Mount Timpanogos from Timpooneke Trail

This is an awesome hike, especially this time of year with the wild flowers in bloom. If possible, do it on a week-day, as Saturdays are crowded.Be sure to pick up a pay envelope at the booth and hang a tag on your rear-view mirror to show that you have paid the $6 fee. There is a box at the campground that you can deposit it in. We drove up American Fork Canyon, right when the timp half marathon was going on. It was entertaining to watch the runners, but a slow process to get to the trailhead.  The parking lot was full, (and had been since 6 AM.), so we had to drive a mile past the trailhead to park on the road.  We signed in at the trailhead, and were rewarded with an amazing view, and blessed with a mostly overcast day.  The air was chilly at the summit, probably in the 40's, which felt great to me, but not to most people.  Clouds rolled in quickly, and it started raining fairly hard, and we did not want to experience lightning in the summit shack, even though it is grounded, so we descended quickly.  Shortly after leaving the summit, I was feeling pretty good, bounding down the rocks like a mountain goat, when some other hikers rounded a bend in the trail, and a girl said, "Wow a mountain goat!"  I was about to say, "Thanks," when I  followed their eyes over my shoulder, and a mountain goat was right behind me!  By the time I got my camera out, it wasn't too close, but I got a pretty good picture.
     The gps says our moving time was 7 hours 27 minutes, we hiked 17 miles, and our total ascent was 4,346 feet. (Some of that was the steep climb back to our car on the road.)  I carried 3 liters of water, but I still ran out, and this was a cooler day. If it had been warmer, I would recommend 4 to 5 liters. I had a water filter, but the only sources of water other than Emerald Lake, which would be a big detour, were streams about 3 miles from the trailhead, so I just continued on back.

A nest in a crag on a cliff. I wanted to put a peanut m&m
in for the picture, but didn't want to disturb it!

Summit looks a long way off!

The wildflowers alone were worth the hike.

Amazing view of Utah Lake from the saddle.

You feel like you are in an airplane at 11, 749 foot summit.

The mountain goat that snuck up behind me.

Albion Basin to Mount Tuscarora July 24, 2013

I woke up early on Pioneer Day, and headed up to get a good view of Pioneer Peak.  I drove 14.1 miles up Little Cottonwood Canyon to the Catherine Pass Trailhead.  I parked in the parking lot by the restrooms and crossed the road to hit the trail.  At about mile .78 the trail splits, and you stay to the left for Catherine Pass.  At Catherine Pass, I headed left up the ridge to the top of  Mount Tuscarora. Apparently a large buck had the same idea, but from the other direction, because we both reached the summit at the exact same time, and surprised each other!  He bounded away, leaving me to find the geocache up there: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=8d0e183f-0c37-4453-8f73-c60cc7c943c2.  The view was incredible, especially as the sun broke through the clouds reflecting on Lake Martha.   I headed back the way I came, ran into the retired Air Force Pilot and his English mother, whom I had met last Friday! They were looking for the father, who had become lost descending Sunset Peak.  When I returned to the trailhead, I had hiked 3.61 miles, a great start to Pioneer Day!

Daylight breaking in Albion Basin

Lakes Mary and Martha from Mount Tuscarora

Sunlight reflecting on Lake Martha

Trekking poles framing Pioneer Peak on Pioneer Day

Wildflowers reminded me of fireworks.

On the way back to the trailhead.

Sunset and Pioneer Peaks from Albion Basin

I began this hike from the Catherine Pass Trailhead near the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon, 14.1 miles from the 7-11 at the bottom of Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons.  It was an easy 2 miles or so up to Catherine Pass.  I then headed up the ridge to Sunset Peak, stopping to find a geocache, "By the Way," http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=f8b05ccd-fe89-4c2f-a279-20be59702b2d. The ammo box was open, so I signed the log and closed it up tightly. On the way, I chatted with a retired Air Force Pilot from Virginia, and his wife and, his mother who was from England.  The hike to the summit is not difficult, and exposure is not bad.  Shortly after I reached the summit, a 72-year-old man from Farmington came up behind me.  He was a retired plant pathologist, and he identified a patch of "Bearberry" bushes growing near the summit.  I then continued on to Pioneer Peak, and found another geocache, "Ten Year Hike," http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=1937e750-3449-48e0-a617-0afc3c82a267.
The view from here was great, and I stopped in the shade to eat an early lunch.
     I then returned back the way I had come, reascending Sunset Peak.  On the way down Sunset Peak, I saw what at first appeared to be a young woman helping an elderly couple slowly down the trail, but when I got closer, I found that the elderly couple were helping the young woman down the trail! She had fallen, and injured herself.  I got out my first aid kit and patched her up.  Instead of going back to Catherine Pass, I cut over to Supreme Peak and did 3 more geocaches, ending up just below Cecret Lake. I then returned along the road to my original trailhead.  I had hiked 6.21 miles and ascended 2,655 feet in a leisurely  4 1/2 hours (3 1/4 hours moving time), a very enjoyable hike.

Trekking Poles resting on some interesting
geology along the trail.

Wildflowers illuminated by the rising sun.

View of Lakes Catherine and Mary on the way up
to Sunset Peak. (Martha is hidden from view)

View of Sunset Peak and Mount Timpanogos
from Pioneer Peak.

View of Lakes Martha and Mary, with Silver Lake in the back,
taken atop Pioneer Peak.

Returning to the trailhead.

