the week of skiing (second part)

The next bit of H's ski week was a bit unsettled.

Friday 1/2 - He took the bus up to Alta at the usual time.  Around 9 a.m., as the lines for first chair were getting long, word came out that there'd be a delayed opening, which there often is when there's some new snow.  Then the lights in the Goldminer's Daughter lodge blinked off and on.  The Collins and Wildcat lifts stopped running - a power pole had snapped by Wildcat - and they said that it would be a couple of hours until the generators could get those lifts running again.  It became a total shitshow, with a massive line at the rope tow, with people trying to get over to Sunnyside and Sugarloaf.  Plus all sorts of people went to the ticket windows, either asking for their money back or changing their Alta pass to a combination Alta-Snowbird pass.  

Too. Many. People.

H just gave up, getting home at 11:20 and taking himself to lunch at A Bar Named Sue (Milton got to hang out in the truck.)  He said the bus was packed but that 90% of the riders got off at Snowbird, hoping to salvage their ski day.  As you can see from the photo above (stolen from Reddit), folks didn't get to do much actual skiing at Snowbird.

Also stolen from Reddit

Saturday 1/3 - When H got home Saturday, he'd had a better day.  It was the most crowded that it's been all season, of course, but it was also the best snow all season.  And even though it was really windy and the light was flat, he didn't get drenched and chilled.  The newer snow is a little unstable - wet and heavy and lying atop old crusty stuff - and there was a slide across the EBT, which cut the available terrain even more: too many skiers on not many trails.

Holiday day tickets are $227: for flat light and no snow

Sunday 1/4 - More of the same, with no new snow, but perhaps slightly fewer skiers as the Christmas week tourists head home.  The light was flat and it was windy and still too warm, raining a bit at the base and then sleet and graupel at elevation.  On his arrival home, H commented that there are two kinds of ski bus drivers: the one who goes so fast that you think that the bus might roll on the corners; and the ultra-cautious poky one.  He got the poky one this time.

The flat light would be fine if it would actually 

snow in the mountains

top tier

 This last weekend we were again in SLC.  Saturday, while H did a seven mile trail run and then a road ride, Milton and I did our five mile Dimple Dell loop.  It was kind of humid, a holdover from the brief rain the night before, and H and I were total drama queens about how sticky and muggy it was.  (It wasn't that bad.)  That evening, we three got social and drove up to the RoHa Brewing Project to meet E and K for beers.  We really like that little brewery: they have a ton of beer on tap, live music each time we've gone, both indoor and outdoor seating, with a food truck out front, and are super dog-friendly.  The bartender said they're technically not supposed to have dogs inside but when we got there, there were at least five other dogs already arranged under the various tables, one Frenchie lying directly on the floor vent, keeping her tummy cool.  After saying hi to his girlfriends E and K, Milton wasted no time making friends with everyone at all the other tables.

Green gentian with bee

Because he'd gotten to go to a bar the day before, I didn't feel too badly about short-changing Milton on his Sunday morning walk and instead taking myself up to Snowbird for a wildflower hike.  The Wasatch Wildflower Festival had been at the Bird on Saturday - and was wrapping up at Alta on Sunday - so I figured I might not have to fight the crowds if I got there early enough.  I pulled into a largely empty parking lot at about 7:45 a.m. (not that early, tbh) where the sun was still behind the mountains and it was a glorious 59F.

I love sulphur buckwheat

With cream-cheese bagel in hand (also hiking poles, because knees), I headed up the Peruvian Gulch trail.  That trail is brutal.  The first mile, from Snowbird Center to the Peruvian Gulch road, follows a drainage and basically goes straight up, without messing around with any switchback nonsense.  I passed one older woman on my way up; she, and the youngest woman ahead of me, kept climbing on the PG Road, while I turned off onto the PG Trail.

