And yes, it's Utah but it's still hotter than it should be for June. Alta's snow is melting quickly, although not quite enough to make hiking anything but sloppy. And down in the valley, it's dry - unless you're like most of our neighbors who water every day. (Seriously, stop watering so much.)
Here's the week's forecast. Juneteenth is going to be brutal, but then maybe more temperate for the weekend.
We've now had some time at home in SLC and, if I'm honest, things have been rather on repeat there too. There's still too much snow up at Alta to make hiking much fun* (and not really enough snow anymore for skiing), so exercise has consisted of early morning walks for A and Milton (3.2 mile weekday neighborhood loops and 5 mile weekend Dimple Dell loops) and runs/bike rides for H (various lengths, times and locations).
Late weekend mornings have been spent battling the yard. It seems as though perhaps we need to get started on before skiing ends. That's always been my mantra - no yardwork during ski season because it just seems too early - but it gets ahead of us if we wait that long. Maybe a little earlier in the spring would be a good idea. I guarantee that I will have forgotten I said that by next year.
Weekend afternoons have been pretty chill. It's too hot to bake anymore so there's been a lot of going to the library and then reading library books, while Milton hangs out in the driveway, staring at the neighbors' house and hoping for treats.
We did go to our lovely friends' annual Pride Party. They have an adorable 1910ish bungalow in Sugar House with a double lot, and their backyard - which they put so much effort into - is perfect for entertaining. That Pride Party is the big blow out that kicks off summer season. H and I go on the early side (this year it went until 4 a.m. the next day!!!!!!!) and we always go if we're in town. It's a lot [gestures wildly at everything] to be living in this country these days and so going to that party, to hang out, drinking and laughing, talking with a group of diverse, kind, interesting, supportive, inclusive and well-tattooed people, right here in Utah, was just really, really nice.
* But maybe some Millcreek Canyon hikes, particularly south-facing trails like Grandeur Peak, could be in our near future.
The second half of our long holiday weekend looked quite a lot like the first half. Again, Milton and A did the Millcreek hike first thing in the morning, although on Sunday we went a little further upstream, crossing over by the beaver trees (former trees felled by beavers) and coming back down on the other side. It had been a while since we'd been on that side and the trail has not seen nearly as much foot traffic, even fading out in a couple of places.
There was certainly plenty of foot traffic in the left hand fork of the canyon, where the waterfalls are. Sunday was apparently the busiest day: on Monday, we talked with a guy who was housesitting in one of the homes near the entrance to the canyon and he said that cars were parking all the way out to the main road and three separate ambulances came in Sunday to rescue people. Sorry we missed that (sarcasm).
H and A's late morning bike rides were similar too: A did the 21 mile version while H went a little further, starting up the hill past the Arches NP entrance a ways to put together a 24 mile ride. On Monday, the ranger hanging out at the Arches entrance told A that they only had to have one ambulance on Sunday, so Arches for the win!
The Moab Arts Fest was going on all weekend, and they lucked out on the weather, as after Friday high temperatures didn't even get to 90 - a gift for this time of year. And we lucked out too, as we were able to keep windows and doors open a lot of the time and the A/C didn't even come on. Pretty sure at least that will be diffferent the next time we get down there.
alfjk;asd
We go to Moab a lot (obviously). And sometimes when we're there, we just don't feel like driving to go do stuff. There are trailheads for hiking and MTBing everywhere and some of them require a lot of driving from town; going to the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands requires 45 minutes in the car, for example. So when we don't feel like driving, we tend to repeat the same trails, like Pipe Dream or Millcreek (which, yes, technically requires driving but only five minutes). When we were down in Moab over Memorial Day weekend, we did not feel like driving and fighting the crowds.
Thus, the first two days of the long weekend looked very similar. First thing in the morning, Amanda and Milton did a four mile Millcreek Canyon hike, getting there early before the hordes. We went out along the rim trail, then dropped down to the creek for the return. We only saw a couple of people out on the trail but by the time we got back to the parking lot, the cars were starting to roll in. Temperatures were super nice, especially in the shade.
After the hike, H and A switched gears (literally haha) and went for a 21 mile road ride along the bike path. This entails going north out of town, then out and back along the Colorado River, then across the pedestrian bridge over the river and up to the Arches National Park entrance, then going back across the bridge, out and back along the river stretch and then back home. The traffic on the bike path definitely increased from Friday to Saturday as more tourists rolled into town.
