Lake Mary Snowshoe

It was a glorious afternoon on the mountain Wednesday, March 19!

BEAUTIFUL!

That is Lake Mary buried under all that snow with Mount Millicent towering in the back.  

  AND MORE BEAUTIFUL!

Snowshoeing to Lake Mary on a crystal clear early spring day gives this classic summer hike a whole new feel.  The only little downside to this snowshoe hike is dodging the skiers and snowboarders on the way up.  After all we are on their turf - it is a ski resort.  But man oh man is it worth it once you reach the top!  

Doing moguls - snowshoe style!

Snow Rollers

Milly in our sights!

Lake Mary Dam

My good friend and hiking buddy.

We were not totally alone! A very ambitious skier!

A nice skier took our picture.

Pioneer Peak and Sunset Peak

Perfect spot for a snack.

More beauty!  We were surrounded!

One last photo before heading down!

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

This week marks my one year anniversary of blogging about hiking.   I know why I love hiking, but I can't explain why I enjoy doing the blog.  So I think I'll just keep at it until I get bored with writing and taking pictures - Maybe at some point in the far future I'll give up hiking (maybe in my 90s).  Who knows??

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

******Miles hiked tally

beginning March 22, 2013
Beginning of this Blog

234.5

Thousand Oaks Trail

I made a great hiking trail discovery this weekend!  The Thousand Oaks Trail is a newly constructed section of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail.  This route links the "Z" trail in Olympus Cove to the Mount Olympus trailhead.  Eventually the Bonneville Shoreline Trail system will stretch from the border of Idaho to Nephi for a total of 280 miles. How awesome is that?!  We hiked this trail one way parking a shuttle car at the Mount Olympus trailhead and beginning our hike at the "Z" trail connector in the Olympus Cove neighborhood.  Our hike totaled 2.8 miles.  To find the trailhead in Olympus Cove take the I-215 exit at 3900/3300 South, turn right onto Wasatch Blvd.  Turn left at the first light onto Oakview Drive passing Churchill Jr. High School then turn right onto Jupiter Drive.  The next turn is left on Adonis Drive (4505 south) then a quick right onto Thousand Oaks Drive (4500 south).  Thousand Oaks Drive dead ends in a very exclusive neighborhood and parking is limited to the street near the trailhead.  You will climb .44 miles following an old pipeline before reaching the marker for the Bonneville Shoreline trail.  From this point the trail levels off and heads south 
 
 towards the Mount Olympus trail.  A lot of this area is private property so please be respectful and stay on the trail.  At the beginning of the trail you will be hiking through thousands of gamble oak trees - hence the name Thousand Oaks.  This is a wonderful trail high above the city with impressive views!    And it was very fun to traverse the hillside of mighty Mount Olympus.

Great views of Salt Lake Valley

 

Looking back at Grandeur Peak

Section of trail as it traverses the mountain side.  Also a picture of old mine tailings.

The trail splits at this junction.  Both trails merge with the original Mount Olympus trail.  We chose the path to the right which merged with the lower section of the Mount Olympus trail and back to our awaiting car. If you want more of hike you can turn around at this point and head back to Olympus Cove for a 5 mile roundtrip hike.

We are very lucky to live here in the Salt Lake Valley with so many great hiking trails right in our backyard!   Get outdoors and enjoy!!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

******Miles hiked tally

beginning March 22, 2013
Beginning of this Blog

232.4