rocky roads

A cold front was due to move in midday on Sunday and we wanted to get some trail time in before it happened. We also wanted to stay south of town, knowing we'd be ensnared in traffic when it was time to head back to SLC, so we headed out to the Sand Flats Recreation Area, avoiding that line of vehicles waiting to get in by parking at the Hell's Revenge exit lot.  It was a bit cloudy but the sun was breaking through in spots, highlighting cliffs in the distance.

The cliffs lit right up

As we walked in the out-door and started climbing on the sandy, rocky 4x4 trail up to the level of the sandstone fins, we had the place to ourselves, other than a few ravens playing in the increasing winds, doing barrel rolls and dive-bombing each other.

Enlarged so you can see that Domino's delivers

We did much of the same route we had done last Thanksgiving weekend by following Hell's Revenge in reverse, then hopping onto the Slickrock trail for a bit.  Then we got back onto the HR trail in time to watch a bunch of vehicles coming down (and going up) some really steep sections.  The winds really started to pick up as we headed for the HR entrance, whipping stinging sand into our faces.  Milton hates to wear his goggles but I think they would have helped in this situation.  We exited the trail, coming out on the Sand Flats road by the entrance station, and walked back along the road to where we had parked the car.

Domino's goes where no delivery has gone before 

The skies were darkening quickly so we opted for a speedy pack-up and departure, driving through heavy winds (I felt bad for anyone tent-camping at that moment) and sprinkles of rain until we got to Green River.  A quick burger and fries at Ray's marked the end of our weekend as we got back on the highway, drove through very light snow at Soldier's Summit and finally arrived back in SLC to temperatures in the 30s.  The taste of winter wouldn't last long (temperatures warmed up throughout the week) but it did remind us that it's on its way.

This is actually so steep - the photo doesn't do it justice

Hike stats:  5.27 miles; moving 1:56 hours/2.7 m.p.h.; overall 2:18/2.3 m.p.h

strolling steelbender

 We got caught in traffic last Friday night as we came into Moab: traffic backed up starting at the bridge and extending past Potash Road, costing us an extra 45 minutes.  Because of this, when it came time Saturday morning to decide on a hike, we knew we wanted to stay south of town to avoid the hoi polloi.  I thought it might be a good time to revisit Steelbender.

Love the aesthetic

The last time we did this trail (which was also the first time we did it) was this past April.  Then, we'd explored all the short hiking trails at Ken's Lake first before checking out the 4X4 road about Faux Falls.  It had been sunny and warm and we didn't get too far before Milton started overheating.  This time we drove up the dirt access road and parked before the cattle guard, just up the hill from where Steelbender officially starts.  It was sunny but not hot, even cool in the shade.

Desert boys

Since this is a 4x4 trail, the hiking is easy, if loose, sandy and rocky in places.  It crosses Millcreek first thing, then continues up over rolling ridges before dropping back down into a sandy valley.  We had it to ourselves for the first bit.

Blue skies and dirt roads

After a while, we did hear engines coming up behind us: six side-by-sides.  We stepped to the side to watch them come up over an obstacle, then passed them shortly thereafter when they pulled over to regroup.  They weren't driving like idiots or blasting their music, and a couple of them made a point of petting Milton, so we liked them.

Road to nowhere

We kept going for a while until the trail looked like it was coming out of the rocky section into that sandy valley that would - eventually - lead to the exit in a Spanish Valley neighborhood.  We decided to turn around there, so we still don't know exactly where the trail comes out.  On our way back out, we again passed that group of side-by-sides, plus four MTBers (brave on such a sandy trail!), one jeep and a herd of about eight old-school 4-wheelers.  We saw two more MTBers and a small group of side-by-sides back at the creek, so people were definitely out and about, even south of town.

Hike stats:  6.04 miles; moving 2:15/2.7 m.p.h.; overall: 2:57/2.0 m.p.h.

mt. wire

 After eleven years, H and I have learned a lot about the hiking trails along the Wasatch Front.  We haven't nearly done all of them, however, and when our friend Ted suggested Mt. Wire for last Saturday - because it isn't ten miles and is off-leash dog-friendly - we readily agreed.  Mt. Wire is basically downtown, behind the University and Red Butte Garden.  Ted has discovered one of my favorite hiking blogs, Girl on a Hike, and he thought the south ridge sounded good.  (Apparently you can also ascend Mt. Wire from a trail above the Living Room.)