Our Friday and Saturday evenings did differ slightly. Friday found us at Woody's and then with a backyard firepit, watching the stars come out. But on Saturday we went to C and F's house for a BBQ with several of their friends. They've got a great backyard, cool and shady, and as it was a little cooler than Friday, the afternoon/evening was quite pleasant.
A couple of months ago, one of our neighbors was cleaning out his gear and gave H a back-country set up. Not wanting to appear ungrateful (indeed, he's very appreciative), H said that when we got back from Moab, he wanted to go up to Alta and try it out. He wasn't able to adjust the ski bindings to fit his boots in time but the skins did fit his K2 telemark skis, so he was outfitted. I don't have skins or any sort of uphill set-up, so I popped on over to rent a pair of snowshoes* so that I too was outfitted.
Leaving sad Milton behind (no dogs in Little Cottonwood Canyon), we got up to the Albion parking lot a little before 9:45 a.m. It was a gorgeous day, clear, strong sun and about mid-50s but warming quickly. There is little snow on the south-facing slopes but on the resort proper, there is still plenty of the goods. There were plenty of other folks who'd had the same idea we had: touring skiers, split-boarders and snowshoers were all taking advantage of the day.
We didn't have a plan, nor really any idea of what to expect, so we just decided to meet back at the truck no later than 12 noon. I got geared up first, walking across the Albion parking lot to the maintenance shed and putting my snowshoes on there; H came behind me after getting his tele boots on. We went up the Sunnyside bunny slope to Alf's, the snow softening fast in the sun, where H caught up with me. We kept going up Devil's Elbow from there and then our paths diverged. I veered right, making my way over to lower Extrovert. Fact: Extrovert is VERY steep on snowshoes. I made a bit of a loop, trying to stay clear of the growing tree wells, and went back down the way I came up. Total distance: 2.5 miles.
* H and I do actually have snowshoes but they are about twenty years old, long and unstable on side-hills. Snowshoe technology has changed in the interim and so I wanted to try a newer pair out. Despite the newer versions, I still don't love snowshoeing. The rental pair were mostly metel and heavy, and my hips were getting sore by the end due to having to walk with a wider stance. It's just like hiking but more work.
By Saturday we were all feeling some cumulative fatigue. A and M did a neighborhood walk, and then A and H did their road ride on the bike path. The day was clear and a little bit warmer than the last few, but not much wind so we were psyched about that. This day's picnic was at the Amasa Back trailhead. Ususally when we are there, it's early in the morning to start a hike; since we were there for lunch, it was packed and we got one of the last few parking spots. As we had our sandwiches, MTBers started rolling in after their rides. Milton got to make some new friends, of course.
This turned out to be the hottest day since the car show, so our afternoon was spent lounging around at home, reading. We strolled to Woody's for cocktails and then came home for a firepit on a simply beautiful night (until the threat of rain rolled in).
And then it was Sunday and we were all sad about it. We did a 3.5 mile family town walk, then cleaned the house and packed the truck. The drive back to SLC was uneventful except for the fact that Milton was so tired that he actually relaxed and fell asleep with his head on H's knee.
Vacation stats: 21 miles trail running (H only); 37.25 miles hiking/walking; 131 miles road cycling.
The next few days just flew by. Wednesday Milton was still recovering from his activities earlier in the week (running off-leash and chasing lizards is lots harder than poky ol' on-leash walks), so H did his four mile trail run solo while A went grocery shopping. Then we repeated the 21 mile bike ride, and A did a 3.5 mile town walk, including checking out the for-sale books at the county library, and then coaxed Milton out for a stroll around the neighborhood. H made pasta salad for dinner and finally finished his jigsaw puzzle. We had intended another firepit but some rain moved through and we just ended up putting all the outside furniture back into the garage to keep it dry.
Thursday morning found H back on the trail for a run (4 miles) and A and M in town for a walk (3/5 miles). It was a simply gorgeous day and A and H enjoyed their late morning bike ride quite a lot, although we did notice that the bike path was getting busier as we approached the weekend. When we got back from our ride, we threw picnic stuff and the dog into the truck and headed back down the river road to our favorite picnic spot above the Colorado River. No BASE jumpers and just a few folks out on the river. That evening we were lucky enough to catch up with our friends and former Moab neighbors, N and L, back in town for a wedding.