Headed up that ridge to the tram tower

The second mile, while still going up mercilessly, was not quite as steep as it opened up and crisscrossed some flower-filled meadows.  I got passed by one trail runner on the Cirque Trail, just before starting the ridge walk, and other than him, had the place to myself.  There were a few patches of snow up on the headwall of the cirque, and more snow over on the Gad Valley/Regulator side, but it was all pretty dry up there.  It was windy on the ridge section and I had to hold onto my hat a couple of times.  And right before coming off the ridge, where it gets REALLY steep, I did question my life choices somewhat.

Those orange paintbrushes were incredible

As I started the fourth mile of the hike, however, it was all downhill on the Peruvian Gulch road.  Towards the top, I said hi to four MTBers who were heroically grinding their way up the mountain (on real, people-powered, non-e-bikes).  Snowbird stopped allowing bikes on the tram during Covid ... but never reinstated them, for some reason, despite having spent the time and money to put in the magnificent Big Mountain downhill MTB trail.  Now the only way to ride the BMT is to put in the work and ride to the top, which thins the herd quite a lot.

Lupine, sunflowers, two colors of paintbrush

and Lewis's monkeyflower (plus more I don't know)

Walking down the PG road has its own challenges.  It's pretty steep and the gravel is loose in spots - not fun on the knees and slippery.  As I worked my way down, more hikers were coming up; I'm sure they thought that I'd taken the now-running tram up and was just hiking down.  Little did they know that I am far too cheap to pay for a Snowbird tram ticket.  After a 6.5 mile round trip (and 3.5 hours - that trail is too steep to be fast, at least for me), I was back at the car, changing my shoes and sneaking an oat soda before heading home.

Clover-headed mint (not anemones,

as previously thought)

What I love about that loop - not how steep it is, ugh - is the wide variety of wildflowers.  As you move through the different sections/ecosystems, the flowers change.  There are just so many of them!  There seem to be some different kinds than at Alta too, so it's nice to do hikes at each resort to experience the variety.  Every year I think, I don't need to take a bunch of wildflower photos again but each year I do, because they're just so pretty.

Tiny little yellow blossoms

on the coneflowers

wildflower wow: snowbird version

 Much to Milton's dismay, I did not take him on a Dimple Dell walk Sunday.  We got up early and did our medium length neighborhood walk (twenty minutes or so) but then I abandoned him (in his mind) and drove up to Snowbird to see how the wildflowers were doing there.  I did this exact hike last August but the wildflowers were a little further behind because of the snow.  And every time I do this hike (and post about it), I complain about how dang steep it is.

Rose-colored

The route is a lollipop: up the Peruvian Gulch trail to the Peruvian Cirque trail, then down the Peruvian Gulch access road to reconnect with the PGT again.  It is so steep: a quad-buster on the way up and a knee-buster on the way down.  It wasn't nearly as loose underfoot as it ofter is, however, because Saturday evening brought some rain to the Wasatch Front.

Almost lavender

I started at 7:10 a.m., with a delightful 60F temperature.  Since the Bird is steeper and less accessible than Alta for summer trails, it gets a lot fewer hikers.  I got passed by two trail runners and one guy was following me up but never caught me.  I passed two hikers at the start of the PGT and then went by them again as I was heading down the access road ... and they were still coming up.  After 9 a.m., there were more hikers coming up but not the hordes that Alta gets.  The solitude was welcome.

Cream/blush

And the flowers were just spectacular, especially in the bowl of the Cirque and the upper part of Peruvian Gulch.  I decided to do a paintbrush study, to see how many color variations I could find; the results (as shown in this post) were impressive, although I didn't see any white ones, which you can sometimes find at Alta.

Orange

When I got back to the car at 10:24, my knees were hollering at me a bit (see above re: steep).  Cars were rolling in at a steady pace but it wasn't crowded yet.  That'll all change when Snowbird's Oktoberfest starts so I'm glad I got out amongst the flowers when I did.

