back to ben lomond

We upped our mileage yet again with a terrific hike up to Ben Lomond, a peak we haven't visited since 2010.  This required a bit of a drive for the second weekend in a row; we were again on the road by 5 a.m., this time heading north on I-15 to Ogden.  There isn't much traffic on the freeway at that time on a Sunday and we had our boots on the trail at 6:30 a.m. 

Sun just coming up over the North Ogden Divide

I recalled this trail as being mostly up on the ridge, crossing over from the east side to the west (and back again) several times.  What I didn't remember was the ten  l  o  n  g  switchbacks that we had to climb to get up to the ridge.  The trail here was a little rocky - MTBs and dirt bikes are allowed on this trail, in addition to hikers - but the pitch is gradual.  It took us an hour to reach the ridge. 

Up on the east side of the ridge

Once up on the ridge, the trail turned to packed dirt (mostly) and we appreciated the gentle footing.  We also appreciated all the green:  when we did this hike the first time, it was towards the end of September and everything was dry and crispy.  As we walked north along the ridge, a small hawk checked us out, gliding in close to see what we were all about.

Field of sunflowers

The wildflowers were spectacular and, since we're so used to the Cottonwood Canyons, where the flowers don't reach peak until into July, surprising to us.  Even though we hadn't thought to review our wildflower books ahead of time, we were able to identify lupine, sunflowers, orange paintbrush, columbine, horsemint, buckwheat, wild roses and gentian (not quite open yet).

Ben Lomond looming ahead

The trail was a little rockier on the west side of the ridge and we could see the peak ahead of us.  This was where we'd seen mountain goats in 2010.  Alas, there were no goats present this day: we saw the hawk, buzzards, pelicans, marmots and squirrels only.

At the peak, Ogden and the Great Salt Lake behind

Once we left the saddle, where a number of other trails came in, the trail started to really go up.  The footing was rocky and loose the further up we went but the switchbacks kept it from becoming too steep.  This trail loves its switchbacks!  When we had done Ben Lomond before, it was so windy at the top that we stayed there only for a few minutes, instead hunkering down off-peak and out of the wind for a quick snack.  This time, the pleasant temperature and only slight breeze invited us to linger a bit longer at the summit.

View to the north behind H

Even given our proximity to Ogden, there just weren't many other people and I figured the higher mileage keeps most hikers away.  We saw a MTBer and two trail runners as we were heading out and they heading back; there were three hikers/trail runners with us at the peak, all of whom had taken other, shorter routes up; and we passed about nine hikers, a MTBer and a flurry of dirt bikes, all heading in as we were finishing up. 

Post-hike parking lot refreshment

The hike out was uneventful as we retraced our steps, although the trail did seem somehow rockier on the return.  When we'd done this before, the final descent of those ten switchbacks was brutal, baking in the sun.  This time, earlier in the year, temperatures were much more manageable, never getting above the high 70s even on that south-facing slope.

After a quick snack, we drove out down the other side of the North Ogden Divide, going through the lovely valley farms of Eden and Liberty.  Since we were in the neighborhood, we also stopped for a beer at the Shooting Star Saloon in Huntsville.  We'd done four more miles than last Sunday, and our feet weren't nearly as brutalized, so that was reason enough to celebrate.

Hike stats:  distance 15.99 miles; total time 6:39: moving time 5:28, stoppage time 1:11; speed 2.9 m.p.h. moving average, 2.4 m.p.h. total average; 3,273 feet of climbing.