alta in the summer

Not so long ago we were in the mood for a shortish, don't-let's-get-started-until-the-afternoon hike (approx. 5 miles).  We headed up Little Cottonwood Canyon to Alta, parking in the Catherine's Pass trailhead lot just below the Sunnyside lift.  We hiked up to the pass through Catherine's Area, traversing the bowls and meadows we frolicked in all winter, now in full summertime wildflower bloom.

Self portrait atop Catherine's Pass

At the top of the pass we could see down into Brighton in Big Cottonwood Canyon, a couple of small alpine lakes (Catherine and Mary?) below us.  We walked up along the ridge to the top of the Sugarloaf lift, peering down the chutes we ski and marveling at how dang steep they are - things are a lot less steep when you've got your skis on.  I'm serious.  I wouldn't have wanted to hike down any of those chutes but I ski down them with hardly a second thought.  Well, maybe a second thought but almost never a third.

What Vicki's/3 Bears looks like in the summer

For the descent we followed ski trails: Upper Big Dipper to Rock N' Roll, then followed the access road through a cluster of private cabins and back to the car.  It's so much more fun hiking up at Alta this summer because now, after having skied there every weekend last winter, we know what we're looking at.  There's still a fair amount of snow up there, tucked away in the shade in Castle Apron, and I imagine it'll not melt before there's new snowfall.  Last summer, the first snow was August 28th ... wonder when it'll be this year.

Seriously, the wildflowers are nuts out here