Pink, plus some Lewis's monkeyflower

because I love them

better but still behind

 A couple of weeks after I did my Alta hike, I did a Snowbird hike to see how the wildflowers were progressing.  I got up there for a 7 a.m. start, and got a really good parking spot.  It was about ten degrees warmer than it had been for the Alta hike - less good for those wanting it chilly, but easier for me to eat my trail bagel when I could still feel my fingers.

Gentian

Flax (maybe)

The route was up the Peruvian Gulch trail, to the Cirque trail, and then back down a combination of the Peruvian Gulch trail and access road.  I have to admit that I don't love this route.  It is very steep and the portions along the road can be loose.  With my ankle still not back to normal, I am extra-cautious and don't want to slide and twist it again.  I did want to see those flowers though.

Hillside of lupines

False hellebore (maybe)

Long story short: the flowers are much further along than they were for the wildflower festival but they are still behind where they should be.  I saw sunflowers, lupine, paintbrush, geraniums, gentians (just starting to bloom), flax, sulfur buckwheat, horsemint, fireweed, bluebells, clover-headed mint or scorpionweed, wild roses, anemones, columbine and coneflowers (not blooming yet).  No elephantheads, though, as the spot they are usually found was just barely uncovered by snow.

Sulfur buckwheat

At least eight varieties here

Critter-wise, I saw lots of marmots, potguts and birds and heard, but did not see, pikas.  I got passed by a trailrunner on the Cirque ridge on the way up.  On my way down, I counted thirty hikers and one avalanche puppy slogging their way up the trail.  And I was rather dismayed to have to swat a bunch of mosquitoes before the sun cleared the mountains.

Gad Valley/Twin Peaks

Snow bridge

While it had been pleasant and breezy at first, chilly on the ridge even, the sun was getting stronger and the clouds had cleared by the time I got back to the car.  Things were heating up quickly in the valley - H texted me to say that the A/C had come on for the first time at 10:30 a.m. - and a steady stream of cars was turning into the Bird's lots as city folks attempted to escape the heat.  The way the snow was clinging to the shady gullies, they'd come to the right place.  

unprecedented

 I don't so much post real-time here.  For example, since the last post, we've spent a weekend in Moab (which I'll share in a little bit) and then we had a monster snowstorm in northern Utah.  Right now, as of the date I'm both writing and posting, Alta has gotten 877 inches and the Little Cottonwood Canyon road just opened for a couple hours after having been closed since Monday.  Alta and Snowbird are running out of food (and beer!) and employees haven't been home for days, much less the tourists who couldn't catch their flights.

The avalanche danger from this unprecedented amount of snow is off the charts.  They opened the road for a couple of hours this morning, downhill traffic only, to allow people to get out of the canyon.  Then they closed it all day, since the sun is out and the warming temperatures are causing slides like the one pictured below.  Tomorrow, Saturday, they will open the road from 5-7 a.m., downhill only, then 7-9 a.m. both directions.  The road will close until 7 p.m. when it reopens to allow people out - no exceptions, so if you want to go up to ski, you'll be there all damn day.  Unprecedented for sure.

The avalanche came off lower Superior, crossed the

canyon road and spilled onto Chickadee at Snowbird.

Luckily, no people were caught in it.  This happened

Thursday, April 6, midday.

going round the mountain

We had yet another visit from out-of-towners this past weekend: H's uncle and aunt, in SLC en route back to North Carolina after a Yellowstone trip.  We picked them up Saturday midday at the airport, whisked them back home for a gab session, ran off to the Porcupine for dinner, tucked them into a guest bedroom for overnight and then took them back to the airport by 9:30 Sunday morning to catch their flight home.  That was quick!  Milton loved making new friends and seemed a little confused to see them go so soon.

