late for snow, early for flowers

It has been hot and dry this late spring-into-summer and the snow has melted quickly up at Alta.  I'd been keeping an eye on their webcams to see if hiking was feasible.  It was and, on Sunday, after taking Milton for a 3.25 mile walk around the neighborhood while H did a road ride, I drove on up there.  There were already a lot of cars parked above Albion base: I got there at 8:30 a.m., which is close to 1.5 hours later than I usually go.  But it was 64 F, cool and sunny, and a perfect day to be up there.

The flowers are just starting up at Alta

From the parking area about Albion, I walked up the Summer Road to the connector trail to the Albion meadows.  From there I went up the main meadows trail to the Catherine's Pass trailhead (1.5 miles), then continued up to Catherine's Pass (another 1.5 miles).  There were a number of other folks out on the trails, although not like the hordes that will show up in July for the wildflowers.  Although I wonder how that is going to work: Alta is replacing the Supreme lift (again), which means heavy equipment all through the campground area and I can't imagine they'll let tourists drive up while the work is going on.  I may have to reroute my regular exercise loop too - guess we'll see how it goes.

Well, my hat is gross

From the pass, I continued up and across Catherine's Area to the top of Supreme.  It looked weird with the lift towers removed.  I descended via the access road and at mile 4.5 finally got passed by two trail runners (about H's and my age) who'd started out when I had.  When I said that I knew they'd catch me eventually, they grinned and said I had been setting a pretty good pace up to Catherine's Pass.  I'm definitely better going up than down!

Gentian - one of my favorites

I took the Homerun trail down through the meadow and back to my car, finishing up the 7.25 miles in just under 3 hours.  As I changed my shoes and chugged a surreptitious beer, I copped to the fact that I might have overdone it a wee dite, with 10.5 miles before lunch.  I've been doing okay on mileage this spring but being up at elevation (8,000 - 10,500 feet) is for sure more taxing.  Nothing a nap wouldn't fix though.

The new cut for the replacement Supreme lift

(should have stuck with that old triple chair)

that squirrel wished we'd gone to millcreek again

On Friday, A wanted to do something other than Millcreek.  Dog-friendly hiking options in Moab in the summertime are limited as you really do need to stay near a water source.  Millcreek is of course a wonderful trail and we are grateful that it's so near our house.  But we do it a lot and sometimes you just want to mix things up a little.  (Not Milton - he doesn't care where he goes as long as he gets to go.)

Before the sun came over the mountains

Another option is Grandstaff Canyon.  It (like Millcreek) is very popular and very busy but when you go the secret way, you avoid the people until the very end.  So H dropped A and M off at the antenna on the Sand Flats road with arrangements to pick them up down at the Grandstaff trail in a couple of hours.  He then went back to the house, did a half hour trail run and a 21 mile road ride (headwinds both ways, seemingly) while we made our way down the canyon.

Sun coming into upper Grandstaff

We walked in to Fins 'N Things, then dropped into the Wilderness Study Area of upper Grandstaff at the overlook.  You can stay on the trail, which gets a little exposed for dogs, I think, or you can make your way down into the wash and just follow the creek out.  Just like when we did this last, this does involve some fighting through vegetation, clambering over downed trees and just plain tromping through the water.

Datura (don't eat it)

Just before our route connected with the main Morning Glory Arch trail, the canyon opens up and the trail (such as it is, what with the fading in and out) moves away from the creek.  It was here that Milton had his very best day ever: he caught a ground squirrel.  He was psyched; the squirrel was not.  He did end up dropping it and it scurried away into a burrow, apparently/hopefully uninjured.  I had to leash Milt and literally drag him away but soon enough, out of sight meant out of mind and we continued on our way off leash.

Layers

H picked us up shortly after we got to the trail head.  He'd had the foresight to pack a cooler with snacks and beers and we sojourned to our favorite picnic spot overlooking the Colorado River so I could regale him with his dog's hunting exploits.  This hike is only about 5.7 miles but it was hot enough and windy enough that I figured that was enough exercise for one day.

Right before the Great Squirrel Incident of 2025

summer has definitely arrived

 Both H's and my work recognize the Juneteenth holiday so OF COURSE we took advantage and made it into a long weekend in Moab.  It had been three (!) weeks (!!) since we'd been down there and the heat had kicked into high summer gear in the meantime; the water had evaporated from the toilet bowls (!!!).  We knew it was going to be really hot for a couple of days, and then really windy, and then a cold front was going to roll in and make things really crazy, so we planned accordingly.  This meant going to Woody's as soon as we got down there Wednesday evening, getting out of the house whilst the A/C cooled things down.

New sticker at Woody's Tavern

On Thursday, the holiday and the hottest day (104F) of the long weekend, Milton and A did an early morning hike (4 miles) at Millcreek.  Like, getting there a little after 6 a.m. early.  It was still warm, not really having cooled down overnight, but that time of morning, our route is almost all shaded, so it was actually fairly pleasant.  The creek is still flowing up there - before getting diverted and going dry through town - so Milton got to splash and wade.  H also took advantage of the relatively cool early morning temperatures to go for a 3 mile trail run on Pipe Dream.  That trail is not shaded in the morning, by the way.

