Sunday Hike to Timp Caves

Last Sunday, the 5th of July, Trevor and I drove up to American Fork Canyon to hike up to the Timpanogos caves. When we arrived, we realized the cave tickets were all sold out and we missed the last tour. But, we decided to do the mile and a half hike anyway. From bottom to top, we climbed a whopping 1,000 feet up in elevation. I definitely had moments where I had to stop and breathe.

This picture was taken at a little tunnel in the rock at the 1/4 way point:We were getting high, and the scenery was getting beautiful!
See? There's the valley far in the distance:
We saw a plethora of wildlife on the trail including curious chipmunks, buzzing bees, and lightning-fast lizards! I caught this little buddy on film:
And after about an hour of hiking, WE MADE IT! Unfortunately, like I said, they had just finished the last tour and one ranger lady was locking up for the evening. Fortunately, she was nice enough to snap a photo:
Well, this time we really did it wrong, but we got lots of good advice from friendly rangers. Next time we'll be going early in the morning so the sun hasn't reached that side of the mountain yet (we went during the hottest part of the day--5:30--and the sun was beating on us the whole time) and we won't go during a holiday weekend. I'm really excited to see the caves next time! :) Woo hoo!