Going up

Or maybe he was confused because as soon as we got home from dropping them at the airport, H and I flung on our hiking gear, tossed some beers in the cooler and drove up to Alta for a hike.  (The dog was in full pout-mode when we left, since he hadn't gone to the airport with us and isn't allowed up Little Cottonwood Canyon.)  With such a late start (10:30 a.m.), I figured the canyon would be inundated with other recreationists.  I was very surprised to note only around 100 cars at the White Pine trailhead (that's not many, compared to the hordes parking roadside this summer) and just a handful up at the Albion parking lot at Alta.  I know that folks like to come up to see the wildflowers and they're long past by now - but it was a gorgeous, clear day and I just expected more people.  With 64 F and sunny, I was not looking in any gift horses' mouths, however.

Baldy summit

We decided to do the recent Cirque series Alta course (modified only slightly (plus we weren't running)): up through Albion/Sunnyside to Alf's, up the access road switchbacks through East Greely to Collins, up the EBT to Snowbird pass, up to the Baldy summit, down Baldy shoulder and out through Collins Gulch.  We'd then have to finish under the tow rope to get back to the car - uphill finish, of course.  I don't know how those Cirque racers do it.  There is so much up, some of it steep, and lots of it just a grind.  Conditions couldn't have been more perfect, though, and while we were working on the ups, it wasn't hot so we weren't sweat-soaked.  We saw deer, marmots, pikas and hawks.

Ikon sucks

Neither of us loves the scramble from Snowbird pass to the ridge to Baldy.  It's loose underfoot, which I don't like, and a little exposed, which H doesn't like.  It doesn't take long, however, and in just about ten minutes we were marching up the ridge to the summit.  The wind started to pick up at that point, although we got out of it when we dropped onto the shoulder descent.  Neither of us loves the shoulder descent.  It's super steep and can be loose, although recent rains had dampened the dirt enough to give it some grip.  From there, it was back to the access road for the steep-in-spots descent to base level.

Main Chute lookin' sexy

The winds were kicking up dust devils when we got back to the car.  Other than that it was extremely pleasant, so we had a beer and snacks and did some people-watching.  It seems folks were getting even later starts than we did.  This is very apparent when we headed back home: Snowbird's Oktoberfest is in full swing and the gorgeous weather was bringing Oktoberfesters out in droves.  Prost!

Hike stats: 7.63 miles; 2:51 hours/2.7 m.p.h. moving; 3:25/2.2 m.p.h. overall; 2,380 feet of elevation

eleven years

We arrived in Utah on October 3, 2009.  Because of that, our own year starts in October and ends in September.  And, as is traditional, here is a recap of our past year's activities.  It's a little weird, this time around, because of the COVID-19 pandemic and all that has entailed: our ski season ended abruptly mid-and we then went to Moab for eight weekends in a row, just to get away and get outside.  Since then, we've been mostly alternating weekends - SLC and Moab - and know how fortunate we are to be able to do that.  Like everyone else, any actual trips have been canceled/put on hold, so it's been a lot of the same going on.  But we are so far healthy, relatively sane and continuing to be outside as much as we can be.  Here's to the next year!

October 2019:  A week in Moab, with H's folks joining us for some of it, and Milton stays in his first hotel (and doesn't like the elevator); MTBing and hiking in Park City; another Moab weekend and a brand new (to us) arch.

November 2019:  H's last MTB of the season at Round Valley (and A and M take a hike); a couple of weekends in Moab, including Thanksgiving (stormy weather, hike to Delicate Arch, Hell's Revenge); hiking in Park City.

December 2019:  Skiing begins with good snow on day #2; a couple of weekends in Moab (Porcupine Rim and Fins N' Things hikes); good snow around Christmas.

January 2020:  Great ski conditions with lots of storms; a couple of weekends in Moab (with hikes in Grandstaff Canyon, return to Fins N' Things).

February 2020:  Skiing with our friend Will (great conditions); huge snowstorms with historic interlodge closure in Little Cottonwood Canyon; long weekend in Moab (Metal Masher, Amasa Back, attempt to find Pocket Arch).

March 2020:  Skiing; the pandemic arrives; every weekend spent in Moab (Uranium Arch, Pocket Arch attempt); first MTB of the season.