You can't tell but this is so steep

We met at the Rotary Park lot, at the mouth of Emigration Canyon, and were amazed at how many road cyclists were out and about - way more than we ever see on the roads down where we live.  Between the trail guide I printed out and the map on Ted's phone, we made our way through the myriad of trails crisscrossing the foothills until we reached the ridgeline trail.

Downtown SLC with Stansbury Island in the distance

Let me be clear here: this trail goes up over 2,000 feet in 2.5 miles.  That is a LOT of up.  This trail is mostly very steep, with no shade whatsoever and loose gravel often under foot.  I would certainly not take a dog on it in the summer time but in the middle of October, with a cool wind blowing, Milton had no problem.  He even stuck to the trail most of the time instead of running further afield; I think the scrub oaks hemmed him in.

Happy tails/trails

Mt. Wire is topped with an old tower, which will add even more elevation if you climb it.  Neither Ted nor I was tempted; H went about two-thirds of the way up.  The wind was stronger here and we all quickly put layers on so we wouldn't get chilled.  There are 360-degree views, all across the Salt Lake valley, to Antelope and Stansbury Islands and up Emigration Canyon.

Summit

When we headed back down on the same trail, I was glad I had brought my hiking poles.  It was, for the most part, less slippery than we had expected but it was (as previously mentioned) very, very steep.  We got down quickly, however, and when our feet hit the mostly-flat Bonneville Shoreline Trail, it felt great.  We said good-bye to Ted, vowing that the next hike would be not-too-long but also not-too-steep.

Up, up and away

I knew my quads were going to be sore and sure enough, when we got up Sunday, I knew that MTBing wasn't in the cards for me: I would be even slower than I normally am.  So while H had a great ride at Round Valley, not stopping and doing a lot of climbing with Rusty Shovel, Happy Gilmor/Tin Man, Rambler and PorcUClimb, Milton and I walked, meeting lots of very friendly dogs along the way.

catching up and getting out

A couple of friends, Erica and Kylie, joined us (safely distanced and/or masked as necessary) for the last bit of our vacation week.  On Saturday morning, after breakfast and coffee, we headed out to hike Jeep Arch, which they didn't know about.  The day was sunny, completely clear and warm.  There were already numerous vehicles at the trailhead by the time we pulled in - although only a fraction of what was parked at the Corona Arch trailhead - but, amazingly, we timed it just right to have the arch to ourselves.

A, H and M

(all photos: Kylie)

We did the loop portion clockwise.  I think that's a better way to go as the steepest bit is short, plus you actually can get some shade on the final uphill approach (if you go in the morning).  Erica and Kylie are rock climbers and they were eyeing the hardware left in the slabs with interest.  On our way out, we picked up the fainter trail leading down into the wash.  E and K really liked this section: mostly shaded and some scrambling required.  We passed a dude out scouting locations and light to shoot an indie music video, then made our way back through the culvert to the truck.

"Do you guys see this view?"

Our stomachs were all growling at this point and H had the fantastic idea of having lunch in Middle Earth (this Middle Earth, not the Navajo Rocks trail), figuring it would be shady in there.  Once again, our timing was perfect as we passed a family coming out as we were heading in with our cooler.  We had the whole grotto to ourselves as we hydrated with beer and munched our sandwiches.

We three

That evening, we met up with another friend who was in town, off-roading with his family and friends.  They all had their trailers circled up at the Old Spanish Trail Arena, just south of Moab.  It was kind of a weird spot for camping - they had made reservations for the group site almost a year ago - but there was plenty of room for everyone to spread out, distanced safely around the campfire.

Heading down the wash

The next morning, Erica and Kylie hit the road early, heading back to SLC.  We dithered around for a little while, then decided that we didn't know what traffic would be like and maybe we should think about heading north ourselves.  We cleaned and packed and then went up to the Millcreek overlook for a quick walk (just over an hour) for Milton to burn off some energy.  There were a few other folks there as well with their dogs but not many.  It seemed like everyone else was queuing up to get into the Sand Flats Recreation Area - we could see the huge line of jeeps and 4x4s winding its way up the hill above us.  

It's like a portal to another dimension

After our walk, as the clouds rolled in, we loaded up and got on our way, stopping at Ray's in Green River for lunch.  As we continued up Highway 6, the storm that was at that moment delivering to Alta its first snow of the season brought clouds, high winds, blowing sand and rain sprinkles to us.  We soon enough drove out of it, however, and even though we had left our vacation a little earlier than we had intended, with the fast weather change, wrapping things up seemed like the right thing to do.

