avenues twin peaks

Recent weekends have largely been taken up with addressing (or attempting to address) sprinkler issues - as H and one of our neighbors, who looooooooves yard work, have been spending hours digging holes, stopping leaks, swapping out valves, re-wiring, etc. - while Milton "supervises" in between naps in the sun.  We did manage to get out for a new-to-us hike one day, however, after some dithering around, trying to find something dog-friendly and not too far away, settling on the Avenues Twin Peaks hike in the foothills above SLC.

There are oodles of trails along the bench to the north/northeast/east in the Salt Lake Valley, all connected in some way by the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, although there is some current controversy* about some new trails going in above the Avenues (neighborhood in SLC with wonderful older homes).  We haven't spent much time up there because these trails are heavily used and we try to be where people aren't.  They're great trails, however:  in good shape, easy walking and well-signed at all the intersections.

View to the east(ish)

Since we got a late start, we saw lots of people out there, from MTBers to e-bikers to dog walkers to hikers to trail runners.  Some of what we hiked was quite steep, and without switchbacks the footing was a little slide-y.  But you get up to the views - of the entire Salt Lake Valley and beyond - quickly.  Everything is still green and there were flowers everywhere.  Although dogs are supposed to be on-leash, most were off and well-behaved; we just put Milton back on his leash whenever we encountered another leashed dog and everything worked out fine.  

After the hike, since we were already in town, we stopped by the Campfire Lounge's dog-friendly patio for a pitcher and snacks.  Being in Sugarhouse, there was plenty of passersby people-watching to do, plus Milton made friends with Archie (golden-doodle puppy) and Henry (golden retriever) and all the people sitting near us.  We don't do city stuff all that often - days like this make me think we should do it a little more.

View to the west

Hike stats: 4.30 miles; moving 1:35 hours/2.7 m.p.h.; overall 1:55/2.2 m.p.h.; 1,380 feet of elevation

*  The city has put a temporary halt to new trail construction for a bit, saying that there needs to be a more comprehensive plan with respect to habitat, erosion, trail use (hikers vs bikers) and protected spaces; plus some folks with really high end homes up there are cranky that the hoi polloi park on their streets for trail access (which is allowed).

how it ended

There were two more MTB rides before the spring desert sojourn ended.  On the hottest day of our stay (mostly sunny, 90 F, 0% chance of rain), we went up to Dead Horse Point State Park to ride the Intrepid trails.  I know they're not the most challenging trails in the area (except for Prickly Pair, which we haven't done), but they are fun to ride and total standouts for scenery alone.  

Of course, we took no photos that day, scenery notwithstanding.

It had already reached 75 F up at the park when we got there around 8:45 a.m.  There were quite a few vehicles in the main lot and more people out on the trails than we've seen in a long time, including two tandem MTBs (note to self: no thank you on tandem MTBs) and a recumbent MTB.  We did our usual Big Chief, to Crossroads, to Whiptail to Twisted Tree; I backtracked at that point while H continued around Twisted Tree and he finally caught me on Raven Roll. 

Ride stats: 16.57 miles; 1:57 hours; 8.5 m.p.h. average speed; 16.7 H's top speed 

More spring blooms

On Sunday, on our way out of town, we stopped by MOAB Brand Trails again.  Since Milton was with us, he and I walked our now-regular Bar M-to Circle O-to Bar M loop while H MTBed.  It was pretty pleasant - partly cloudy with a high of 71 F - and although H had to dodge other riders on his route, the dog and I didn't see anyone else.  Except for the poor squirrel that Milt would not leave alone after chasing around a sagebrush (like the Keystone Kops) before the little critter dove under a rock.  I had to drag him away from it and put him back on his leash for a good fifteen minutes before he forgot about it.

This is how a desert dog cools off

We met H back on the parking lot cut-off and Milt chased him back to the truck.  By the time I got there, Milton was well into making new friends with the group of five 20-something girls parked next to us.  That dog makes friends wherever he goes.  And that was it, aside from a couple of post-trail beers on the tailgate and then a couple of veggie burgers at a busy Ray's Tavern in Green River.  Man, I love the desert.  I can't wait to get back down there again.

