Glenwoods Yampah Vapor Caves too hot to handle

GLENWOOD SPRINGS In the spirit of famed mountaineer George Leigh Mallorys rational for attempting to climb Mount Everest because it is there I ventured into the Yampah Spa Vapor Caves on a recent evening.The caves were there, I was in the neighborhood, Id never been you get the idea. Unlike Mallory, I not only survived the adventure/ordeal, I decided in the span of about 10 minutes that I will never, ever call the Deep South home.According to yampahhotsprings.com, these historic, natural geothermal steam baths have been a place of healing and rejuvenation since the days when Ute Indians occupied the region. Says the website: Relax on slab marble benches in the rocky alcoves, and inhale the natural steam vapor in the warm, dimly lit cave chambers. Stress and tension melt away effortlessly.I thought my face would melt away, but stress relief didnt wash over me like a breath of fresh air until I actually inhaled one at the base of the stairs that lead up and out of these super-heated chambers.The last time I endured that kind of self-inflicted torture, I was trying to take up golf.I dont really enjoy heat and humidity, so it came as no surprise that the caves arent really my thing. Still, I was unprepared for just how much heat and humidity permeates the caves. It felt like the Earths molten core was bubbling up in the corner. The temperature in the three chambers averages between 110 and 112 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the website, yet the caverns arent particularly steamy.Nonetheless, my skin was glistening in a matter of minutes and I could barely breathe in the stifling, sulfuric atmosphere that passed for air. My eyes were bulging like a newts or at least, they felt like it by the time 10 minutes had passed.

I was reminded of that old adage its not the heat, its the humidity that explains the discomfort of certain climes. In the caves, it is the heat, and the humidity.janet@aspentimes.com