April 2020:  Every weekend in Moab (Jackass Canyon, Jackson's Trail, Steelbender, Behind the Rocks, Sovereign trail systems, Grandstaff from the other end, Hidden Valley, Fins N' Things; MTBing); wheel trouble on one trip home.

May 2020:  A couple weekend in Moab, including Memorial Day holiday; Woody's reopens; hiking and MTBing in Park City.

June 2020:  Every other weekend in Moab with MTBing (new trails include Horsethief and Chisholm; and hiking (Grandstaff Canyon, Hell's Revenge, Amasa Back, Seven Mile Canyon, Upheaval Dome, Millcreek); MTBing in Park City; Grandeur Peak and Lookout Peak hikes.

July 2020:  Back to Alta for the first time since March 8 to do a hike; MTBing and hiking in Park City with friend Ted; two long weekends in Moab (Day Canyon hike, Moab Rim hike, Navajo Rocks hike where Milton wicked overdoes it chasing rabbits.); we discover Grid City Beer Works.

August 2020:  "Pleasanting" at Round Valley; Moab long weekend; MTBing in Park City with Ted; flowers at Alta.

September 2020:  Snowbird hike; "new" cruiser bike for A; Labor Day weekend in Moab (very hot); MTBing with Ted.

Happy eleventh move-iversary and happy new year to you all!

back to the bird

Since we stayed in Salt Lake last weekend, H wanted to take advantage of the relatively cool early air to do a longer road ride Saturday morning.  My non-MTB bike (see next post!) isn't really good for road rides of more than a mile or two so I took myself back up Little Cottonwood Canyon for a hike at Snowbird.

Looking up into the cirque

It was 59 F when I pulled into a spot near the top of the main parking lot, mostly sunny and looking much less like rain than it had when I had left the house.  (H had just shaken his head when I said I hadn't really checked the forecast before deciding on a plan of action.)  It hasn't rained all summer - why would it start now?  There were several guys on MTBs, getting ready to ride up the mountain (I assumed, since for pandemic reasons there isn't any lift-served MTBing at the 'Bird this summer), and a handful of people milling around the resort, but I felt like the place was all mine as I headed for the Peruvian Gulch trail.

Gad Valley view

I say this every time: hiking at ski areas is brutal, always way steeper than you expect.  Snowbird is no exception: the Peruvian Gulch hiking trail is terribly steep, gravelly and sandy and not that much fun, and the PG road (for MTBing and resort vehicle access to the summit) is nearly as bad.  It was quiet and cool and sweat was dripping off my chin as I stumped my way up, past the crispy remnants of the alpine wildflowers.  I passed one couple on the way up and they looked even more red-faced and gasping than I felt.

Off-season signs

The Cirque Trail is much pleasanter, I think, although you have to suffer the PG Trail to get to it: it follows long switchbacks across the meadow-y sides of the cirque before gaining the ridge - between Peruvian Gulch and the Gad Valley - which climbs to the summit.  The breeze picked up on the ridge and I could hear pikas scolding me from the surrounding jumble of rocks.  

Marmot

The Cirque Trail ends underneath the tram, at the access road/Big Mountain Trail intersection.  To continue to the very summit is a slog, and one I didn't feel like doing, so I just segued to the road and started down.  At this point - late morning - I saw more people on their way up: that couple I had passed earlier, numerous other hikers and some very determined MTBers.  That is a sucky climb and I am very impressed at those willing to do it.