Ride stats:  15.57 miles; 1:33 hours; 10.1 m.p.h. average speed (much faster when I'm not riding); 23.2 m.p.h. top speed

jackson's hole

 No, not that Jackson Hole.  And although all the google searches for the Moab one call it "Jackson Hole," all the signs out on the trail call it "Jackson's Hole" so that's what I'm going to do.  

Colorado River from Jackson's Trail

Since we saw the Mad Moose Behind the Rocks Ultra race , I've been eager to do the accessible portion of their course; since the forecast was for partly cloudy with a high of 77 F, this was our best chance to do it until fall when things cool off again.  We had our route: up Jackson's Trail, down Jackson's Ladder, around Jackson's Not-Hole, up the Ladder and down Amasa Back.  We were out the door at 7 a.m.

Where we're going

There were two other vehicles in the Amasa Back parking lot when we started walking back along the Kane Creek road to the Jackson's Trail trailhead at the OHV trailer lot.  It was cool but not cold, a little humid from being so close to the creek.  We didn't see anybody for the walk along the creek and river (30 minutes) or during the first climb up to the top of the mesa where we crossed the Cliffhanger trail (35 minutes).

H heading down Jackson's Ladder

From there, the descent via Jackson's Ladder was pretty quick (about 17 minutes).  There's a fairly well-defined trail for the top third, then you have to pick your way down a fainter trail, with some loose footing, marked with cairns, until you reach the bottom of the cliffs.  At the bottom, we were on hard-packed double-track which was so easy to walk on.  It didn't escape our notice, however, that we were doing nothing but going downhill - gradually - and also out further around the mesa than we expected.

A on the "trail"

I sometimes wish I had been a geology major when I'm out hiking because the terrain is so interesting.  With the dark red sandstone cliffs looming overhead, we were clearly walking along the old river bottom because the double-track was winding through huge piles of smooth, round, black river stones.  We kept going out and down, almost to the river, before the road finally turned, got sandy and headed back towards the cliffs.  The clouds had momentarily rolled in, however, so it wasn't hot - which was good because this portion would have been a slog in the heat.

River rocks

It took us an hour and a half to make the loop, and then around fourteen minutes to climb Jackson's Ladder back up.  Again, the trick is to keep your head down, focused on footing, and not keep looking up to see how far you have to go.  I did keep looking up, though, because I just love the audacity of the first person to think they could even put a trail in here.  From down below, we could see some jeeps cautiously making their way across the Cliffhanger trail.  We waved, hoping they could see us making our way up the cliff wall.

We had to go WAY out and around that formation

The clouds had moved on by the time we got back to Cliffhanger.  As we moved across that trail towards the top of Amasa Back (30 minutes), we kept peeking over the edge so we could see what we had just been hiking, far below.  At this point we started meeting up with other people - hikers, MTBers, dogs and vehicles - but were feeling pretty smug that we were the only ones who would be doing the exact route we did.

Not many flowers but I found this one

The descent through Amasa Back was straightforward, although our knees and feet were starting to get a little sore by the time we got back to the truck.  You better believe there were high fives and celebratory beers (and sandwiches) then.  That was a great hike - and the up and down Jackson's Ladder was super-fun.

I love this trail

Hike stats: 12.17 miles; moving 4:18 hours/2.8 m.p.h.; overall 4:47/2.5; 1,710 feet of elevation

I love this profile

sidetracked

 We've hiked Pritchett Canyon a couple of times now.  The first time we had our heads on swivels because the canyon is just so pretty, plus we were impressed with the 4x4 obstacles.  The second time, it was still pretty and impressive but we also noticed that there were several side canyons that looked like they could be explored.  On Thursday (sunny, 0% chance of rain, high of 86 F), H, Milton and I went exploring.

Heading into #2

The first side canyon is not that far in and narrow enough to qualify as a slot canyon.  We didn't get in too far before the passage turned to boulders and chockstones, not ideal for hiking with a dog who likes to jump without looking.  I think we could get in further, just the two of us without Milton, but this day was not that day.

