and the beat goes on

After the finish of the Porcupine Hill Climb, H rode back down Big Cottonwood Canyon for home.  Since I hadn't had any exercise yet, I put on my hiking boots to try to get up to Clayton Peak.  I had underestimated the amount of snow up at Brighton, however, and lost the trail shortly after turning at the Lake Mary junction.  I could mostly remember which way to go and ended up side-hilling around the bowl towards the Crest Express chairlift.  Footing was sketchy - I had to stomp each foot into the snow - and I was a little nervous about slipping and sliding into a tree, which would not be recommended.

I made around the bowl and changed course, walking up the access road instead.  I made it up to the ridge when I decided that I wasn't having all that much fun.  As you can see from the photo below, it was completely cloudy and, with the wind picking up, chilly.  I decided to cut my losses and retrace my steps back to the car.  My feet were getting wet anyway.    

That's not very summery-looking

After yard- and sprinkler-repair work that afternoon, H and I still were not ready to call it quits.  The first Snowbird Cool Air Concert Series of the summer was that evening, so we packed our cooler and a bunch of warm clothes (mid-mountain temperatures were only 55 F at 5:30 p.m.) and headed up to the 'Bird's patio for an evening with Annika Chambers (Cory Mon opener). 

Annika Chambers showing us how it's done

Ms. Chambers rocked the joint with her soul- and rock-infused blues; she and her band had been in town for the Utah Blues Festival (which I didn't even know was a thing - will have to check that out for next year).  Lots of fun, great audience response and a fantastic way to kick off the summer season.