On Friday, all three of us did a Millcreek Canyon hike (4 miles). We met a couple of nice dogs and spied a raven's nest, which was cool; the creek is very low, which is not quite so. A and H then did their by-now regular bike ride (still more bike path traffic but not too windy). After that we grabbed sandwiches, beer and Milton and drove up to the Slickrock Trailhead for lunch, purchasing our season pass on the way. We talked with a bunch of MTBers up there - the trailhead was the busiest we've seen in months.
After cleaning up at home, A and H walked to Swanny Park to check out the first Arts & Ag[riculture] market of the season. It was pretty small - not much ag is ready for sale in Utah in May - so after a quick circuit, we headed back. H suggested that we stop in at Josie Wyatt's "for just one" so of course we ended up talking to some tourists from Mississippi and also S, an acquaintance of ours whom we hadn't seen for some time. S was headed over to a house party and invited us; we stopped by our house for the dog and some beers first and then we tried to find said party, but the directions we had were vague and we ended up just going back home, rather than start knocking on random doors. We consoled ourselves with a backyard firepit as the stars started coming out.
By Tuesday, the weeding couldn't be put off any longer. While A toiled away at that (making a good dent in it but with still more to do), H and Milton did a five mile trail run on Pipe Dream. Whether from the sun or from cumulative fatigue, Milt was definitely dragging by the last half mile or so.
Mid-morning, while the dog rested up, the two people went out for their twenty-one mile road ride on the bicycle path. The weather was just about perfect: clear, low 70s, sunny and not much breeze at all, for a change.
In the afternoon, A walked down to the Moonflower Community Cooperative (one of only two in Utah, apparently? Is that true?) and signed up for a lifetime membership - something that had been on the list of things to do for quite some time. In addition to being a grocery store, they have a bakery and prepared foods section and there were quite a few people sitting out front in the shade, noshing on some good looking eats.
In the early evening, all three of us walked over to the Spitfire Smokehouse for beers on the dog-friendly patio. H and A found a table right next to the door and Milton positioned himself perfectly to accost every other patron for pets. Despite the lack of people in the photo above, he made quite a few new friends. And that evening we all managed to stay awake for the first backyard firepit of the season.
On Monday, all three of us went to Pritchett Canyon for a hike, ostensibly to find a particular petroglyph (we had a trail guide and everything!). After some discussion, we missed the side canyon and by the time we figured it out, we had gone further than we had intended. We will go back another day and actually find it. Maybe. We hope.
Grand County, Utah, is really dry right now - drought conditions - so it was pretty sandy, what with all the four-wheelers churning things up. We didn't see any side-by-sides until we were nearly out, however, so it as still a nice hike. We also saw one MTBer right around where we turned around; he grinned and said, "You must be the footprints I've been following this whole time."
After post-hike parking lot beers, we went home for lunch. H did a 21 mile road ride on the bike path and the rest of the day was spent reading, puzzling, hand-washing socks and dinner. It was a nice evening and we intended to have a fire pit but (full disclosure), H fell asleep.
Stats: H 21.14 ride, 1:31 hours; H, A and M 6.14 mile hike, 2:10 hours.
For whatever reason, while thinking about our Moab week, I decided to front-load the week with hiking and then focus on road riding later on. To that end, I decided to do my big hike on Sunday. I knew Milton would be still be recovering from his Saturday eight-miler, and H wanted to do a road ride on the bike path, so it was a solo hike for A.
I did the Hidden Valley/Moab Rim "loop," which we've done several times before. I started from our house and walked to the Jackson Street trailhead for Pipe Dream. We had left our hiking poles in SLC so I concentrated on keeping my hands up as much as possible to keep my fingers from swelling too much - finally ended up doing the alphabet in ASL throughout the hike.
At the Hidden Valley trailhead, I followed the trail up to and across Hidden Valley (couple of trail runners with dogs there), then dropped over the pass to the Moab Rim trail (several side-by-sides). After going down Sand Hill (and having to empty my shoes at the bottom) and through the wash, I texted H from the Moab valley overlook. By the time I got down the Moab Rim trail (about ten jeeps and side-by-sides), H and Milton were there waiting for me with my clean shirt, sandals and, most importantly, snacks and beers.
We had lunch at home and spent the afternoon reading and doing jigsaw puzzles. After Woody's for beers at 5, it was dinner at home and a couple of neighborhood walks for Milton, who met his first Great Dane (exciting!). There were also lots of buzzards in the buzzard tree (also exciting!)
Stats: H 25 mile road ride, 1:25 hours; A 10.1 mile hike, 3:45 hours.
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