In the wash alongside the 4x4 road

The second side canyon was a little further in.  As we could hear engines coming behind us, we started walking in the wash instead of up on the 4x4 road.  This kept us out of their way and wasn't too difficult walking.  We were able to walk up the drainage into the second side canyon - much wider - until we found an incidental trail.  This canyon ended in a bowl with numerous natural springs and, because of the springs, lots of greenery - a true desert oasis.

Oasis

The third side canyon was a bit of a bust.  We started up the drainage but soon hit some impassable pour-offs.  When we peeked over the edge of the drainage, the terrain was covered in cryptobiotic soil which we avoid walking on at all costs so as to preserve the ecosystem.  We turned around here and kept heading up the canyon.

This was eight inches high

Claret-cup cactus

We were back on the 4x4 trail now, quickly losing our shade, and it was getting hotter.  We made Milton put on his t-shirt to reflect some of the sun as we turned up the fourth - and biggest - side canyon.  There is an old (mining? ranch?) road here, and a sign indicating that it's a wilderness study area; you can go in on foot but MTBs and motorized vehicles are not allowed to protect the fragile environment.  Before long we'd gotten around a bend and all noise from the vehicles on the Pritchett Canyon route disappeared.  It's like we were in the middle of nowhere, all by ourselves.

Looking back down canyon

He was more worn out from not finishing his

breakfast than from the heat, tbh

When this canyon split, we took the left (looker's left) fork, following the faint trail to the end.  Other than the ravens soaring above the cliff walls, it was just us.  It was definitely getting hotter, though, so we didn't linger longer than to have a quick snack and reapply sunscreen before retracing our steps all the way back out.  The cool thing is that we still have the right fork of the fourth side canyon to explore.  We're not done with Pritchett Canyon yet.

We stopped to watch these guys for a while

Hike stats:  8.00 miles; moving 3:09 hours/2.5 m.p.h.; overall 3:57/2.0 m.p.h.; 1,010' elevation

klondike bluffs

When we initially roughed out a hiking/MTBing schedule, we'd thought to go up to the Intrepid trails at Dead Horse Point State Park midweek.  We were watching the weather, however, and it was due to get hotter on Friday; since DHPSP is up in elevation, and thus cooler, we decided to ride there then.  The reshuffle sent us out to Klondike Bluffs on Wednesday instead as the forecast was for sunny skies and a high of 80 F.  We got out the door at 8 a.m., leaving a pouting Milton behind, and drove north on 191 to the trailhead.

Bike selfie

The last, first and only time we've been to Klondike Bluffs was in 2012.  It's just a little further out (nearly to the airport) so we often forget about it, and it's just a little sandier than I like.  It was good to go back, however, and do something different.  There was just one other vehicle in the parking lot when we pulled in, although we'd driven past several campers and trailers in the dispersed camping on the way out there.

Real live dinosaur tracks!

We started out on the Klondike Bluffs 4x4 road, heading to the Arches National Park overlook/border.  Since 2012, the trail crew has put a MTB only trail in from the parking lot to the main trail junction, paralleling the 4x4 road and marked as "much less sandy."  That was great, as I remember getting bogged down in the sand a lot before.  When we were on the KB road proper, it was a combination of jeep road and wide slickrock ramps.  It was a steady climb all the way to the park border but going up that slickrock is easy and really fun.

Love these slickrock ramps

As before, we left our MTBs at the park border and walked in to the overlook of the Salt Valley.  When we got back to the bikes, we backtracked just a little until we picked up the Baby Steps trail, which was a combination of fun and flowy red singletrack and technical pieces above the washes.  It was starting to get hotter as we came out on a jeep road - complete with range cows - that took us back to the truck.

