Dog Lake

Looking back across Big Cottonwood Canyon

An inviting trail

So peaceful

Sunrise through the aspens

Dog Lake before the dogs arrived

This being an odd-numbered day, my trekking poles were relieved that they had left the mountain bike  at home!

This hike begins 9.6 miles up Big Cottonwood Canyon, at Mill D North Trailhead, on the left side of the road.   It is an easy hike, and very scenic. The book says it is a 2 mile hike to Dog Lake, but my gps read 6.4 miles round trip. Maybe that is because I wandered around taking pictures, and did about 5 geocaches along the way.  I started at 7:15 AM, and there was frost on the ground. I carried a jacket, but did not need it, as I warmed up quickly.  I saw moose tracks crossing the trail to the stream, but no moose.  I had the trail to myself the entire hike, but saw a man and lady dressed from head to toe  in matching camo (the lady's backpack was camo with pink trim); they were bow hunting, but not successfully at that point. As I was about to leave Dog Lake, about a dozen loud hikers with even louder dogs arrived from the Millcreek Canyon side, and the pristine reflection of fall trees in the lake was gone. Oh well; the dogs were fun to watch, tirelessly fetching sticks in the lake!
     On the way down, I chatted with 2 ladies that asked about great places to hike. I told them about my blog, and discovered that they went to Cottonwood High School with one of my sons.

Twin Lakes

Looking down on Silver Lake from Twin Lakes Trail

Twin Lakes

I hiked to Twin Lakes this morning and did a few Geocaches along the way. I saw a couple of large deer on the way up. I parked at Silver Lake, went around to the right until I reached the trail that branches off the other side. I took that for a short distance, then followed the sign that points to the left. It is a pretty easy trail, not too steep, a little rocky in places. It was 1.65 miles to the lake, but I wandered around a bit looking for geocaches, and had some excellent views that I would have missed.
     Twin lakes is really only one lake, but before the dam was put in, it was two separate lakes. I only saw one other person at the lake, so it was very peaceful. I wish I had brought my fishing pole!  On the way down, I looked about 5 feet off the trail, and saw an OWL!  I have seen very few owls in the wild, so I was very excited. Unfortunately it flew off before I could get a picture of it. It was quite small, maybe 10 inches tall, but it's wings sounded very powerful as it flew by.

Bear Trap Fork

I started the Labor Day Holiday with a great Moutainman breakfast.

The beginning of the hike, with my Trekking poles patiently waiting

A very serene trail

 My sweet wife suggested that I go hiking today, so I jumped at the chance. There were hundreds of vehicles in the canyon, and I was expecting a crowded trail but that was not the case. I drove 10.4 miles up the canyon from the stop light at the bottom.  (This is different from the posted mile signs along the road; I don't know where they started their miles!)  There are no signs posted telling you that this is Bear Trap Fork, but once you start on the dirt road, in about 100 yards you will see an inviting trail that leaves the road off to the left. There are no signs at all on the trail either, but it is easy to follow. This hike was incredibly peaceful and serene. The forest floor was soft and silent in places, and all I could hear was a slight squeak of my leather boots that I had  never noticed before,  birds chirping,  a slight breeze whistling through the pine needles, and some aspen leaves quaking.   In spite of this being a holiday, I did not encounter a single person for over an hour and a half. Then I met the only other hikers of the entire hike, a family of four, and the teenage daughter said,  'You are almost there. Get ready for a stunning view." And she was right.

Desolation Lake 

My trekking poles enjoying the view

The Great Western Trail aka The Wasatch Crest Trail

After hiking for 2 1/2 miles I came to an amazing view point, where I could see Park City and the Uintah mountains to the Northeast, The Great Salt Lake to the Northwest, the Salt Lake Valley, the Oquirrh mountains and Deseret Peak to the Southwest, (also the back side of Mount Olympus), and Twin Peaks to the South.  The air was very clear, due to the heavy rains we had the last two days.  The gps coordinates for this point are:
N 40* 39.602 W 111* 35.838.  At this point, I sat on a log and ate some crackers and some Justin's all natural Chocolate Hazelnut Butter, a great snack!  I read a paperback book and just relaxed for a few minutes. I heard a swishing sound, and looked up to see a large hawk soaring right next to me on a thermal. I was actually looking down on the hawk, and had a great view of it.