When I was researching places to visit while on vacation, I came across someone on TripAdvisor who mentioned an intermittent spring. This spring is better known as, “The Spring that Breaths” which is located in Swift Creek canyon just outside of Afton, Wyoming. I had never heard of an intermittent spring, so I did some research. An intermittent spring is also known as a periodic spring or a rhythmic spring where the water flows in cycles on and off at predictable intervals.

There are six known intermittent springs in the world, they include: Gihon Spring in Jerusalem, Dhor Barahi in Nepal, Gyechon in South Korea, Fontaine de Fontestorbes in France and Igla in Slovenia. ‘The Spring that Breaths’ in Wyoming is the largest known intermittent spring in the world. It runs from August to May every year at the speed of 100 cubic feet per second with crystal clear ice cold water.

For me, this was a must-see and it did not disappoint. The spring is not overly known about and there was only one small sign which pointed the way. The drive was awesome. It was a dirt road about five or six miles long, unmaintained, even going 0 to 10 miles per hour, we were bounced around the whole time. We parked at the end of the road and headed for the trailhead. Two matching signs on each side of the trail met us with a greeting stating, “This is your last warning. Enter at your own risk. It’s not too late to turn back.” Beware of falling rocks, flash floods etc... I don’t remember everything it said. Only that it was impressive how many ways we could die.

We hiked back into the canyon to the base of the waterfall. Dear Readers, for the 1,000th time, I wish I could share my pictures. The hike up to the top of the waterfall was excellent. Not for the faint of heart. By the time we got to the top, the spring was starting to slow down. Eventually, it stopped. We knew the spring would start again in about 18 minutes. So we sat and waited. Mark and I both heard what sounded like a far off airplane. But, we were in a tight canyon and it didn’t make sense to hear a plane. The sound then slowly changed. It grew into a rumbling, gurgling deep under the earth. The sound steadily grew from deep within the mountain.

It was a mighty sound. A humbling sound. Leaving one feeling small and in awe. Then ... it came. At first, it was a small trickle. Within seconds, it grew and grew and grew. I would say it took under 60 seconds for it to once again become a wild majestic, cascading waterfall. I watched a young man reach close to the mouth of the spring and fill up water bottles and his child’s sippy cup with “The Spring that Breaths” water. I wasn’t that brave to drink the water from the mountain, but I deeply appreciated the sentiment.

I’m so thankful I have gotten to see it. It was even better because I could count the number of people there on one hand. It wasn’t overwhelmed with yahoo’s. I hope I’m lucky enough to see it again. Particularly before it gains in popularity and society decides to put all sorts of restrictions or safety measures around it.