Baby steps

Ride stats:  12.75 miles; 2:22 ride time; 5.4 average speed (slow!); 20.8 m.p.h. top speed

alcove spring

H's favorite Utah national park is Bryce Canyon National Park but I think mine is Canyonlands.  Comprised of three different areas (one of which, the Maze, we haven't even gotten to yet) with distinct terrain, the variety of scenery is mind-blowing.  We've hiked nearly all the trails in the Island in the Sky District, with the Murphy Hogback lollipop being one of my all-time favorite hikes, leaving only the longest ones yet to do.  Because Island in the Sky is located on top of a mesa, most of its hardest and best hikes are out-and-back and involve going down (and back up) the cliff walls.  We've done Gooseberry, the aforementioned Murphy, and the Syncline loop; with Alcove Spring just checked off the list, we only have the Wilhite and Lathrop trails left to do.

I can't believe we'd never seen this view before

Alcove Spring is the third longest of the big Island in the Sky trails.  Our main concern was how much time Milton would be stuck at home - he's not as used to it with H having been WFH for the past fourteen months - and not only is the trail long, but it's about an hour drive to the trailhead, and then another hour again back home.  We were out the door at 7 a.m., under mostly clear skies with the forecasted high of 77 F and a whopping 1% chance of rain.

The Alcove Spring

For folks who just want to see the giant alcove (and its spring), it's less than half a mile from the parking area, although it does involve crossing some steeply canted slabs.  After the alcove, however, things get very steep as the trail descends from the mesa to the canyon floor below.  This was by far one of the least trafficked trails in the whole park but it was still easy to follow, coming down through the weakness in the wall, to the desert meadows and into the wash.

Steep slabs are my jam

The trail across the meadows was terrific to walk on: hard-packed dirt or sand with rolling hills and barely rocky.  Once we got into the wash, it was a little more work with softer sand.  The views were better up in the meadows too: you get tunnel vision in washes and while the soaring cliffs were awe-inspiring, the shorter walls of the wash were not quite as magnificent.

H crossing the meadows

We didn't make it all the way down to the Zeus and Moses climbing spires, shorting ourselves by a couple of miles because it was getting warmer and it was going to be uphill all the way back.  I would like to go back and get all the way down there but it will have to be in cooler temperatures for sure.  We saw one other hiker on our way back out the wash; later, when H was almost back at the top, he saw another couple who were just peeking at the views - not enough exertion to consider them "hikers."

We gotta go all the way back up 

You know a trail is steep when it takes the same amount of time to go up and down.  The Alcove Springs climb back up to the rim is steep and took us about forty minutes each way.  I actually don't mind the really steep ups: I keep my head down and don't look up to see how much further I have to go, just concentrating on each step bringing me up in elevation.  Before you know it, the whole climb has  passed and you're back at the truck, ready to crack open a celebratory beer.  (Or maybe that's just us.)

Hike stats: 9.31 miles; 3:31 hours / 2.6 m.p.h. moving average; 3:52 / 2.4 overall average; 1,560 feet of elevation

double session

 Partly cloudy, nice and cool (with the day's high of 66 F) and we were off to the upper Navajo Rocks trailhead by 8:00 a.m.  There were a couple of other vehicles in the lot and one group of four MTBers with whom we kept leapfrogging as we rode the Middle Earth - Coney Island - Big Lonely - Lone Mesa loop (clockwise, starting at ME across 313 from the parking lot).  

Coney Island

It had rained a little the night before, patting the dust and sand down to a very rideable surface.  The many of the trails at Navajo Rocks are a marked step more difficult than what I'm comfortable riding - I am not too proud to hike-a-bike, however - but I really like the slickrock sections of Big Lonely and Lone Mesa.  Once you get past the technical climbing portions of Coney Island, the double-track climb goes very quickly too.

Delicate and yet desert-tough

Because it stayed relatively cool, after H and I got back, Milton and I went out for an hour and a half on the Pipedream trail, walking from our place to the Jackson Street entry.  We were the only ones out there - it was even too cool for much lizard action, much to the dog's dismay.  There were lots of different wildflowers in bloom along that trail, more than we'd seen anywhere else so far; the combination of the elevation and the morning sun must be just what those delicate blossoms are looking for.

