Sunday, August 23, 2009

STEWART FALLS


HIKERS: Amy, Brook

AMY'S NOTES: A yearly tradition. Drive up to Sundance, buy a homemade sucker on a wooden stick at the general store, ride Ray's lift to the top, meander down to the falls crossing creeks and wading through meadows of grass and aspen along the way, and then fill up on fish tacos at the Foundry Grill. I've managed to do this most every summer for the last couple decades. The menu at the grill changes but the mountains and incredible views of Timp are constants. A lovely mellow stroll through the mountains in late summer.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

MOUNT OLYMPUS SUMMIT





DATE: Saturday, June 20
HIKERS: Amy, Dave, Matt
START TIME: 7:00 am
ELEVATION GAIN: 4200'
SUMMIT: 9026'
SUMMIT TIME: 3 hours 10 min
RT TIME: 5 hours
DISTANCE RT: 7 miles
WEATHER: Cool, scattered showers

AMY'S NOTES: Mt Oly has been a long time goal of mine. It was the mountain that filled the view from every window in the house I grew up in and served as my primary reference point in the Salt Lake Valley. As long as I could see Mt Olympus I always knew where home was. It was great to hike this with 2 guys that grew up next door.

The climb itself is straight up and pretty much a grind - think stair stepping. The top section involves some scrambling and jumping. At the summit there are spectacular views of Salt Lake to the east and all the rest of the Wasatch to the west. The weather conditions were great for keeping us cool but also made for very slippery rocks on the way down.

DIRECTIONS: The trailhead is roughly 1/4 mile north of Tolcate Hills Road along Wasatch Blvd at 5800 south on the east side of Wasatch Blvd., and is marked with a brown sign reading "Mount Olympus Trailhead". Park either along Wasatch Blvd. or in a slightly hidden parking lot just north of the trailhead.

Monday, August 17, 2009

TWIN PEAKS ATTEMPT

HIKERS: Amy, Dave, Justin
WEATHER: 53 F, Stormy - hail rain & thunder
ELEVATIONS:
SUMMIT: 11330'
DISTANCE RT:
RT TIME: 1 hour 45 min

AMY'S NOTES: Thwarted by stormy weather! A gorgeous hike cut short by hail, thunder, lightning, and other misc weather phenomenon. We hiked up an hour and reached the first meadow before deciding that this was not the day for a summit. Spotted a couple of rough grouse, watched low heavy clouds roll by, and to sound a little cheesy - generally marveled at the beauty around us.

DIRECTIONS: Big Cottonwood Canyon to the Mill B trailhead. From the bottom of the parking lot take the Broad Forks trail.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

MOUNT NEBO






HIKE: North Route to Mt. Nebo's highest peak
HIKERS: Amy, Dave, Matt
START: 8,100 ft., 8:40 am
SUMMIT: 11,928 ft., 3 hours 18 min
ELEV. GAIN: 3,828 ft.
RT TIME: 6 hours
RT DISTANCE: 8.84 miles
WEATHER: 45 F at start, mix of sun & overcast, cool

AMY'S NOTES: Nebo is still one of my favorites. This was a first summit for Dave and Matt. A cold front moved in over northern Utah this weekend and the weather could not have been more perfect for a Nebo summit in August. Temperatures were in the 50's at midday and when we reached the summit alone we watched our breath while clouds rolled in over us. A short stay on top (approx 10 min) and we headed down. There was some concern about thunderstorms. We spent a total of about 30 min sitting around - so you could shave about 30 min off the hike if you were in a hurry. A great way to spend a saturday.

TRAIL: Start at the Monument trailhead off of the Nebo Scenic Loop Rd and follow the dirt road to the right from the parking lot. The trail begins at the end of the road, follow the fence line up onto the Nebo Bench Trail. The trail is very clear until you are close to the summit at which point just pick your way along the ridge line through the shale.

For photos of last year's hike to nebo see: http://hazardstats.blogspot.com/2008/10/nebo-photos.html

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

ONEIDA NARROWS: BEAR RIVER, ID


AMY'S NOTES: Spent Saturday and Sunday running the Oneida with Virg and friends. Took both a hardshell and the new bandit. A fun Class I float above Redpoint Campground and a mellow Class II section below the campground with a couple of rock gardens to play in. About a 4.5 hour drive from home. Reminder to head up during the week to avoid the crowds and road dust.