Hike stats: 5.56 miles; 2:28 time; 2.2 m.p.h. average speed

return to pritchett canyon

 It had been just over six months since we had done Pritchett Canyon for the first time but with the ridiculous levels of traffic to get to/return from anything north of Moab, we were looking for something on the south end of town.  The OHV lot on Kane Creek Boulevard had a fair number of vehicles and trailers in it but most of them must have been headed out towards Chicken Corners because we only saw six jeeps and four dirtbikers during our hike.

Super pretty Pritchett

The group of jeeps caught us at the Brickyard obstacle.  We stopped and watched them there and then at the Chewie ledges a little further on, chatting with some of the guys until one of them got cocky, tried to go up without knowing the line and broke an axle.  We left them behind then and continued up the canyon.

The lead guy really knew what he was doing

Pritchett Canyon is very pretty: narrow with high walls and intriguing side canyons for the first part and then widening out for the last bit.  The trail surface is varied, with chunky rocks, slickrock ledges and sand.  Because it has been so dry, the sand was like pink dust, puffing up with every step.  (Afterwards, even though we brushed him off, Milton's white feet stayed pink.)

This is the guy who broke an axle

We met up with the dirtbikers just after they'd come off the top of the pass at Yellow Hill.  They weren't really sure where they were - so we told them - and it seemed like a lot of the massive obstacles which this trail is known for were not all that much fun for bikes.  We made it up to the pass and then turned right around to retrace our steps (H had to be back for an afternoon video conference), passing them before they'd gotten very far.  We leapfrogged them back and forth - and had to work around the jeeps (only four of them now) who were working their way up Rockerknocker - until they finally got flatter ground after Chewie and took off.

The DBers were working hard

The midday sun was strong but temperatures were quite reasonable, now that we've gotten into October.  Milton overdid it (of course) but from overexertion, not overheating.  When we got back to the parking lot for a quick beer before H's meeting, there were more BASE jumpers throwing themselves off the cliffs, and the Kane Creek road was busy with side-by-sides and MTBers.  We said hi to one MTBer who was pushing his bike up the lot, having crossed the creek below, and I asked him if he'd just ridden Jackson's Trail.  "Dude!" he answered, "I came down it but I wouldn't say I rode it!"

Looking back down canyon from the pass

We finished our beer, put the tired dog in the truck and headed home, with no traffic delays.  H had his meeting and then we spent the afternoon working on my cruiser bike's brakes, reading and taking neighborhood walks.  Solid day all around.

Pink shoes!

Hike stats: 9.14 miles; moving 2:56 time / 3.1 m.p.h.; overall 3:32 / 2.6 

desert stoke

 It wasn't all MTBing, of course.  H prefers riding and I am better at hiking so we try to alternate; after the first Saturday's MTB at DHPSP, we took Milton for a hike at Amasa Back.  The parking lot was busier than it's been but not yet full when we started out.  We did have to keep an eye out for MTBers, so Milton - busy getting his crazy on since he hadn't been out on a trail for a while - didn't get in their way.  One kid, calmly pedaling up the slickrock, got a big grin when he saw Milt and said, "Your dog looks stoked!"  And indeed he did.  

Mustache with a view

We were all relatively stoked as temperatures were very pleasant and it was much less smoky than the day before, although the LaSal mountains were still mostly obscured.  I like this hike a lot because it is super-scenic, with dramatic views from the overlook, but it isn't terribly difficult and you can make a loop out of it if you're willing to descend via the jeep road.  Only twenty-four MTBers passed us on the way up but we saw 82 total riders (six women), plus seven side-by-sides, three dirtbikes and one jeep.  Moab is definitely open for business and the traffic on the trails (not to mention the traffic on Main Street) proves it.

Small pause in the stoke

Back in the parking lot, we talked with a lot of folks, including a Sprinter van couple from Seattle (dog people who gave Milt a treat) and their riding partners, who were parked on either side of us.  Milton, of course, charmed everyone in the vicinity.  As a bonus, we got to watch crazy BASE jumpers flinging themselves off the cliffs above us: it was only about a fifteen second ride from jump to landing but I can't imagine being brave enough to fling myself off a perfectly good cliff like that.  Those people are nuts.

Cruisin' on the slickrock

Once home, Milton crashed as we chatted and had beers over the fence with our neighbor Amelia, home from a summer on Alaskan fishing boats.  That night the stars were out enough to merit a fire pit and cool enough to merit wearing fleece and flannel while doing so.  Hooray for fall!

