Tales From My Trekking Poles: April 2014

This is a hike I read about in the April 17 edition of the Salt lake Tribune. It was the hike of the week, and is called the Thousand Oaks Section of Bonneville Shoreline Trail. It is a nice hike if you have a little time before or after work, etc. and want to do a little hike or run. You have a view of the West for pretty much the whole time, so it would be cool to do a sunset hike, then bring a flashlight or headlamp to get back. This section of the trail was completed last Fall.
It starts at the Mount Olympus Trailhead on Wasatch Boulevard and about 5200 South. My trekking poles reminded me that this was the first hike I took them on over 20 years ago! You can park on Wasatch Boulevard or up in the small parking lot. Go up the steep wooden stairs. At the top of the stairs is Pete's Rock. This is a popular spot for teens on dates to "watch the sunset." A funny little story: My son and some of his friends, high school seniors, went to the Senior Dinner Dance. After the dance, about 10 pm, he went with three other guys, still dressed in suits and ties, and climbed up to Pete's Rock, just because it is a fun place to go when you are not quite ready to go home for the night. There were some other hikers up there, and one of them said, "So I take it Prom didn't go so well?!"
Anyway, when you get to Pete's Rock, it appears that the trail ends, but just scramble about 10 feet up a few rocks, and you will see the trail again. Continue on for less than 1/2 mile, and you will see a trail branching off to your left. This is the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. It has a few switchbacks to get around a large rock field. As I was passing the rock field, I heard the sound of falling rocks, and noticed a young deer going right up the middle of the rock field! It was really struggling, sliding back, etc. but finally made it to the top. It quickly climbed onto the top of a small peak, then just stood there majestically, enjoying the view! As you head North, the trees are more plentiful and you reach some beautiful pines. At about 2 1/2 miles into the hike, the trail splits. Many people turn around here. I went left, and ended up in a neighborhood of Olympus Cove. So you could start here and hike South instead. My GPS said that the address here is 4594 Thousand Oaks Drive. I then hiked back up to the split, and followed the other direction for a while. It appears to go to Neff's Canyon, but I will have to explore that more another day. With my extra exploring, I hiked just under 7 miles.