Darby Wind Caves

On Wednesday 8/1 all of the Langs, Greens and Doyles hiked up to the Darby Wind Caves and back - successfully!!  Our plan was to be on trail by 9am, but we all awoke to an unexpected thunderstorm which delayed our start by an hour.  At 10am, armed with M&Ms and other assorted treats, we hit the trail.  Uncertain whether or not we'd all make it, we had all 6 adults on hand so that someone could turn back with younger kids if needed.  Since Sammy is only 4, the Doyles brought a carrier so she could ride part of the way on someone's back.  She did, however, hike well for periods of time and was very proud to climb the final stairs up to the cave entrance.  All of the kids, except Sammy, hiked into the cave until it was too dark to proceed any further (accompanied by Kath, Chad, Sean and me).  Brady and Connor did this hike about 3 years ago with the Nelsons and last year with me.  It's a favorite of theirs.  We were so thrilled that Maggie chose to join and had such a successful day.  This truly was a special family day for all of us.  We ended the day hanging out on the Greens' front porch with margaritas, while the kids all cooled off in the sprinklers.