Fleece and flannel

Hike stats: 6.09 miles; 2:10 hours/2.8 m.p.h. moving average; 2:41/2.3 overall average; 890' vertical

mtbing is hard (part 2)

 We got a couple more MTB rides in during our vacation week, but we neglected to take any photos.  No huge deal as we've ridden both of these rides before.

On Wednesday we went up to the main Navajo Rocks parking lot.  These trails tend to be more challenging for me so we stuck with the loop I've had reasonable success with before: Middle Earth to Coney Island to Big Lonely to Big Mesa and back to the trailhead.  This is the recommended way to do this loop although someone has added a suggestion that going downhill on Coney Island is the way to go.  It's probably fun but it isn't a particularly onerous climb (except for the steep, sandy switchback sections) plus going clockwise on Big Lonely is definitely the better way to go.

H had his second crash of the week on Coney Island (again, ending up battered but not too bruised), this time in front of a witness.  Other than that guy and a couple people right at the start, we didn't really see anyone for the first half of the ride; we leapfrogged a few folks on Big Lonely and started seeing lots more riders when we got to Big Mesa, however, since it's closer to the trailhead.  One dude commented on my pristine Giant: "Have you ever ridden that bike before today?  It looks brand new!"  I laughed - it's like nine years old, this bike - and said that I preferred to crash in the soft stuff so I don't ding the paint.

These trails alternate sandy and rocky, with some very nice slickrock on top of Big Lonely.  My legs were getting fatigued as we finished the Big Mesa portion.  H thought he'd ride a ways out on Ramblin' (where we've hiked with Milton a couple times) but the further he went, the further down he went, and he soon turned around rather than face more climbing than he really wanted to do.  After the ride, our parking lot time included a really nice conversation with Richard, a kid from La Crosse, Wisconsin, recently relocated to SLC and out exploring southern Utah with dog Opie.

Ride stats: 10.85 miles; 1:46 riding time; 6.1 m.p.h. avg. speed / 15.7 max. speed

Our final MTB of the week was Friday, when we went back to Dead Horse Point State Park.  The skies were much clearer and we could see the LaSals, the Abajos and the Henrys - the southern Utah mountain range trifecta.  Without the smoke screen, the sun felt hotter but temperatures were still very pleasant after the scorching summer.  We saw a few of the same people multiple times as we did our loop, including four e-MTB riders who did the same route we did: we started after them, passed them, stayed ahead of them the whole time and finished about an hour before they did - even doing all our own pedaling!  Also impressive: neither of us crashed this time AND H rode a section of Twisted Tree that he's never ridden before.

Afterwards we chatted with a Seattle family, touring around in their Sprinter van and camping at the Up the Creek Campground in Moab, as well as those e-MTBers from Idaho.  Traffic was wicked heavy as we made our way back to town - which didn't seem to bode well for anyone arriving in Moab later that evening.  It's so strange to have to deal with traffic congestion after so many months without it.  

Ride stats: 17.03 miles; 1:59 riding time; 8.6 avg. speed / 16.5 max. speed

mtbing is hard (part 1)

We were lucky enough to get away to Moab for all of last week, although it felt like we were never going to get there Friday night when it took us an hour to get from the entrance to Arches National Park to the bridge over the Colorado River due to backed-up vacation/construction traffic.  But we made it and we were outside each and every day.

Saturday morning we drove up to Dead Horse Point State Park to kick things off with some MTBing.  It was cool in the morning (low 60s), with lots of blown-in wildfire smoke obscuring the LaSal mountains and even the canyons below.  There were a fair number of vehicles in the main parking lot when we started but the trails really weren't busy until we were finishing up.  We did the loop we like (Big Chief to Crossroads to Whiptail to Twisted Tree back to Whiptail to Crossroads to Ravens Roll).  H took a corner on Ravens Roll too fast, hitting a juniper root and going down hard; his wrist and ribs were sore but he didn't get scraped up or break anything.