Brighton to Lakes Mary, Martha, and Catherine

July 13, 2013
     The wildflowers were amazing on this hike! We started at the Brighton Parking lot, at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon. The trailhead is just to the right of the ticket office, by the large map sign.  This is an easy hike, with continually-changing views, and you eagerly anticipate the view around the next bend or over the next rise.  You reach Lake Mary in the first mile, and Lake Martha shows up quickly. Before you know it, you arrive at Lake Catherine. As you approach like Catherine, the trail splits; the right goes to Catherine Pass, sort of bypassing the Lake. We took the left path directly to the lake, and were rewarded by an amazing display of wildflowers in granite boulders on the lakeshore, where we ate our lunch of Harmon's bakery's multi-grain rolls, provolone cheese, grapes, cherries, and a delicious sweet, crisp apple called "Jazzy."
     If you have time, you can continue up to Catherine pass and to the summit of Sunset Peak where 3 county boundaries meet.  We headed back the way we came, with a total  of 4.4 scenic miles.  On our way down the canyon, we had to stop for a large bull moose that was crossing the road.

Almost to Lake Mary

My old trekking poles mingling with my wife's sexy new
model at Lake Mary

I know exactly how old this hiker is, but I wonder about
the age of this fallen tree. Next time I'll have to stop
and count the rings.

A little bit of Lake Martha with
Mount Tuscarora in the background.

Lake Catherine with Catherine Pass
in the background on the right.

Lake Mary in the distance with Lake Martha
in the foreground, viewed from a point
nearLake Catherine.

Thunderclouds building near Lake Mary.

A great treat to end the trip!

Watch Out For Moose!

This blog is not so much about a hike, (We only made it 1 1/2 times around Silver Lake), but about the moose. There were two bull moose, and one cow.  The smaller bull moose kept challenging the large one, and it was amazing to watch them.  A wildlife photographer, who lives up there year-round, (who left his cameras at home, and had to use his iPhone) said this was a very rare thing to witness.  If only we had had a good camera instead of my tiny hiking camera!

The sign says it all

The two bull moose

The large bull

Bulls face off

Bulls fighting while female watches at a safe distance

Brighton to Lakes Mary and Martha, then Mount Wolverine to Lake Catherine

This hike is barely 5 miles long since it is cut short by going off trail straight up to Mount Wolverine, but you could stay on trail by hiking up to Catherine Pass, and following the ridge line (more or less a trail) to Mount Tuscarora, then on to Mount Wolverine and down to Twin Lakes Pass, then back to Lake Mary and Brighton.
     I drove to the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon and parked at Brighton Ski resort, right next to the Brighton Center ticket office.  The trail starts right behind a large sign that shows the ski trails.  It is an easy but beautiful one mile hike to Lake Mary. On the way there, I was stopped, taking pictures, when a group of three hikers caught up with me. A lady pointed to Mount Millicent and I heard her say, "There is Mount Chickadee, if anyone cares." I was mentally correcting her, when I realized she was talking about birds,  and she had said Mountain Chickadee! She then pointed out several other birds, and I was glad I had kept my big mouth shut!
     I had a waypoint for a geocache on Mount Tuscarora in my gps (http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=8d0e183f-0c37-4453-8f73-c60cc7c943c2
I looked for a reasonable way up to it and chose a route between lakes Mary and Martha. It was fairly steep, but safe. I crossed a boulder field to get to the ridge between Mount Tuscarora and Mount Wolverine. I could probably have avoided the boulder field by staying more to the right as I ascended.
     When I reached the ridge, I was very close to Mount Wolverine summit, so I made a quick detour there and then made the easy hike to Mount Tuscarora summit.  I was within 6 feet of the geocache, but   the exposure looked pretty dangerous for a solo hiker without the rope that I usually carry, but didn't, so I decided to leave the cache for another time.  As I was about to return back the way I came up, a couple of hikers appeared from the other direction toward Catherine Pass, so I changed my plans and went down that way. It added a little more distance but was much easier, and turned the hike into a loop instead of out and back!

Lake Mary with Mount Millicent (not Mount Chickadee!)
in the background

Lake Martha (I just missed pic of deer that was there!)

Just a little snow on way up to ridge

Lakes Mary and Martha from ridge

View from Mount Tuscarora 

Cecret Lake with American Fork Twin Peaks

Kennecott Copper Mine in the distance

Lake Catherine and Sunset Peak with Heber in the distance

Catherine Pass-so many options!

Lake Martha on return trail to Brighton

Columbines

   

Twin Lakes to Lake Solitude Loop

On June 22 we  parked at Silver Lake Trailhead in Big Cottonwood Canyon and hiked half way around the lake, took the trail that branches off from the loop. A short distance further, you have the option of going to the right toward Lake Solitude, or going to the left toward Twin Lakes.
  We went left and reached Twin Lakes.  At Twin Lakes we headed up a trail to the right that parallels the shore but is higher up.  Shortly after leaving Twin Lakes, the trail splits, and we stayed to the right. I  was surprised how quickly we could see Lake Solitude, but it took a while to reach it. From there we checked on my geocache, called Rock Solidtude See http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=e40a7151-207c-4038-9949-191b2a35388a  We then continued down the hill to complete the loop back to Silver Lake. This is a fairly easy hike, and is about 4 miles total.  It is very scenic.

A rare pic of me in my own blog 

Garbage cans on ski lift. I am guessing that they
are full of water to add weight to test
and adjust lift?

View of Lake Solitude

Trekking poles basking in a bed of wildflowers

A moose near Silver Lake