We have always wanted to stop at The Spud and it seemed to perfect beginning to our adventure.
Nathan was very fond of Pooh-tater and Hyrum loved the Mater-tater truck.
Justin got to add another location to his handstand list.
I was focused on finding the street we needed to turn on (and a bathroom) so I didn't quite pay enough attention to the speed limit change. Vivien was so excited when I grumped my complaint that an officer had just turned his lights on behind me. She handed her camera to Daymia in the back so that she could have pictures of the event without getting arrested for taking them.
The officer sternly asked if I knew what the speed limit was. I stated confidently "65". That was the last sign I had seen. He informed me that it was indeed 55 but that it had recently been changed and posted. He asked for my license, registration, and insurance and told me that if my record was clean he would leave me with a warning. I knew right away I wouldn't be getting a ticket. I've never been so proud of my spotless record. It didn't turn out near as exciting as Vivien wanted it too.
Once we were let go from the clutches of the law we headed on to Victor to find a bathroom before we started the hiking. We also stopped for ice-cream at the Victor Emporium known for its "world famous huckleberry shakes" (at least that's what the sign out front says).
The ice cream cones were okay, the wall covered with money from around the world was impressive, the souvenirs were hilarious and the fishing sign out front was quite entertaining, especially when Vivien stuck her head in there.
Much later than we expected, we started our hike.
According to the information we found online the hike was supposed to be 3.2 miles each way. I figured going up would be difficult for the little boys but coming down would be a reward and I knew with the older kids there we could keep the younger kids going for 6.4 miles. The boys did great to start with but as we kept telling them we would be there soon they started to wonder what "soon" meant. And so did I. Our 3.2 miles was taking much longer than we expected. We had to make frequent stops, occasionally piggyback each boy (thank goodness Levi was with us) and the snacks in my backpack were just enough to keep them going.
Nature provided enough rocks, bugs, birds, sounds, and trees to keep them interested and the shady spots along the trail cooled us down enough to keep going.
Nature also provided trees and cliffs perfect for frequent potty stops. Vivien! You weren't supposed to look!
When our hike started to get to where we thought the top would be I noticed a cave on the mountain beside us. It looked just like the pictures online of the Darby cave. How could we be on the wrong mountain? The people coming down the trail had said it is worth the hike so I knew we were on the right trail but how much longer was this hike?
When we got home much later than expected I looked up more information and found that the actual distance to the cave is 5.2 miles each way. We actually hiked over 10 miles that day! Was it worth it? Absolutely! We will definitely do this hike again, probably earlier in the year to see the two waterfalls when they are full from spring melt off.
The opening to the cave was beautiful and the view was stunning! The waterfall was much smaller than I expected but that comes from a summer of hot weather. It was also more steep than I expected but the cave had a certain lure to it that we could not refuse so we continued to climb.
We felt so small among the huge rock walls. There was a drastic change in temperature as the wind blew down from the cave. It was COLD. Goose bump, grab a coat cold. Curiosity overpowered the cold so we pulled out our jackets and flashlights and stumbled our way from the glow of the entrance into the darkness of the cave. We were looking for a small entrance that we had been told about that we could crawl through to get deeper into the mountain. Once we found it we debated going beyond that point.
Vivien, Hyrum and one of the flashlights stayed behind while Levi, Daymia, Justin, Nathan and I got down on our hands and knees and with the two small flashlights between us we continued exploring.
The darkness in the cave was suffocating and later I had a little panic settle in when I thought about how deep we were in a rock mountain in complete darkness with flashlights that weren't the best. In the moment I was so caught up in having a good time with my kids that I forgot to be afraid of the dark. At one point we turned off all the flashlights and phone lights and just stood there. We couldn't see a speck of light or a hand in front of our faces. When Levi turned the light back on Nathan let out the breath he had been holding the whole time. We wondered if our few minutes in the dark was anything like what the Nephites had experienced in the days before Christ's coming.
We would have loved to stay longer but with a late start, the trail being so much longer than expected, very little fresh water left and darkness sure to come in the next couple of hours we decided to head back. It was so hard not to drink the water falling from the mountain. It was cold, tempting and looked so refreshing but the idea of sickness lasting for days was not at all tempting.
We wouldn't drink the water but Levi and I couldn't refuse the temptation to cool off in the lower falls.
The hike down went so much faster than the hike up which was very much to our advantage as the sun began setting. The last thing we wanted was to be stuck on the mountain with the winds blowing through it, in the dark and without cell service. We looked back to see how far we had come with pride in our accomplishment, also taking note of the few scrapes and bruises that would go home with us.
We also found the monument for the group of young women who were hit by lightning and died on the mountain. One of the trees near the monument had two slices down its trunk and though the tree was still standing it was obviously dead. We wondered if it was one of the trees that had been struck by lighting but remained standing, a natural monument to the girls.
It was so rewarding to be in nature and to see and feel the beauty all around us. As a mother it was wonderful to see my kids encourage each other, work together to help each other and have fun together without anything but God's creations to entertain them. The six hours we spent on this hike were six of the best hours of the summer.
** On our way up the trail we were passed by several people leaving the mountain. One of those groups of people happened to be Uncle Steve and Aunt Faye with some of their family. It was so funny to meet up with relatives on a mountain trail. We had just been together two days ago at the Fullmer Family Reunion.
** For future reference these are the directions we followed:
From Rexburg, head north on Hwy 20 until you arrive at the Driggs, Jackson exit. Take the exit and follow Hwy 33. You will pass through several small towns and eventually you will come to Driggs, Idaho. If you need a rest stop, this is a good place to do it. Driggs has many small shops, gas stations and a large grocery store.
After leaving Driggs, be on the watch out for East 300 South. It will sneak up on your left. Turn here. The pavement ends shortly after and you will be on a smooth dirt road all the way to the trail head. This road will span maybe a mile or a little more and come to a "T". Take a right at the "T" onto South 275 East. Follow it around a bend to the left where it becomes Darby Canyon Road, leading to the trailhead. There is a steep road that peels to the right (leads to Darby Girls Camp) but stay left on the main road. Although there are no more turns to make, be cautious as the road is narrow with an abrupt shoulder and drop off and continues on for quite a bit.
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