Ride stats: 16.53 miles; 1:58 riding time; 8.4 m.p.h. average speed / 18.4 max. speed

At the Whiptail/Twisted Tree intersection

Our next MTB session was Monday, when we went to Moab Brand Trails.  Once again, there were lots of vehicles in the parking lot when we got there at 9:30 a.m. but we managed to pick sparsely-trafficked trails.  We did Lazy-EZ - where I managed to fall over at the start, on a rocky downhill turn to the right that always gives me trouble, acquiring bruises and small scrapes, no big deal; and H managed to ride an uphill rocky turn to the left that he's never ridden before - then three-quarters of the larger North 40 loop (which we've never done as it's a bit more technical than I'm comfortable with), then Bar M to Circle O and back to the truck.  My legs were a little fatigued but I felt like I rode Circle O better than I have recently.

On the rocks of Circle O

Ride stats: 12.38 miles; 1:43 riding time; 7.2 avg. speed / 19.3 max. speed

a week's worth of moab posts is forthcoming

 We just got back from a week in Moab - a week that seemed to go far too quickly.  Which is something the giant pile of laundry is just not doing.  We're sorting through photos and will start posting soon, but in the meantime, here's a super cool photo that our friend K took of H and Milton, coming out of the culvert after a Jeep Arch hike.

new helmet sunday

You should probably buy a new helmet every 2-4 years, depending on how much you ride (i.e., are out in the sun).  It's been about nine years since I bought my current helmet and H's is even older than that, not to mention that he rides a LOT.  Suffice it to say that we were overdue for new helmets.  On Saturday, after our respective road ride/Alta hike, we cleaned up and drove into Sugarhouse (a hip Salt Lake City neighborhood) to our favorite bike shop, Fishers Cyclery.  We chatted with Wayne for a while and then both decided on Giro Radix helmets in bright colors.  Mission accomplished!  And then we went to Grid City Beerworks for beers and lunch.  Mission accomplished!

Sunday was the clearest day we've had in weeks - it was breezy and the wind's direction must have cleared out all the local and blown-in wildfire smoke we've had.  We waited a little while for things to warm up (it was 36 F in Park City at 8:30) and then we hied ourselves on over to Round Valley.  As we were getting our things ready, we had a long discussion about whether we should take Milton with us.  He wanted to go (obviously) and it was cool enough now; the real problem, aside from his tendency to overdo it, is that he's still pretty oblivious on the trails and we didn't want him to run into a MTBer or a MTBer to run into him.  In the end we decided to leave him behind, pouting on the bed; H noted that because we decided to leave him home, it probably wouldn't be busy.

Terrible photo of me but NEW HELMETS

As it turned out, it wasn't that busy and we could have brought him, especially since I was SO SLOW because my legs were still fatigued from the prior day's hike (because I am not in particularly good shape).  There were lots of trail runners, and lots of dogs, but we only saw a few MTBers out on the trail, except for one section of Matt's Flat where H had to navigate eight MTBers and six dogs all together.

Action shot (note pink gloves lol)

I had been hoping that my fabulous new helmet would magically make me a better MTBer.  Alas, no, but I think I looked marginally cooler and I will totally take that.  We climbed from Quinn's Trailhead to PorcUClimb, then down Rusty Shovel.  From there, I headed back to the front side via Rambler to Matt's Flat while H did a longer climb up the first eight turns of the sixteen Rambler switchbacks, then doubled back on Kari's Trail, to Matt's Flat, to meet me at the bottom of Down Dog.  We then climbed back up and did the whole P-Dog loop, and I actually rode the bottom half of Down Dog better than I ever have (magic helmet).  My puny legs were tired at that point so I rode out via the double track and H went back on Matt's Flat, giving him about fourteen miles on the day, with some good climbs.  I was just happy that I didn't have to break in my new helmet with a crash, so thumbs up all around.

eleven years

We arrived in Utah on October 3, 2009.  Because of that, our own year starts in October and ends in September.  And, as is traditional, here is a recap of our past year's activities.  It's a little weird, this time around, because of the COVID-19 pandemic and all that has entailed: our ski season ended abruptly mid-and we then went to Moab for eight weekends in a row, just to get away and get outside.  Since then, we've been mostly alternating weekends - SLC and Moab - and know how fortunate we are to be able to do that.  Like everyone else, any actual trips have been canceled/put on hold, so it's been a lot of the same going on.  But we are so far healthy, relatively sane and continuing to be outside as much as we can be.  Here's to the next year!

October 2019:  A week in Moab, with H's folks joining us for some of it, and Milton stays in his first hotel (and doesn't like the elevator); MTBing and hiking in Park City; another Moab weekend and a brand new (to us) arch.

November 2019:  H's last MTB of the season at Round Valley (and A and M take a hike); a couple of weekends in Moab, including Thanksgiving (stormy weather, hike to Delicate Arch, Hell's Revenge); hiking in Park City.