Lewis's monkeyflower and some paintbrush

 Because the road is so steep and often loose, it took me about as long to descend as it did for me to climb up.  It was a little busier in the Snowbird plaza, with people having brunch and buying tickets for activities; I could hear hoots and hollers from the mountain coaster.  Still, the parking lot was mostly empty when I got back to the car, whereas in normal/non-pandemic times it would be overfull and we would have all had to pay to park.  I couldn't dwell on it, however, because H texted me that we had an errand to run in town - and then Grid City beer to drink.  Onwards!

first time back

The last time we were up at Alta was the last time we went skiing: Sunday, March 8, 2020, right before the pandemic changed everything.  It had been an abrupt end to the ski season (to everything, really) and we never got the chance to bid adieu to winter-time Alta.  So when we found ourselves in SLC for a weekend, we decided to put some elevation on our legs and revisit our Little Cottonwood Canyon stomping grounds.  This meant that Milton had to stay home, as no dogs are allowed in the canyon.  We left him a guilt biscuit in his food bowl as we slipped away early.

The Butterfly still apparent on Mt. Superior

It was a gorgeous morning, cool and clear, as we parked in the main Snowbird lot, one of only a handful of cars.  Although the White Pine trailhead had been absolutely packed - before 7:30 a.m. - traffic was light enough up where we were that we saw a couple of mule deer nonchalantly crossing the canyon road.  Birds were starting to call and the creeks were still tumbling full of water as we walked through Snowbird's resort center and followed the Bypass Road up to Alta.

Very pretty rose-colored paintbrush

Hiking at ski areas means one thing: it's gonna be steep.  We took the access road up Collins Gulch, which starts out steep with a vengeance.  The first section, going up along Corkscrew to the angle station, is just brutal.  After that it eases up a little, as the drainage widens and the road is able to cross the slopes in switchbacks.  The road was dry at the base but got more snow covered in the east- and north-facing sections as we went higher.

Still enough snow to ski Main Chute

but it gets bony further down

We passed one hiker on those wide switchbacks and then said hello to a trailrunner as we got to the top of the Collins lift.  The runner went down and we continued up the EBT to the trail accessing Baldy.  This is where most of the skiers bootpack up if they're going to ski Baldy.  Honestly, the first section is sketchy enough with dry rock and hiking boots on; I can't imagine trying to get up it with ski boots, carrying skis.  Once you get past that scramble section, however, it is a nice, if steepish, dirt path up to the summit.  We crossed paths with one solo hiker here, him going down as we went up.

Action shot!

On the way up we had debated whether we should hike down the front face of Snowbird or take the tram down.  From the top of Baldy, it was clear that the trams were running yet (they started at 10:30 a.m.), so the decision was made for us.  Plus, that meant that we didn't have any more up to do - downhill all the way back to the car.

Another view of the Superior Butterfly, 

from elevation (and also H)

About a third of the way down, it was evident why we prefer to hike up Snowbird and ride the tram down: it is so friggin' steep.  We took the Peruvian Gulch hiking trail, interspersed with some sections of the access road, and my quads, knees, hips and toes were loudly complaining before we'd gone a mile.  It's very steep, especially the trail, and the dirt and gravel underfoot are often loose, resulting in slips, slides and skids.  For someone like me who is not light on her feet, it can be treacherous - even for a dirt road!

Still some snow near the top of the Peruvian chairlift

Generally speaking, we were still a little early for the summer's profusion of wildflowers but they are starting to come out here and there, waiting for the snow to recede.  When we got back to the car, we realized that the usual hordes were delayed this summer too: usually, by noon, the Snowbird parking lots would be packed with tourists, MTBers, hikers and locals looking to escape the summer's heat.  Due to the pandemic, there will be no lift-served MTBing at the 'Bird this summer and they are reducing the number of people allowed in each tram car.  It was shocking to stand in the parking lot, drinking our post-hike beers, and not having any people to people-watch.  It's safer this way, I know, and I certainly appreciated not having to share the trails with very many other people, but it still takes some getting used to.

Hike stats:  8.75 miles; moving 3:19/2.6 m.p.h.; overall 3:49/2.3 m.p.h.; 2,840' elevation

wild weather

In the interest of full disclosure, I had to go back east last week.  While I was there, I missed some seriously crazy winter weather.  On Monday, a monster snowstorm dropped around nineteen inches in the Salt Lake Valley, making a real mess for any commuters who couldn't work from home, but only brought seven inches to the mountains.  That's not the way it's supposed to go!

