July 12, 2021
Vanlog, Antelope Island State Park, Salt Lake City, UT
I started my day at &:30 at a pleasant 71 degrees with a breeze coming off the lake at Deer Creek State Park. After doing my TRX exercises off the back of the van, I showered for the first time in days, emptied my gray water, filled my fresh water at the sink using my funnel, emptied my trash, used duck tape to fix my fan, and swept out the van before leaving camp. I drove 45-60 min to Timpanogos Cave NM off Utah SR92. By the time I arrived at 9:30, it was 82 degrees. I walked the short nature trail there until it was time for my timed ticket at 10:45 AM to climb the mountain to the actual cave entrance. The climb is 1.5 miles and 1096 ft of elevation gain with a number of switch backs along the way. I walked with a Mormon family reunion group. The patriarch was 70 yrs old. He had six kids. Two sons were along--one had seven children and the other had four. All the kids were clambering up the hillside while I talked with the three adults. I always like to be social on the trail and to meet new and interesting people. It only took me na hour for the ascent, putting me up there a half hour before my cave tour time. Luckily, they had an odd number when they split their group and I was able to tag along on the 11:45 tour. Fourteen people plus the ranger on a guided tour. I wore my mask just in case. I was the only one and it constantly fogged up my glasses in the 47 degree cave. It is actually three caves that the park service has connected together with tunnels and an air lock system. The first cave was Hansen Cave, discovered in 1887 when Martin Hansen saw some mountain lion prints in the snow and followed them up this steep hill to the cave's natural entrance. He then pursued the mountain lion into the cave, dropping 50 ft into the darkness. This cave is the smallest and least interesting of the three. The second cave, aptly named the Middle Cave, was discovered in 1921 by Hansen's son and grandson. The third cave Timpanogos Cave was discovered in 1915 by two teenagers but then they lost it. It was rediscovered in 1921, a year before President Warren Harding declared Timpanogos Cave a national monument. The cave is well known for its large amount of helictites, which are those thin curly fry type cave formations that form when water evaporates and leaves the deposits behind. The caves also contain their fair share of stalactites, including one called the Great Heart of Timpanogos (see below), stalagmites, columns, soda straws, cave bacon, cave popcorn, draperies, and of course the famed helictites.
Following the extreme elevation change hike, I then experienced the extreme temperature change from the 47-degree cave temperatures to the 105 degrees that it was on Antelope Island State Park, the largest island on the Great Salt Lake by Salt Lake City. Here, I explored the Fielding Garr Ranch, which was founded in 1848 and in existence until 1981. At various times in its history, they raised cattle here or sheep. It is now a living museum. You can freely roam the grounds, peer into the abandoned structures, and see the way things were back in the day on the ranch. Farther along on the island, I saw a herd of about 70 bison, roughly 10% of the bison population on the island.
Because of the heat, I was wondering if I made the right choice camping on the island. But when I went out for sunset at 8:30 and saw these incredible views from Ladyfinger Point, I had to admit it was well worth the $20!
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