December 2019:  Skiing begins with good snow on day #2; a couple of weekends in Moab (Porcupine Rim and Fins N' Things hikes); good snow around Christmas.

January 2020:  Great ski conditions with lots of storms; a couple of weekends in Moab (with hikes in Grandstaff Canyon, return to Fins N' Things).

February 2020:  Skiing with our friend Will (great conditions); huge snowstorms with historic interlodge closure in Little Cottonwood Canyon; long weekend in Moab (Metal Masher, Amasa Back, attempt to find Pocket Arch).

March 2020:  Skiing; the pandemic arrives; every weekend spent in Moab (Uranium Arch, Pocket Arch attempt); first MTB of the season.

April 2020:  Every weekend in Moab (Jackass Canyon, Jackson's Trail, Steelbender, Behind the Rocks, Sovereign trail systems, Grandstaff from the other end, Hidden Valley, Fins N' Things; MTBing); wheel trouble on one trip home.

May 2020:  A couple weekend in Moab, including Memorial Day holiday; Woody's reopens; hiking and MTBing in Park City.

June 2020:  Every other weekend in Moab with MTBing (new trails include Horsethief and Chisholm; and hiking (Grandstaff Canyon, Hell's Revenge, Amasa Back, Seven Mile Canyon, Upheaval Dome, Millcreek); MTBing in Park City; Grandeur Peak and Lookout Peak hikes.

July 2020:  Back to Alta for the first time since March 8 to do a hike; MTBing and hiking in Park City with friend Ted; two long weekends in Moab (Day Canyon hike, Moab Rim hike, Navajo Rocks hike where Milton wicked overdoes it chasing rabbits.); we discover Grid City Beer Works.

August 2020:  "Pleasanting" at Round Valley; Moab long weekend; MTBing in Park City with Ted; flowers at Alta.

September 2020:  Snowbird hike; "new" cruiser bike for A; Labor Day weekend in Moab (very hot); MTBing with Ted.

Happy eleventh move-iversary and happy new year to you all!

whither wolverine

 Since we stayed in northern Utah this last weekend, H wanted to do a road ride Saturday morning.  He hasn't been able to ride as much as usual this summer, due to the excessive heat and our going down to Moab so often, so when the opportunity presents itself, he tries to take it.  Me, I don't have a road bike (nor do I want one), and I took my own opportunity for a quick hike up at Alta.

Morning sunlight hitting Gunsight

I didn't get the earliest of starts since the sun doesn't come up until around 7:18 a.m. (and comes up over the Wasatch mountains even later than that) and the overnight temperatures at Alta were pretty chilly.  I was parking above Albion base at 8:20 a.m., and after some puttering around, headed up the mountain via the summer trail through Sunnyside.  There were only a couple people on that trail, and a couple more as I segued to the Catherine's Pass trail - a far cry from the last time I hike and was dodging other hikers left and right.

By 9:35 a.m., I had gotten to Catherine's Pass.  There were quite a few folks there, most from the Brighton Lakes side and heading towards Sunset Peak.  Not me: I put another layer on (it was getting windy), had a quick snack and started up the very steep, loose trail to Tuscarora.  Fifteen minutes of up later, I moved past Tuscarora's summit, heading towards Wolverine.  I encountered several more hikers there, all heading down towards Catherine's Pass.  By 10:04 I was atop Wolverine, where I saw that I was going to catch another solo woman hiker about halfway around the cirque.

Steep and rocky above Brighton

The first time H and I hiked around Wolverine Cirque, it hadn't seen that many hikers and the trail was pretty exposed in spots.  Now, however many years later, enough hikers have rerouted the sketchiest sections towards the Alta side of the ridge and it really isn't intimidating.  The cirque is still jagged and steep and impressive, of course.

Aspens just beginning to turn

I had gotten off the cirque and made my way down the steep tumbledown less than half an hour later.  I met more hikers there - a group of four going up; a large group going down - and heard, but didn't see, pikas.  By 10:41 I was at the Twin Lakes pass and heading down through Grizzly Gulch, which is always a much longer run-out than I remember.  It took me an hour to walk out along the old mining roads, past all the mining ruins.  I stopped once to give some hikers directions to the Prince of Wales mine; they seemed dismayed when I told them how far up they had yet to go.  Not me: I was done with the up and nearly done with the down and one quick beer later, was back home before noon.