And then on Thursday, an even nastier system - with very wet, heavy, dense snow - lodged itself in Little Cottonwood Canyon, forcing both Alta and Snowbird to shut down operations for two days and putting folks on interlodge for 52 hours.  The avalanche danger was immense: one natural slide came across the canyon road at Snowbird Entry 1, burying it in nine feet of snow; we saw videos circulating of another natural slide that came off Superior, crossed the road and inundating cars parked at the Peruvian and Alta's Wildcat base.  Update:  here's Alta's description of the historic event.

After a heroic effort by resort staff, UDOT and the Utah Avalanche team, the Little Cottonwood Canyon road reopened Saturday midday, but then UDOT closed the road again due to traffic congestion, as everyone in the valley tried to go skiing.  Even Big Cottonwood Canyon, which didn't get quite as much snow, nor does it have the high avalanche danger as its neighbor to the south, got shut down for traffic congestion as frustrated LCC skiers attempted to go to Solitude and Brighton instead.

For all the drama and hubbub, snow totals in the mountains didn't exactly skyrocket.  The state's overall snowpack is looking decent though, as we head into the back half of the ski season:

return to the (wasatch) front

After being away for the last five, it felt a little weird to stayed based in Salt Lake City for a full weekend.  We tried not to hang around the house much, however (the heat and the wildfire smoke, from both Utah and California fires, made it a bit uncomfortable), instead heading out to the mountains.  Our friend P had moved from Maine to Midway two weeks ago and we hadn't really seen him yet, due to our crazy schedules; we asked him to come over to the Wasatch Front for a hike and a bit of Tour of Utah watching.

Note: Usually I detail the Tour of Utah pretty closely here but we just didn't keep up with it this year, although we did watch the finishes of the last two stages.  Our travel and work schedules just got in the way.

We picked P up at a lot at the intersection of Wasatch Boulevard and 9400 South in Sandy, then drove up Little Cottonwood Canyon (nicely paved now) to Snowbird.  The drifting wildfire smoke had even infiltrated all the way up the canyon, which massively curtailed the views: we couldn't see the Oquirrhs at the other side of the Salt Lake Valley and, from the top of Hidden Peak, we couldn't even see down into Heber.  Thus, not so many photos for this hike.

Thanks to P, an actual photo of H and me together

Deciding to throw P right into the deep end steep-wise, we went up the Peruvian Gulch trail from Snowbird base (very steep, right from the start), then connected with the Peruvian Ridge trail (very steep, right at the end).  There were a few other hikers out, but not many.  We saw pikas and marmots and were able to spot some past-their-prime wildflowers (elephant heads, Lewis's monkeyflower, paintbrush, coneflowers,  gentians), still hanging on despite the hot and dry conditions.

P and me and the smoke-filled Heber Valley

At the summit, we paused for a bit to see what little we could see, then walked down to the tunnel and the Peruvian chairlift for a ride down the hill.  We had plenty of time to go back to the car to change out of our hiking stuff, eat our packed lunches and then walk back up to the finishing area for the last bit of Stage 5.  The crowd didn't seem as big as it sometimes does and we were able to get spots at the railing a little way from the finishing line, with a good view as the cyclists came barreling down the chute.  American Sepp Kuss handily won the stage, nearly 40 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.

Mineral Basin

Another sign that the crowd wasn't as big as years past: it took us hardly any time to get out of the parking lot and onto the road heading down the canyon.  The smoke grew thicker as we re-entered the valley.  None of us wanted to linger out in it so P headed back to Midway, with plans for MTBing and more Tour of Utah for the next day.

