creekside (again)

 The second hike we did that was a repeat was going up the less-popular fork of Mill Creek Canyon.  We only saw two people right off the bat on the way in - each with dogs: one Liza, a five month old Underdog; and one pack of three Australian shepherd-types - and then didn't see anyone else until getting back to the cowboy jacuzzis on the way out.

Rocky road (not a road)

There is still water in the creeks, more than I would have thought, although it all gets absorbed and/or siphoned off before it gets down into town.  Still, there was enough for Milton to wade and splash and swim a couple of paddles, and plenty for him to drink.  (I felt a little silly carrying two liters of water just for him but better safe than sorry.)

Desert primrose, I think

It was a good idea to get out early and splash around in the creek because as the day wore on, it got hot again, around 104 F.  But after a 7.5 mile desert jaunt, we felt no guilt about sitting in the shade and drinking cold beverages to avoid the heat.  It's the prudent thing to do, you know.

This was only about five inches long -

and no sign of its previous occupant

desert heat

 It's been awfully hot here - but about the same temperature in Moab as in SLC, so we ran away to Moab for a long weekend.  We didn't even escape the blown-in smoke from the California wildfires that has been choking the Salt Lake Valley: the Moab valley was so full of blown-in smoke from the Colorado wildfires that we couldn't even see the LaSal Mountains.  (Utah hasn't had the scale of the wildfires in Colorado and California but we've had a disappointingly active wildfire season.)

Doesn't look too smoky there

Because it was so hot, our hiking was all repeats - trails we've done many times before.  I wanted to get out and give Milton some exercise before it got too hot each day, but I didn't want to breathe too much smoke either.  I had hoped to get up into the LaSals where it is always cooler but the poor air quality didn't make that attractive.

Hiker dog

So Saturday morning we did the Hidden Valley lollipop: up and across Hidden Valley, down along the petroglyphs on the red cliff wall, then looping back up via the main trail and back out through the valley.  There were only five other cars when we got there: one was a dog walker on the Pipedream trail; three trail runners and one hiker accounted for everyone else, which meant we had the place to ourselves.  Can't complain about that.

There's a lot going on in this one

Back before noon, we hunkered down, reading and waiting out the heat.  H finally got tired of being indoors around 6 p.m. and braved the 108 F in the shade.  I waited for it to drop to 100 F before joining him and Milt on the patio.  I'm crazy but not that crazy.

Red rock walls

familiar ground

Sunday marked the beginning of Salt Lake City's latest heat wave, with triple digits that would stay in place into Wednesday.  H thought he'd rather do an early road ride and get out on the empty, quiet, relatively cool streets before the sun came too much over the mountains.  Me, I decided I'd go up to Alta and do a little hike there.  It's been ages since I've just gone up to do my "regular" Alta loop - I can't even remember when the last time was.  I managed to get up to the Albion parking lot around 7:40 a.m. and was surprised at how many cars were already there ahead of me.  It's past-peak season for the wildflowers so I guess it's just a sign of how greater Salt Lake's population has grown.  The cars lining the canyon road on either side of the White Pine trailhead were proof of that.

Still some snow in the Apron

I started passing uphill hikers almost immediately on the steep slog out of Albion and up the Sunnyside area.  In all, I would pass seventeen up-hikers and only get passed by one trail runner when I was on my way down.  I didn't count the downhill hikers but there were a lot of them; I imagined that Sunset Peak is a good place to watch the sun rise.  I also passed two good-sized moose about halfway up the Sunnyside chair.  They were too far from the trail for me to get a good photo but one had a decent rack of antlers and they were both enjoying their breakfast of greenery.

There's been a lot of trail work done at Alta since I was there last, including some nice, smooth switchbacks leading up to the Catherine's Pass trailhead.  The pass was my next stop and the flowers were less sun-scorched the higher I went.  When I got to the pass, there were about five MTBers, badass dudes who'd ridden up the steep trail I'd just hiked.  I gave them their duly-earned props and kept on hiking up.

