Visited My Lovely Cave Today!

I woke up this morning with ONE thought, "I've GOT to go to the cave!!!" No, I wasn't necessary to anyone and didn't do anything terribly important there, but I'm so glad I finally had a moment! Actually, I forgot about my friend's bridal shower (Sorry!) because I just had to get to the cave. It felt like Home.

I stopped in the VC and chatted with folks that know me. I headed up the trail and saw the slug. I think it had given up the ghost...possibly trampled? It just was not moving and I didn't think it would really appreciate being twisted if it could help it.

The trail. Ah, The Trail. It is the same beautiful butt-kicking trail it always was! My pace is still slow but I still hike the whole thing without stopping (except to chat). It was a sentimental journey full of so many memories: We had our picture taken here. Saw a rattlesnake here once. Almost died in a rock slide here. Sheltered here during an amazing thunderstorm. Held hands with five rangers as we all slid down the ice here during training. So let's move on.

I thought I would be too late to see any familiar morning walkers, but there turned out to be several. One guy, I forget his name, blurted out, "You don't work here no more?" He hikes the trail to stay in shape for guiding hunters in Alaska. One woman asked, "How's your class this year?" She is the principal of another elementary school in our district. And so on.

I was in the middle of the W's near the Dino Wayside when I heard a gunshot. It was loud. And it echoed off the canyon wall. My first thought was that someone chose to end their life. A Scout Master was hiking behind me so I turned around and as he approached I asked, "Did you hear that?" And he said, "Yeah, it sounded like a gunshot." Great. Well, it wasn't. They were bringing a visitor down on the gurney and one of the tires on the gurney POPPED!

Paid my respects to Last Chance.

The cave entrance area was a bit busy--just a normal Saturday. I batted Alyssa's tour and just felt so comfortable in the cave! One tall man decided to kneel down and scoot along the bridge over Middle Cave Lake in order to get under the formations (rather than just stooping down/bending over)! That had to have been killer on his knee caps with the metal grate!

On the way down I met the Power Rangers who were hauling the gurney all the way back up to the entrance, ready for the next visitor who falls ill. Brad was at Dead Dog so I talked with him for a couple of minutes. Had a great walk down and met up with some other familiar and friendly ranger faces. It all pulls at my heart strings, but I wouldn't have traded a summer in Yellowstone with my husband for another summer at the cave.

Anyway, the photos are 1) slug 2) hooks for backpacks that cannot be taken through the cave 3)a V-shaped canyon 4) cave formation 5) Nancy's earthquake monitor (it just makes me smile) and 6) the rock dust from the fault line at quarter way

I went home to shower, developed some film, spent a few hours in my classroom (and brought more work home tonight to correct!), and then saved Wal-Mart for last in hopes it wouldn't be so busy. People are crazy. I got through it I guess. I have been to my classroom for 13 days in a row and I've decided I'm not going to school tomorrow no matter how behind in correcting I am!

My class is still so, so well behaved. I wish I could post pictures of them but I would get sued I suppose. They are so happy and eager to learn. I love it!