Hilarious - and also true

Ride stats:  10.27 miles; 1:38 riding time; 6.2 average speed (slow!); 15.5 max. speed

No idea what this one is but it's so pretty

upper millcreek and oowah lake

 Things cooled off in a big way overnight and Sunday, although rather cloudy, was very comfortable in the high 70s.  It was considerably cooler where we hiked, however: up in the La Sal mountains.  On prior drives along the loop road, we'd noticed a trailhead sign and parking area perched on the edge of Millcreek Canyon, at the head of the canyon where the creek comes out of the mountains.  We'd been hoping to explore the upper reaches of Millcreek Canyon and were hoping that this might prove a good entry point.

Truth in advertising (the more you know)

It wasn't.  We clambered down the very steep trail to a couple of hiking areas, where climbers' protection (spikes, carabiners, etc.) shone in the morning sun from the cliff walls.  There really wasn't any hiking to be done, however, and when we attempted bushwhacking downstream, the narrow canyon soon got choked with boulders and fallen trees, not ideal especially with Milton who tends to leap before he looks.

Totally shaded - great for summer climbing

We weren't far from the road to Oowah Lake (Piute name origin - it certainly isn't so spectacular that one would go, "Oo - ah!" upon seeing it).  The Forest Service campground (and road) are still closed because of snow so we were able to park at the gate and walk up the road to the little lake - not the most glamorous of hikes, but enough for all of us to get some exercise.  The dirt road was in good shape and it climbed steadily the whole way up.

Icy cold, right out of the mountains

There was some pretty decent entertainment too: Milton started up three turkeys and we saw two hawks and a partridge.  We also were surrounded by about fifteen hounds at one point, out doing training with their hunter-owners.  We heard them howling and baying as they crashed through the woods; it was a little disconcerting until we figured out what they were.  When they got to us, we had Milt on his leash so he wouldn't run off with them.  They were good dogs: they gave him a sniff and then kept on with their hunt, except for one friendly puppy who tagged along with us for a while before rejoining his pack.

Ice not entirely out yet

Hike stats:  6.95 miles; 2:26 hiking time/2.8 m.p.h. moving average; 3:01 total time/2.3 overall average; 1,250 feet of elevation

how it started

 Where to begin with our recent desert sojourn?  How about right at the beginning?  We loaded up the truck and scooted down early on Friday, getting in ahead of the late day traffic back-ups.  It looks as though the road widening project should be finished by June  - twolanes continuing all the way into town instead of narrowing to one lane at the river - so that will be fantastic.  We caught up with our neighbor Amelia and her Underdog puppy Moscow, and then strolled over to Woody's for a beer to usher in our days off.

Town flowers: clematis

Saturday was partly cloudy, with the day's high of 91F, and a 0% chance of rain.  To avoid the heat, we were out the door at 8 a.m. (Milton left behind to guard the house) and on our way with the MTBs to MOAB Brand Trails.  Although H has been MTBing all winter, this was my first time back on a bike since November.  

More town flowers

I didn't entirely forget what to do, however, as we did parking lot cut-off to south on Copper Ridge Road, to Rusty Spur, to Lazy E-Z, to the Bar M loop.  We saw just a few people out on the trails - surprisingly fewer than there had been during Jeep Safari - and no tour groups.

All my clothes are really baggy, apparently

Ride stats: 13.98 miles; 1:27 ride time; 9.6 average speed; 22.6 H's top speed

105.57

 This is basically all of us right now, recuperating from 105.57 non-motorized miles in Moab and the ridiculous amount of laundry resulting from those miles.  Real posts to resume shortly.