Hike stats: 3.76 miles; 1 hour 48 minutes; 2.1 m.p.h. moving average speed; 2,670 feet climbed

so, here's your up

We reconfigured our hiking for Sunday: backing off the distance just a little but adding a lot of climbing.  It has become slightly challenging to find longer, local hikes that are not full of butt-kicking elevation (Timpanogos, I'm looking at you, and also Lone Peak, which we still haven't tackled).  So we went back to a route we've done for the last couple of years and tackled Alta Dry Fork - Mineral Basin/Snowbird once again.

Love this view of Timpanogos from

the Sunset pass, looking into Alta Dry Fork

Because we only had to drive up to Snowbird, we slept in, getting up at 5 a.m. instead of the 4:30 wake-up call that the last two Sundays have brought.  We ate our breakfasts of PB&J rollups in the car, snagged a parking spot at Snowbird's Entry 2 - that early, there are plenty from which to choose - and started walking up the canyon road towards Alta by 6 a.m.  Both times we've done this hike before have been in August so it was still dark when we started; this time, closer to the solstice, the sun was just hitting the peaks above us and it was light enough to see.  I still wore my arm warmers and gloves, however, and was glad to have them.

Rocky? Check.  Loose? Check.  Steep?  Check.

We walked up the road to Alta, then continued up through Albion Basin to the Catherine's Pass trail head where I shed my gloves and arm warmers.  It had taken us a good hour to get to the Summer Road from where we had parked.  This is what makes this hike deceptively long, these stretches.  It takes an hour to get to Alta; it takes roughly an hour and a half to get up to Sunset pass; it takes roughly an hour and a half to get all the way down Dry Fork to start going up again; it takes about an hour to climb back up out of Mineral Basin.

Still green on the backside of Devil's Castle

There were just a few other hikers on the way up to Catherine's Pass and once we got beyond there, we didn't see anyone else, other than some campers, until we got to the top of Hidden Peak at Snowbird.  The way down Dry Fork was, as it always is, steep, loose and rocky, but it was also very green, with wildflowers everywhere.  There were whole fields of pale pink geraniums and we even got buzzed by a curious hummingbird.

Pausing for refreshment before the final UP

It was around 10:30 a.m. on the American Fork Canyon side and campers were stirring, having finished up breakfast.  A number of ATVs and dirt bikes shared the rocky river bed/road with us for a little while but we were headed up further than they and soon left them behind.  For me, this was really the only hot section of the hike.  That cold front that had moved in was still in effect and with the very cool, almost chilly breeze blowing, temperatures were quite pleasant, even in the sun.

Looking back into Mineral Basin from whence we came

That being said, it was still a long slog up to Mineral Basin.  The dirt road has deteriorated in the last couple of years and it was rockier and more rutted than I remembered.  Taking our boots off to wade across the little American Fork river down below had felt wonderful and rejuvenating for a while, but later that evening, both H and I would feel the toll the rocks had taken on our feet and legs.

Map (not pictured: tram ride down)

We paused at the bottom of Mineral Basin to reapply sunscreen and down some calories.  And then it was nothing but uphill to the finish.  Since the wildflowers have not come out in force yet, the incidental tourist-hikers have not come out either and we saw no one the whole way up until just below the top of Hidden Peak, when the MTBers were coming down.  Well, we did see a very funny marmot near the Baldy chair: he lay flat on the ground, trying to avoid notice, but when we stopped to watch him, he took off running, climbed the ladder and disappeared into the coping of the chairlift.

More up than down on this one

While I didn't keep pace with H for the final climb, I did manage to keep him in sight the whole way up.  We sat on the decking in the shade, waiting for a tram down and enjoying the brisk 57 F temperature.  It didn't take long for us to stiffen up, to be honest, and when we finally got home - we stopped for a while on the Snowbird patio to listen to some live music while we replenished calories and liquids from our cooler - both of us were feeling the effects of the distance + elevation.  I find as I get older, it isn't the doing of things that is more difficult, it's the recovering from doing things that gets me.

Hike stats:  14.64 miles (not including tram ride down); 5:50 hiking time at 2.5 avg. m.p.h. / 6:57 total time; 5,023' elevation.