Sunrise hitting the cliffs on the far side of the valley

A and H then did a road ride on the bike path: 21 miles for A, who turned around at the entrance to Arches, and 24+ for H, who continued up the hill a little further.  This would end up being the only road ride for A - it got too windy - although the vintage Schwinn did get taken out for some errands.

Such excitement (such a goober)

Saturday looked very similar to Thursday: a Millcreek four-miler for A and M; nearly five miles trail run for H; and then a shortened, twelve mile road ride for H.  It was not quite so hot (only high 90s) but it was very windy, and of course it always seems to be a headwind and never a tailwind.

It's a good day if you get slobber on your nose

we interrupt this program

Not to get all Britney about it, but oops, I did it again: didn't get around to posting for like a week.  Life gets in the way, you know?  So here's a Moab Youth Garden Project* sunflower to cheer you up/tide you over.  Posts coming soon.  Nothing new or earthshattering, of course, but still.

Taller than me (not saying much)

* Which I believe has lost funding/support with the current administration's antics, so if you feel like tossing them a donation, I'm sure they would appreciate it.

possibilities

 I forgot to post this before, and now we're well into summer: every spring, right after Alta closes, we sit on the tailgate of the truck and, by drawing names out of a figurative hat, pick a list of northern Utah hikes to do.  The theory is that this way, if the weekend rolls around and we want to do a hike, there's no dithering around trying to come up with one.  There's already a ready-made list!  

Of course, we haven't been hiking as much in northern Utah since we got Milton, as so much of the Wasatch Front is dog-prohibited watershed.  Plus we have really scaled back on weekend driving with high gas prices and higher traffic volume.  A couple years ago, we didn't do a single hike on the list; last year, I think we did a couple.  If you look closely at the 2025 list, we didn't pull any in Millcreek Canyon, which actually is dog-friendly.  And there's obviously ones we aren't going to do, like Superior.  But just in case, there's a ready-made list!

hot hot hot

 And yes, it's Utah but it's still hotter than it should be for June.  Alta's snow is melting quickly, although not quite enough to make hiking anything but sloppy.  And down in the valley, it's dry - unless you're like most of our neighbors who water every day.  (Seriously, stop watering so much.)

Here's the week's forecast.  Juneteenth is going to be brutal, but then maybe more temperate for the weekend.

on repeat (northern edition)

 We've now had some time at home in SLC and, if I'm honest, things have been rather on repeat there too.  There's still too much snow up at Alta to make hiking much fun* (and not really enough snow anymore for skiing), so exercise has consisted of early morning walks for A and Milton (3.2 mile weekday neighborhood loops and 5 mile weekend Dimple Dell loops) and runs/bike rides for H (various lengths, times and locations).

Last batch of backyard 

oregano drying

Late weekend mornings have been spent battling the yard.  It seems as though perhaps we need to get started on before skiing ends.  That's always been my mantra - no yardwork during ski season because it just seems too early - but it gets ahead of us if we wait that long.  Maybe a little earlier in the spring would be a good idea.  I guarantee that I will have forgotten I said that by next year.

Here come the sunflowers!

Weekend afternoons have been pretty chill.  It's too hot to bake anymore so there's been a lot of going to the library and then reading library books, while Milton hangs out in the driveway, staring at the neighbors' house and hoping for treats.

Yay friends!

We did go to our lovely friends' annual Pride Party.  They have an adorable 1910ish bungalow in Sugar House with a double lot, and their backyard - which they put so much effort into - is perfect for entertaining.  That Pride Party is the big blow out that kicks off summer season.  H and I go on the early side (this year it went until 4 a.m. the next day!!!!!!!) and we always go if we're in town.  It's a lot [gestures wildly at everything] to be living in this country these days and so going to that party, to hang out, drinking and laughing, talking with a group of diverse, kind, interesting, supportive, inclusive and well-tattooed people, right here in Utah, was just really, really nice.

Love wins

* But maybe some Millcreek Canyon hikes, particularly south-facing trails like Grandeur Peak, could be in our near future.

on repeat (2)

 The second half of our long holiday weekend looked quite a lot like the first half.  Again, Milton and A did the Millcreek hike first thing in the morning, although on Sunday we went a little further upstream, crossing over by the beaver trees (former trees felled by beavers) and coming back down on the other side.  It had been a while since we'd been on that side and the trail has not seen nearly as much foot traffic, even fading out in a couple of places.

Cobbles exposed

There was certainly plenty of foot traffic in the left hand fork of the canyon, where the waterfalls are.  Sunday was apparently the busiest day: on Monday, we talked with a guy who was housesitting in one of the homes near the entrance to the canyon and he said that cars were parking all the way out to the main road and three separate ambulances came in Sunday to rescue people.  Sorry we missed that (sarcasm).