Shhhh ... napping

why, yes, this is a filler post

I didn't go crazy online shopping during this past pandemic year (because I'm cheap) but one of the few things I did buy was David Lebovitz's Drinking French.  It's wonderful, full of history and French cultural information, in addition to all the recipes, and I read it cover to cover.  I am taking my time buying different liquors (because I am cheap) so I haven't really tried too many recipes - other than the Boulevardier, which is LOVELY.  I did have about half a bottle of vodka and some strawberries in the freezer, however, so I mixed up a batch of strawberry cordial, infusing the booze with the berries and some sugar.  Because I used frozen strawberries, they leeched some water into the infusion, turning it a little thick when stored in the freezer.  Anyone who complains about delicious homemade boozy strawberry slushes can just show themselves out, though: look at that color!

weekend things

 It's a good thing H had such a gorgeous weekend for Alta's first close because the next weekend, when Alta really closed for the season, had a marked lack of sun.  It was cloudy and damp both Saturday and Sunday down in the valley, never getting above the low 60s; up in the mountains there was flat light and gray days.  H opted to end on a high note and stayed in the valley, getting a couple of rides in as the rain held off.  Milton and I did our walks, plus I switched over to my summer clothes, packing away the winter wardrobe (and then, Monday, wishing I hadn't since it was 30s and raining all day), plus dehydrating yet another batch of tofu jerky.  I've made quite a lot of jerky over the past month but I've got to do it now because running the dehydrator - which pumps out a lot of hot air - in the summer is less than appealing.

"What are those little dogs doing over there?"

H, who has been stuck in the house working all year, was not that eager to be stuck in the house all weekend as well.  On Saturday, we went to the Hog Wallow for a pitcher.  It was pretty busy - skiers, scruffy old dudes, bros, tables of girls drinking Moscow mules - but we were able to snag spots on the end of the bar, well away from the hoi polloi.

Milton loooooooves Kylie

On Sunday, we bundled up (temperatures were in the low 50s with no sun) and bundled Milton into the car for a dog party at the Sugarhouse home of some friends.  They have four dogs - three middle-aged miniature daschshunds and one terrier mix - and were also dog-sitting a nine month old Bernerdoodle that looked like a golden retriever.  Milt had met the smaller dogs before and loved them, following them all around the huge yard.  Molly the puppy took some getting used to but before too long, he was getting her to chase him, and not longer after that, they were actually wrestling and rough-housing with each other.  This was a big step for Milton: he's always been afraid when other dogs get rough-and-tumble.  We were so proud - and the dog party was a big hit, with successful socialization for both four-footed and two-footed attendees.

season in review 2020/2021

 It looks like the last time we did a ski season in review was 2018/2019: it was a good one, with visitors, interlodging and really good snow!  

Early December 

Last year got derailed: H had a really good week of skiing with some guys out from back east, then there was an epic interlodge, and then there was a pandemic which turned the world upside down.  

Lines at Wildcat base mid-January

This season, I didn't ski due to pandemic concerns and restrictions limiting the ski bus ridership and access to the ski lodges.  

The Purple Posse at Deer Valley (February)

H kept his pass, in no small part just to get out of the house since he started working from home in March 2020 and has scarcely left since then.  Unfortunately, it's been a frustrating ski season with low snow levels, long lift lines (due to not filling chairs for distancing concerns, plus a big uptick in skiers), doofuses not wearing masks, doofuses not understanding how a singles line works, limited parking and horrendous canyon traffic on the weekends.  

The Ballroom in March

Whenever we have gotten snow - including an even more epic interlodge session in February - it has been on weekends and that has added to the traffic issues.  Utah's population has increased by a million people over the last ten years - and they all seem to want to ski at Alta  (#stupidikonpass).

Early April

One of his favorite ski days was actually at Deer Valley, when he met up with our friend Ted, and a friend from back east and his son.  After working at home all year with no one to talk to but the dog, it was really nice to have someone to talk with on the lifts.  The fact that they were all good skiers helped too - although H crushed them all in the bumps.

Some dude, pounding a beer pre-Wiggle

At the time of posting, Alta's 2021/2022 season passes are about to go on sale.  The new management is ruffling the feathers of a lot of season passholders (us included) with limited benefits, new parking reservation requirements and what appears to be a lack of interest in anyone but IKON pass folks.  I missed skiing with H but I didn't miss being cold and dealing with the crowds.  H only skied seventeen days this year, which still makes the season passes cost-effective.  But I think we'll be having some in-depth conversations about the coming ski season over the next few weeks.

Closing weekend