyse, Joseph and I decided to go tour Timpanogos Caves. After lunch, we headed up over the Alpine Loop and down American Fork Canyon to the trail head for the caves. At the time we started, it was still quite cool, which explains why the kids, especially Allyse and Joseph, were all bundled up. The jackets and hat came off as it warmed while we hiked.

Allyse, Josh and Joseph were about ready to pass through one of a few tunnels on the trail up to the caves.

Allyse climbed up on an outcropping of rocks on the edge of the trail.

On the other side of the rocks is about a 600 foot drop.

The kids, on one of several breaks on the trail up to the caves. The sun had come out from behind the clouds and conditions had warmed considerably since we started.

Joseph didn't want to miss his chance at the outhouse on the ledge. This lavatory sits on a cliff over about a 1000 foot drop off.

At last, we reached the entrance to the caves. Joseph, Allyse and Joshua were all excited to finally be able to start the tour the caves.

Timpanogos Caves most famous stalactite is "The Heart of Timpanogos." It measures approximately 5.5 feet in length and is about 1 cubic yard in volume. It is estimated to weigh over two tons. Also notice the intricate formations called helictites which are on the walls surrounding the heart. When I was a child, they would bathe the heart in red light.

Meanwhile, back at Aspen Grove, Aaron, Seth, Spencer and Julene opted to go on the Adult Ropes Course. Julene deciding to leave the ground was somewhat of a surprise due to her fear of heights. The helmets were quite the fashion statement! (Credit to Darleen for this photo and the climbing photos which were taken during the Timpanogos Caves hike.)

The course started with scaling a notched log. While it might not appear to be daunting, the notches were placed at irregular intervals, which made the spacing difficult.

In addition, the log was not secured at the base, which caused it to sway back and forth while she tried to climb it.

The log led to a narrow beam, which Julene had to get on top of and then balance on while she traversed to the short climbing wall.

The short climbing wall led to a platform up in the trees.

Upon reaching the platform, Julene waived to the cheering crowds. So much for the fear of heights!

From the platform, Julene rappelled back down to terra firma.

After dinner, there was a program in which the children were able to perform various cheers and songs they had learned during the previous days. Joshua's group, the Cougars, were probably the loudest, which translates into the best in the cheer culture.

Following the program, the little girls consented to a photo shoot. Unfortunately, it turned out to be like herding cats. These were the two most useful of the lot that I shot.

As usual, it was difficult to get them all looking in the same direction at the same time. No matter -- they're still cute.

I don't even know what this dance was about. Probably some song by Wham! It's interesting how selective memory can be as a protective mechanism.

Darleen gets credit for the last two photos. Unlike my picture of the little girls, Darleen skillfully got the big girls to both look in the same direction at the same time -- and they're still cute.