Flowers at the top of Supreme

When I got to the Sunset/Dry Fork intersection, I turned right and walked across the ridge of Catherine's Area to the top of the Supreme chair.  From there on out I didn't see anyone until I got back down to the campground.  They've been doing a lot of work up there too: nearly doubling the width of the cat track leading down from Supreme.  I was sorry to see the construction, because I liked it the way it was, but with the increase in skiers to the new Supreme chair - and particularly the increase in newbie skiers - widening it should help with the crowding.

Fireweed

The campground was full, with campers packing their things to head home, and the trail back to Albion base was pretty full of hikers too - I couldn't imagine how busy it must have been up at Cecret Lake and was glad I hadn't added that spur to my hike.  Instead I got back to the car, changed out of my boots and sat for a while with my late morning/post-hike beer, watching the mountains and the people flooding in to experience them.  It's so beautiful up there - even though I hate to have to share it, I can understand the draw.

trails with friends

 Our friend Ted texted H to say that he'd gotten a new MTB - he'd been riding his gravel bike but realized that Park City has lots of different kinds of trails; plus he likes gear - and that he'd love to ride with us if we were going to be in the area.  We told him we'd meet him at the Quinn's Trailhead at Round Valley at 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning.  Despite northern Utah going through a heat event right now, it was super pleasant in Park City, cool even.  We were a little surprised to see so few cars in the parking lot - we scarcely saw anyone all morning - but weren't about to complain about it.  After duly admiring Ted's new wheels, we hit the trails.

I think Ted was a little apprehensive about riding with us after our longer than planned hike last time, so H kept that in mind.  We rode up to PorcUClimb (which I was pleased to only be climbing once) to do the P-Dog loop, then I suggested Matt's Flat to Round Valley Express so we could climb Rambler.  Amazingly, we didn't see a single other person the whole way up; even more amazingly, I stayed calm and rode this one short, steep, loose section that often gives me fits.  Fist pump!  From the top of the ride, we descended on Rusty Shovel, then climbed the three steep steps on Rambler.  To finish things out, we swooped through the sagebrush of the practice loop by the National Ability Center, some fun corners that make you feel like a MTB hero.

Ted invited us back to his place for a post-ride coffee/water/Gatorade and, to be honest, it was nice to be in some A/C for a change, instead of standing on hot asphalt.  Unfortunately, we had finished a little too early for beer - but H and I remedied that by stopping by Fishers Cyclery to get H's brakes worked on when we got back to the Salt Lake City side.  It was after noon by then, so we stopped by Grid City Beer Works to put some cash into the local economy.  Buy local/drink local!

We didn't take any pictures this time so here's one from H's ride on Falcon Flow: his bike is right on the edge of a cliff, so that's exciting for riding!

redemption

The last time we rode the Circle O trail at the MOAB Brand Trails, I bailed out.  I needed to redeem myself so that's where we rode on Sunday.  We were surprised to see so many cars in the parking lot ("so many" being relative these days: there were around nine, including a couple of guided tours) but out on the trails, we only saw a few people.  We started with the front side of Lazy EZ, then segued to Rusty Spur.  From there we got on Bar M for the long climb to the top of the ridge, then continued around until we got to the Circle O intersection.  After Circle O, we turned left back onto Bar M, took the parking lot cutoff and then jumped back on the front of Lazy EZ.  My legs were starting to tire, so when H peeled off to do Rusty Spur again, I stayed on Lazy EZ, finishing the loop with that nice climb and the wonderful, swooping descent.  That's really a fun little trail, and very rideable.

Finishing the Lazy EZ climb

I rode pretty well - maybe not quite as calmly as I had up at Dead Horse Point State Park - and I did finish Circle O.  The first part of that trail is more challenging and I tend to be on and off my MTB a lot, walking the more technical bits.  In the second half, the slickrock flattens out even though it's an uphill climb (we go counter-clockwise) and I can ride most of it.  That's a good feeling.

