What a great place to hike. Tall mountain views, caves, rock formations and the Tongue River are all here in the Bighorns of northeastern Wyoming. We began our hike to an unnamed cave on Day 1 by swiping our boots across a brush-mat provided at the trail head to prevent the spread of white-nose fungus. This fungus is killing bats at a rapid rate across North America. We crossed a walking bridge over the Tongue River before heading up a steep trail of short switchbacks. Approaching the cave, we could hear bats from outside. Inside the cave, which we also visited last year, we found a cluster of bats attached to the ceiling. We saw no bats last year, but this year were pleasantly astonished to see them. We only ventured into the entrance room of the cave, but others have journeyed hours in, reaching the water far below.

Our hike on Day 2 was a steep one! The angle of the mountainside felt like 75 degrees. It was worth it to all three of us for the view and the sense of achievement. We also pulled off at several viewpoints along the road, and it was visible in some areas how the lines of the rock indicating different eras of formation were angled instead of horizontal, due to the great force of plate movement pushing upward, creating the mountains.

Day 3’s trek was a little more than four miles. Jeremy and Jackson climbed up part of the mountainside along the way. Jackson said it was 91% different from his classes at the rock gym back home. He said it was more challenging and more fun. But it’s pretty cool to put some of those skills to real-world use! We hiked a trail along the river on the mountainside. There’s something indescribably calming about the simple yet strenuous task of putting one boot in front of the other. At the point where we decided to turn back, we ventured off the trail just so slightly. But enough for a small black spider to bite Jackson’s ankle through his sock. Nothing came of the bite, but it became a teachable moment when we later googled the black widow and other spiders to educate Jackson (and ourselves, lol).