Harmony here!

Optional .25/.5 Hike addition to Patsy's Mine

We read about this hike from a friend on Facebook. (Thanks Danika!) Melinda researched a bit and found that it was a pretty short hike (.7 miles) and kid-doable. We packed up our troop and hit the trail at 8am. It was going to be hot, so we hoped to miss most of the heat. We had decided to hike the extra .25/.5 miles (depends on which trail you follow) instead of actually parking on the dirt road. The only way to the dirt road was 15 minutes away and the sun was coming and we decided just to hike it anyway. I won't make that decision again. Next time, I'll just drive up to the trailhead. (See updated map below)

We had kids hiking that was 1,2,4,6,7,9 years old. The older kids took off the trail like it was nothing. I was feeling slightly nervous on the way up. It was kind of steep and rocky and my balance is thrown off way more than it should be carrying my two year old. Now, don't get me wrong, I hike quite a bit with my 2-year-old, but it had me a bit more wary than usual. I was a little more worried about coming down. While going up is strenuous, coming down always leads to slipping/falling. Holli was able to carry my little man, Orion (1.) Otherwise, I'd never have made it up. 

Luckily, I'm short, so we don't have far to fall. Because fall we did, twice. 

Once we finally hit the dirt road that we could have parked on) it took just a minute to find the trailhead sign. It's not really on the road, but more above it. If you type in the coordinates into Google Maps, it will lead you right to the trailhead. Just remember to look up. 

We stopped to take a break near this Lion King looking rock. Two older guys came by with a dog and told us we were 3/4 of the way there. I think he was being optimistic. It was more like 1/2 way there. He warned us to watch out for rattlesnakes as well. (Luckily, we didn't see any.)

Finally, we made it to mine!

There was no keeping the older kids away. They grabbed their flashlights and headlamps and ran into the cave with Melinda and Holli. 

The ground is pretty level although bumpy and muddier the further you went in. It was pitch black. 

Our favorite room was more of a little dome room. The kids loved running back and forth through the rooms. 

While I was waiting outside, I met a couple who actually helps maintain the hike and mine. He was telling us that it used to be an old silver mine but didn't know if any silver was actually ever found. Instead, I found a bunch of these rocks. At first, I thought it was a quartzite or something, but it basically cracked with any amount of effort. So maybe gypsum? Does anyone have a guess? 

Also, it was a wet rock, you could break a piece off and see little specs of mold. Basically, it's a pretty dang cool rock. 

The kids ran in and out of the mine like 6 times. We were probably there for almost an hour. The mine is super cool, as in temperature cool, so we didn't mind waiting while the kids ran around.

After checking out the view and eating some snacks, we were ready for the downhill trek.

Well, after we took a group picture in front of the mine entrance. Taking photos with so many kids is always entertaining!

Hiking Down (the optional part of the hike.)

As I said, I was kind of nervous for the hike down, then Melinda pulls out her "Supermom" mode and carries her 2-year-old and 4 year old on her shoulders, all down the parts I was worried about. ;)  I only slipped once coming down. Luckily, the hiking pack has Aiko elevated, so she just thought it was fun. 

Robbie was attacked by a small cactus and Holli had a small heart attack watching Hyrum almost roll down a small cliff. (It's the first part of the trail right by the road at the marker.)

All in all, it was a very cool hike. 

The view was amazing. 

(Beginning of the optional part of the trail off of 200 South.)

As I said, it was HOT. We basically had to peel Orion off of Holli's back. I don't know who was sweatier...Afterwards, we headed to the local Harmons to buy some cold drinks and ice cream. We were a hot mess and got quite a few looks, one lady even commented on how brave we were bringing all the kids to the store.