Twin Lakes Pass

The trail to Twin Lakes Pass begins at lovely Silver Lake in Big Cottonwood Canyon.  About a quarter of the way around Silver Lake on the west side you will come to a junction with a trail sign for Twin Lakes and Lake Solitude -  Continue straight ahead.  The trail for Twin Lakes branches off to the left a few yards past this sign, then it is a steady uphill climb for one mile until you reach Twin Lakes dam.  Take time to soak in the views from Twin Lakes, it is a great hiking destination - but we are not finished yet!  Once you reach the Twin Lakes dam you will see a small trail on your right.  This trail will connect to a ski resort service road past Mount Evergreen.  At this point you could follow the service road down hill to Lake Solitude as a loop hike - but we are not finished yet!   The trail we we want continues up hill and was fairly easy to follow until we came upon a very large snow field.  We could see the footpath along the mountain and needed to cross the snow field to reach the notch in the ridge and hook up with the trail.  No big deal! and in another couple of weeks the snow will be gone and the trail more visible.  Soon you are looking down upon Twin Lakes and once you reach the pass you have awesome views down into Grizzly Gulch looking directly at Mount Superior and all the way down Little Cottonwood Canyon.  The pass sits at just under 10,000 feet.  Our hike totaled 4.5 miles roundtrip.  I enjoyed this hike immensely!!

Mount Superior from Twin Lakes Pass

I always get a little ahead of myself with this blog.  It is just that the end result is so amazing.  Back to the beginning . . . . . .

Trail to Twin Lakes dam just above Silver Lake

Twin pines on the way to Twin Lakes

Serene, tranquil, peaceful aspens

Mount Millicent on left, Wolverine Cirque on right and Twin Lakes below

Climbing the snow field

Mount Wolverine and the Wolverine Cirque

Geological Survey Marker and my good friend Martha

Nice view of the trail heading back

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 Wildflower of the Week

Mountain Bluebells are very easy to recognize!  This pretty wildflower covers the moist meadows and mountainsides in our canyons.  But did you know the flowers are edible raw and the plant has reported medicinal uses. (Don't ask me what the medicinal uses are, but that is what I read).  Mountain Bluebell plants sometimes grow to over three feet tall and have a very sweet fragrance.

For myself I hold no preferences among flowers

so long as they are wild, free, spontaneous!"

Ed Abbey

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******Miles hiked tally

beginning March 22, 2013
Beginning of this Blog
295.4

Hiking a Ghost Town, Mohrland, Utah

Mohrland, Utah was a booming mining community in the early 1920's with about 200 homes, a general store, a school, a hotel, an amusement hall and even a small hospital.  Now nature has reclaimed this area leaving only a glimpse of a bygone era with interesting history.  The mine was closed down and the town deserted in 1938.   Mohrland is now a ghost town located about eight miles north of Huntington, Utah (my childhood home) in Emery County near the base of Gentry Mountain.   It was fun hiking through the area looking at the remaining structures.  The stone building pictured below was believed to house explosives for the mine. It was located far from both the mine and homes in the area.

Pictured below is a foundation of one of the homes on what was known as silk stocking row.  This is where the more well to do families lived.  It was called silk stocking row because these were families that could afford to buy silk stockings.  Some of the homes were removed from their foundations and moved to nearby Huntington.  The home of my parents was one of these homes.

In 1917 one of Mohrland's residents, Edith Finley, brought from Wisconsin a Harrison yellow rosebush and planted it in her front yard.  Today that yellow rose still thrives and blooms among the sagebrush after all these years of neglect.  Tell me there are not ghosts (angels) that keep this beautiful rosebush alive.  My husband is 6'2" standing among the sagebrush that has reclaimed the area. 

Here is the foundation and all that remains of the school as well as a set of steps leading up to the school.  School is definitely out for the summer.

The company store was opened in 1910 and called the Wasatch Store.  Competing merchants were not allowed in town.  Now I understand the meaning of the lyrics "I owe my soul to the company store" from the song Sixteen Tons by Tennessee Ernie Ford singing about the life of a coal miner.   All that remains is the part of the building where the safe for keeping money was stored.

 Now on to the coal mine . . . . .

The only structure left at the mine entrance is the repair shop or blacksmith shop.  The stone work has held up well over the years.

Special thanks to Lori Ann Larsen and my father Vernell Rowley for being excellant hiking guides and compiling such a great history of Mohrland, Utah.  I will definitely go back and explore again!!

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 Wildflower of the Week

This wildflower is a Prickly Poppy and is found alongside country roads all over southern Utah especially in the Pinyon and Juniper areas.  Prickly Poppies have very large, brilliantly white blossoms which look delicate and lovely from a distance.  But it is a scarey looking plant up close with thorny spines that would prevent anyone from trying to pick one!  The bright reddish-purple center isn't a bug it is the plants stigma.

For myself I hold no preferences among flowers

so long as they are wild, free, spontaneous!"

Ed Abbey

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

******Miles hiked tally

beginning March 22, 2013
Beginning of this Blog
290.9