We drove out to Topaz Mountain in Juab County, 70 miles east of Nephi. Sonny’s wife, Sue, came along to provide medical treatment and adult responsibility. Even so, things started with a big explosion.
At 10 a.m., Topaz Mountain Adventures set off charges intended to fracture the caldera of a volcano so ancient that its age can only be generally measured in church meeting time.
Never mind all of that. Before the excavation could begin, the self-described “witch of the mountain,” Ronda Stemmons, delivered a safety lecture just short of a physical threat.