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!