Happy Mother’s Day
Probably not on Mother’s day, a couple of years back:
A Story from my Mother’s past.
A while back, on planet Earth, my mother decided to head west. From an early age she’d planned to be a veterinarian, and she loved—and still loves—animals. But she was, and is, also an avid hiker and outdoors enthusiast. So while taking break from her studies, she traveled from the Southeast to Northern Arizona. Since my grandfather was in the Airforce, her family had traveled the world. (My mom spent some of her early years in Japan, and my grandmother had many vibrant stories of their time in every place they stayed.) So, it wasn’t her first adventure. But it was, no doubt, a momentous one.
She ended up staying longer than planned, working for the park service in Sunset Crater and Wupatki. (Thus, that’s where I was born.) Now, before we begin, I should clarify what I am doing here. At first, I’d planned this to be an article about some of her experiences there, perhaps an interview. However, I quickly realized that that would ruin the surprise. So, you can expect the interview to happen soon. Instead, I thought that for this Mother’s Day I would highlight one of the more interesting anecdotes from my mother’s work in the park service.
(Again, this is challenging to do working off memory, so expect corrections as necessary after the fact.)
So below, in honor of Mother’s Day and my favorite mom: here’s a brief anecdote from her time working for the park, and a bit more about my research into it:
There’s an Ice Cave in Sunset Crater National Monument. It’s a long lava tube formed during the eruptions which spilled volcanic material all across the region north of Flagstaff. The slow flow of basaltic magma through the tube left hollows, which formed caves. Because they are underground, and insulated by the thick basaltic rock, condensation can collect, and begin to freeze inside these lava tubes. Slowly, overtime Ice will build up.
The ice cave in Sunset Crater had been popular for a long time before my mother got there. In fact, an article I found on npshistory.com mentions their popularity back in the 1930’s
“The Ice Caves immediately west of Sunset Crater on the Bonito Flow seems to be the principal attraction to a great many people. In fact at the time of my last visit some people were asking how they could get to the Ice Caves and seemed little concerned or anxious to ask questions regarding the multitude of volcanic phenomena about them.” – Vincit W. Vandiver.
(You can read more of this article in the link provided above.)
So, people were way into the Ice Caves. So much so that 6 years after the formation of Sunset Crater National Monument they were considered, at least, on par with the volcanic scenery.
And My mother used to give tours of the Sunset Crater Ice Cave. She’d guide visitors across the barren basalt lava flows, and then down beneath the cracked earth into a chilly underground lava tube filled with ice. It must have been quite the contrast to hike across the scorched and flame twisted lava flows, to then climb down into a chilled cave with walls of ice and a ceiling of icicles.
Until. . .
When you visit Sunset Crater today, (as I’m certain you all will,) you won’t find any ranger led Ice Cave hikes. If you walk the trails over the Bonito Flows, you will not find the massive entrance to the ice cave, pictured in the link here.
Instead, you will find a small sign, and a closed off opening. Standing beside it might provide a blast of cool air in the winter. However, that’s it, because one day, years ago, the ice cave collapsed. And my mother was one of the first witnesses.
It’s a brief story. (mostly because what’s below is all I remember.)
My mother was setting out for the first tour of the day to walk through the Ice Cave. She lead the group down into the cave, began her talk and walk, but stopped short when she noticed that something was different. The trail seemed smaller than it had before. In the night, or early morning hours, the cave had partially collapsed. Calmly and expertly, mom lead the tourists back out of the cave, and thus completed the last ever Sunset Crater Ice Cave Tour. Because, since then, (I’m certain after study, discussion and planning,) the Ice Cave has been closed to tourists.
Now, why is this the story I chose to tell on mother’s day?
1. Because it highlights something awesome about my mom. Her life had been full of self-imposed adventures, and those adventures have allowed her to witness many interesting things. Some amazing beginnings, some amazing continuations, and in this case the end of an era.
What was once a site so popular with tourists that it was more beguiling than the ‘many volcanic phenomena’ was unfortunately not a site which would last forever. Now it’s a footnote on the trail, but my mother was there to see it, and to tell its story.
2. And I’m pretty happy that the Ice Cave chose to collapse when it wasn’t populated, because things could have gone poorly. Fortunately, instead I get to tell my mother on Mother’s Day how much I appreciate her.
3. Because it’s a simple anecdote, a brief moment in my mother’s story. Of which there are many more, but it’s one which I find both fun and fascinating.
And
3. Because often, I’ve highlighted my love for and appreciation for National Parks. Things that, I certainly got from my father, who worked in them for the majority of his life. Also definitely from my mother, who definitely helped to instill in me an appreciation for nature, a love of adventure and a desire to seek out and make stories of my own. And she’s shared lots of those stories with me.
So, with her permission, expect to see a few more of those here in the future.
In the mean time, just know that on top of not being her without her, I would also not be the person I am without her. And the books Ive written would never have happened without her encouragement, assistance, and connections. (She introduced me to the expanded group of hikers in Mammoth Cave for instance, and she hiked with me in Mammoth Cave multiple times)
And mom, if you end up reading this, Happy Mother’s Day!
Hiking with the dogs.