Still shady this early

H and A's late morning bike rides were similar too: A did the 21 mile version while H went a little further, starting up the hill past the Arches NP entrance a ways to put together a 24 mile ride. On Monday, the ranger hanging out at the Arches entrance told A that they only had to have one ambulance on Sunday, so Arches for the win!

Like having my own private canyon

The Moab Arts Fest was going on all weekend, and they lucked out on the weather, as after Friday high temperatures didn't even get to 90 - a gift for this time of year.  And we lucked out too, as we were able to keep windows and doors open a lot of the time and the A/C didn't even come on.  Pretty sure at least that will be diffferent the next time we get down there.  

alfjk;asd

on repeat (1)

We go to Moab a lot (obviously).  And sometimes when we're there, we just don't feel like driving to go do stuff.  There are trailheads for hiking and MTBing everywhere and some of them require a lot of driving from town; going to the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands requires 45 minutes in the car, for example.  So when we don't feel like driving, we tend to repeat the same trails, like Pipe Dream or Millcreek (which, yes, technically requires driving but only five minutes).  When we were down in Moab over Memorial Day weekend, we did not feel like driving and fighting the crowds.

Funky little flower

Thus, the first two days of the long weekend looked very similar.  First thing in the morning, Amanda and Milton did a four mile Millcreek Canyon hike, getting there early before the hordes.  We went out along the rim trail, then dropped down to the creek for the return.  We only saw a couple of people out on the trail but by the time we got back to the parking lot, the cars were starting to roll in.  Temperatures were super nice, especially in the shade.

The water is low but still flowing

After the hike, H and A switched gears (literally haha) and went for a 21 mile road ride along the bike path.  This entails going north out of town, then out and back along the Colorado River, then across the pedestrian bridge over the river and up to the Arches National Park entrance, then going back across the bridge, out and back along the river stretch and then back home.  The traffic on the bike path definitely increased from Friday to Saturday as more tourists rolled into town.

Cowboy hot tubs

Our Friday and Saturday evenings did differ slightly.  Friday found us at Woody's and then with a backyard firepit, watching the stars come out.  But on Saturday we went to C and F's house for a BBQ with several of their friends.  They've got a great backyard, cool and shady, and as it was a little cooler than Friday, the afternoon/evening was quite pleasant.

post-season

A couple of months ago, one of our neighbors was cleaning out his gear and gave H a back-country set up.  Not wanting to appear ungrateful (indeed, he's very appreciative), H said that when we got back from Moab, he wanted to go up to Alta and try it out.  He wasn't able to adjust the ski bindings to fit his boots in time but the skins did fit his K2 telemark skis, so he was outfitted.  I don't have skins or any sort of uphill set-up, so I popped on over to rent a pair of snowshoes* so that I too was outfitted.

Ready to stomp

Leaving sad Milton behind (no dogs in Little Cottonwood Canyon), we got up to the Albion parking lot a little before 9:45 a.m.  It was a gorgeous day, clear, strong sun and about mid-50s but warming quickly.  There is little snow on the south-facing slopes but on the resort proper, there is still plenty of the goods.  There were plenty of other folks who'd had the same idea we had: touring skiers, split-boarders and snowshoers were all taking advantage of the day.

He caught me at Alf's

We didn't have a plan, nor really any idea of what to expect, so we just decided to meet back at the truck no later than 12 noon.  I got geared up first, walking across the Albion parking lot to the maintenance shed and putting my snowshoes on there; H came behind me after getting his tele boots on.  We went up the Sunnyside bunny slope to Alf's, the snow softening fast in the sun, where H caught up with me.  We kept going up Devil's Elbow from there and then our paths diverged.  I veered right, making my way over to lower Extrovert.  Fact: Extrovert is VERY steep on snowshoes.  I made a bit of a loop, trying to stay clear of the growing tree wells, and went back down the way I came up.  Total distance: 2.5 miles.  

So glad to be out on such a nice day!

Meanwhile, H continue his tour up Devil's Elbow, making it all the way to the top of the Sugarloaf chair (that in itself was 2.55 miles)!  It took him about an hour and a half to go up; he paused there for around fifteen minutes to reapply sunscreen and talk with some other skiers.  And then it took him all of fifteen minutes to make his way back down.  Not only was this his first time ever touring, it was his first time this season on telemark equipment: the heavy, sticky spring conditions weren't ideal for tele turns.  Still, he was grinning ear to ear when he got back to the truck.  We both were - it felt great to do something new, and to do it up at Alta on a spectacular spring day.

* H and I do actually have snowshoes but they are about twenty years old, long and unstable on side-hills.  Snowshoe technology has changed in the interim and so I wanted to try a newer pair out.  Despite the newer versions, I still don't love snowshoeing.  The rental pair were mostly metel and heavy, and my hips were getting sore by the end due to having to walk with a wider stance.  It's just like hiking but more work.