There was also a little bit of cloud cover for the morning which made the temperatures feel pretty good too.  Things did heat back up, however: it was blazing hot when we walked to Woody's around 2 p.m. to put some cash into the local economy.

good ride

Two days before the Juniper Mesa day (which would have been Saturday), we did a morning MTB ride up at Dead Horse Point State Park.  We got up there early-ish - because it's the dog days of summer in southern Utah and DANG it's hot - but with the added elevation, temperatures weren't forecast to get above the high 80s, which was a treat.  There were a fair number of cars in the main parking lot: only a handful of MTBers but it looked like there were more folks hiking.  

We did our usual Dead Horse route of  the Big Chief loop, to Crossroads (which crosses the park road, get it?), to Whiptail and Twisted Tree, then doubling back to Crossroads and taking Raven Roll back to the truck.  For some reason, this day turned out to be my best MTB ride of the year (so far).  My legs felt strong, no doubt in part due to the pleasanting we did the weekend prior; I got my nutrition right; I was thirsty but not dehydrated; and, best of all, I was riding calmly.  The mindset helped, even when I got to sections on which I was less confident.

Out on Whiptail, I think

There were parking lot beers and then back to town, where it was much, much hotter.  We had lunch, then hunkered down indoors (there may have been napping) until the patio was shaded enough to bring our books and our beers outside.

juniper mesa

 We took a long weekend down in Moab this last weekend but instead of taking the Friday off, we took Monday instead ... and as a result I don't know what day it is and am frantically playing catch-up on everything.  That is all to say that I've still not gotten the photos in order.  So we'll go in reverse and here's what we did on Monday.

The face when he doesn't get to go

Milton had not gotten to go Saturday or Sunday because we went MTBing and it's just too far and too hot for him right now.  He was very sad about it, refusing to eat his breakfast, but then promptly forgot all about it when we came home (and then he ate).  When Monday rolled around, H and I tried to come up with a place where Milt and I could hike while H MTBed.  We landed on the outer reaches of the Sand Flats Road, where the Juniper Trail (for hiking) is not too far from the new Falcon Flow Trail (for MTBing).  

The face when he does get to go

We three had hiked the Juniper Trail in June 2019: it's a short, 1.9 lollipop with terrific views.  Milton and I headed out there directly, with Milt a little concerned that H wasn't coming with us.  As soon as he scared up some lizards he was fine, although he did stick pretty close to me.  He thought it was pretty hot too, and took advantage of the short juniper trees scattered on top of the mesa to get in some shade whenever he could  We did the loop part of the trail twice - just to get enough mileage in - and only saw a few other people: one older woman, hiking alone; and a young family of four.  When we got back to the truck, we camped out under a tree until H got back from his ride.

Dog with a view

I had had high hopes for Falcon Flow but H was less than enthusiastic about it.  Even taking away how hot he was from the two mile uphill return via the Sand Flats Road, he said that it was very sandy, with lots of sharp corners on cliffs.  Plus his rear brakes weren't at 100%, all of which added up to a less-than-stellar ride.

To wrap up on a high note, then, we drove back down to the Slickrock Trailhead parking lot, nabbed a covered picnic table and drank our post-activity beers in the shade.  Milton kept himself entertained by periodically sprinting the length of the parking lot to chase some ground squirrels.  He never caught any: Squirrels 1 Milton 0.

cruiser

I found this gorgeous beast at Goodwill for $12.99.  Bought it - how could I not?  It needs work ... updates to follow.

pleasanting

There's this thing called "Everesting" that cyclists are doing these days: pick any hill, anywhere, and do repeats of it until you've climbed the equivalent height of Mt. Everest (8,848 meters; 29,029 feet).  With most of the summer's cycling events canceled due to the pandemic, this challenge has been very popular, giving people a goal to try for which they can do socially distanced.  

