Hiking the Y, Well Almost

Sometimes I have some really good ideas.  They are brilliant! I amaze myself with the ingenuity of my own brain.  And other times I have incredibly stupid ideas.  Sadly, yesterday was one of those days.  I decided to hike to the Y on the mountain in Provo.  My reasoning went as follows:
1. We were going to be in Provo anyway to go to the Bean Museum before it closes for a year + and to eat in the Cougar Eat.

2. I am trying to take my older kids on hikes because it's something my sons enjoy and it's good exercise. So, the little ones have to come on some of them too.
3. Hiking the Y is fun.
4. Hiking the Y can't be that hard.  I did it as a freshman who didn't exercise.
5. When I hiked the Y as a freshman it was WAY easier than when I hiked Timpanogas.  The paths were wide. Heck! You could push a stroller up those paths if you really wanted to.
6. I walk 15 miles a week with no problem, so I thought I could carry Emmeline if needed, like I did on the one mile steep hike we took last week.
7. My kids would be so excited to get ice cream afterwards when they are hot and sweaty.

I did think this out.  We all had hats.  We all had full water bottles.  We had a backpack with bandages. I had moleskin protecting the blister on my heel. We covered ourselves in sunscreen and took really big drinks at the water fountain at the start of the trail.  I did notice my car announcing the temperature as 95 degrees, but I didn't think it would be a deal breaker.  That was dumb.

The hike to the Y on the mountain is 1.2 miles up and 1.2 down.  The path consists of 13 switchbacks, climbing steeply up the mountain, gaining 980 feet in elevation as you go up.  The sites I found said it was easy for young children.  I just didn't factor in the heat.  I've hiked in heat before, but I was young and the trails were fairly flat.  And I didn't have little kids with me.  It was very hot!

So, we began our climb.  It was pretty hard right from the start but the kids were energetic and willing.  I told the boys to go on ahead so they wouldn't feel like they were being held back by the girls.  We climbed and climbed.  Shade was a scarcity.  We stopped at the end of each switchback to drink out water.  Emmeline walked half the time and I carried her half the time.  But, after about 30 minutes I realized that I couldn't continue to safely carry her.  I was too hot.  I felt like I was going to pass out every time I carried her.  We stopped for longer periods. We drank more water.  We fanned ourselves with our hats.  We poured water on our heads.  It was so hot. I told the girls they were strong and they could do it.  We cheered each other one.  We tried so hard.

 Amy failed first.  She just couldn't go on and was threatening to throw up.  I was pretty sure throwing up is a sign of over doing it physically.  But, I was faced with a real dilemma.  My boys were ahead and out of sight.  Would they wait for us at the top?  Or would they come down on their own?  I couldn't risk it.  I had to find them.  This was when things really started to feel desperate and I felt truly dumb for forgetting my cell phone. I found a rock with a tiny bit of shade and tried to create more with my backpack.  I sat the girls down on the rock and told them to stay there and wait for me.  Yes, I left my 9,6,4, and 2 year old children alone on a mountain.  They couldn't make it any further.  I told them I would find the boys and come right back.  The truth was that I was too drained to go on myself, but I had to.

  So, I walked.  And I prayed.

 I prayed out loud on that mountain asking Heavenly Father to watch over my little girls and keep them safe, asking Him to give me the strength to find my boys and to stay conscious, and asking safety for my boys.  I was asking for a lot.  Earlier while walking, two hikers passed us going down.  They had not reached the top.  I should have clued in then, but  I didn't.  We made it about 7 switchbacks before I realized we were in trouble.  Our water wasn't gone yet, but it wasn't enough for what was left. After leaving the girls, I walked about two more switchbacks and stopped, completely exhausted.

There was no shade.

 I prayed some more and started yelling.  When I yell for my boys in the basement from the top of the stairs, they often don't hear me.  I had no idea how far away they were, but I didn't dare get any further from the girls.  So, I yelled as loud as I could, cupping my mouth with my hands and pointing my face up the mountain.  And I yelled and I yelled.  I began to panic.  Then I heard the softest reply, "Mommy!"  The boys came into view higher in the path. They assured me they were okay and wanted to continue to climb.  I told them we were going back down.

I turned to go back and as I walked I heard a voice.  Another hiker!  And he was talking to my girls, naturally wondering where their adult might be located.  He and his daughter stayed with them until I reached them.  They also turned around to go back, having decided that it was too hot.  I was so grateful that he was there. They were the only other hikers on the entire path and they caught up with my girls right after I left them, so they were not alone.
 He went ahead of us and we began the difficult journey back down. It was very slow going. The path was so steep that it had to be taken at a run or very slowly. The girls couldn't run, so we walked very slow and continued to rest.  Amy went ahead to reach the bathroom at the trail head.  When she got there, the man from before saw her without us again.  He left his daughter with his wife, who had stayed behind because she is pregnant, and came back up the trail to find us.
  At this point we had about one switchback to go.  We would have made it- eventually.  But, he looked like an angel nonetheless.  He came back to help us and, with my permission, scooped up Emmeline and carried her down the rest of the way.  Apparently she wasn't in too bad of shape since she managed to scream the whole time about the stranger holding her.

We were finally down! It was 2:45.  I think we were up there for about an hour and a half.  I mentally gave the boys 30 more minutes to come down before I would hunt down a phone to call 911.  Luckily, they showed up just 5 minutes after us.  They had made it to the top and then run all the way down!

I have never sweated so much in my life.  It was 98 degrees by the time we descended. I honestly thought I had wet my pants, but it was sweat.  My entire body was soaked in sweat.  A/C on full blast, we promptly drove to the Creamery and I sent the boys in( due to the embarrassing appearance of my pants, which the man on the mountain saw but politely ignored) to buy two half gallons of ice cream.  I wasn't a complete dolt.  I did bring cups, spoons, and an ice cream scoop.  I'm always prepared for ice cream.  They ate it all in the blessed shade at a local park and we drove home, thankful to be safe and together, thankful for the tender mercies of help that were just enough for us to make it down.

And yes, I've learned my lesson.  No more steep hiking in massive heat with no shade and only one grown up.  I know! It was really dumb! Really, really, dumb.