Top of 4 (we had snacks at 4 and 7)

Let's be clear: we did not climb the height of Mt. Everest - wasn't even a possibility.  But there's this one climb out at Round Valley, PorcUClimb, that I love; every time we ride it, I say, "I could ride this all day!"  So we decided to see just how many times I could ride it, connecting with the upper part of Down Dog to make the 2.43 mile P-Dog loop.

Top of 7

Spoiler alert: I did it ten times.  Now, this climb has only 182 feet of elevation - so if I had actually wanted to Everest I would still be riding.  I had hoped to do ten at a minimum and I think if it hadn't been so hot, I might have been able to knock out one or two more laps.  But we were out there for nearly four hours and even though we had started around 8 a.m., it was pushing noon at the start of August in Utah - even in Park City it's hot.

Top of 9

My best lap was #2: my legs had warmed up so I wasn't wobbly; I didn't have anyone in front of me so I could climb at my own pace; and I actually felt like I descended pretty well.  That lap took me eighteen minutes, which would be my fastest on the day.  By lap #5, my legs were starting to tire.  Laps 7 and 8 were brutal but by #9, the end was in sight and I felt pretty good.  I was toast by the final climb, however: my feet swollen in the heat, the tendons behind my left knee were creaking and I was saddle-sore.  

Top of 10

I don't usually ride for four hours and I hadn't taken a whole lot of rest.  H, who is so much stronger and faster than I am, waited for me at the top of PorcUClimb and the bottom of Down Dog each time.  This meant his riding time was three hours and he had an hour of rest.  In that same four hour period, I only had twenty minutes of rest because sometimes I would get to the top and want to keep going, just to try to stay ahead of the other riders out on the trail.  Being a Saturday morning, it was pretty busy until about 11 a.m. - but since both trails are one-way only, we never had to deal with oncoming traffic and that was a treat.

Done!  Where's the beer?!?

It took me about twenty minutes to feel like myself again once the ride was done, stretching to relax my back and legs, taking those dang biking shoes off, etc.  By then I was ravenous and very thirsty.  Stopping by Grid City Beerworks for vegan wings and nachos, and some tasty pale ales, seemed like the right thing to do at that point.

Our total elevation gain, including the 208' from the parking lot to the start line, was 2,028'.  That means that although we didn't climb Everest, we did climb Pleasant Mountain, southern Maine's tallest mountain (2,006' feet, and basically starting at sea level) and home of Shawnee Peak ski area.

Ride stats: 27.82 miles; moving (H) 2:51 (A) 3:40 / 9.7 m.p.h.; overall 4:01 / 6.9 m.p.h.; H's max speed 23.3 m.p.h.

10 laps @ 2.43 = 24.30 miles + distance from truck to start line

10 laps @ 182' = 1,820' + 208' from truck to start line = 2,028'

wrapping it up

Milton definitely overdid it on our Saturday hike: on our evening and morning walks to take care of business, he was limping and moaning and refused to go any further than the corner and back.  We first thought he'd actually injured himself - plus we had pulled a thorn out of one of his paws which must have been tender - but he was just stiff and sore.  Like all weekend warriors, it just took him a couple of days to get back to normal.

The view east-ish

Since the dog was in no shape to go hiking, and since H had a couple of hot spots on his feet as well, we decided to just go up to the Sand Flats Recreation Area Sunday morning so that I could take a short hike.  While the boys camped out in the parking lot, I did a quick Practice Loop circuit.  It didn't take me that long so I also added on an out-and-back on part of the Slickrock Trail. 

Grandstaff Canyon

It was pretty lowkey up there.  I saw only a handful of MTBers, a couple of hikers and one jeep.  Locals know it's too hot out there on the rocks during the day; and the pandemic has kept away lots (but not all) of the tourists.  Consider me conflicted: I hate what this virus has done to people's lives and livelihoods but I sure do like having these views all to myself.