Bagging Grandeur Peak

There is nothing quite like sitting on top of a mountain peak.  Really great views in all directions.  You feel like you are on top of the world, "looking down on creation" (70s song by the Carpenters). Any whoooo - to qualify as a true mountain peak, the summit must have 300 feet or more of clean prominence.  A basic definition of prominence is "the elevation rise of the peak from the highest connecting saddle of another higher peak".  There are 77 such peaks to climb right here in the Wasatch.  It's called Peak Bagging.  Check out this link if you want more info. and to look at the peak list.
http://www.feedthehabit.com/outdoors/peak-bagging-in-the-wasatch-the-core-77-peak-list/

Grandeur Peak

8299 Feet

Grandeur Peak is one of the easiest and most accessible of the major peaks overlooking the Salt Lake Valley.  The trail begins from the Church Fork picnic area about 3 miles up Millcreek Canyon.   There are only about 8 parking spots at the trailhead so get an early start if you plan to climb this one on the weekend.  The hike is 5.5 miles (give or take) and the elevation gain is 2,387 (give or take).  It took us 2 hours 10 minutes to reach the top and 1 hour 20 minutes down.

Martha and I at the very tippy top of Grandeur Peak with Mount Olympus in the background.  Another hiker was kind enough to take our picture ☻ ☻ two peak bagging grandmas.  We picked the perfect day to hike (Thursday afternoon May 30) with cloud cover and cooler temperatures. Most of this trail is exposed so a hot summer afternoon would NOT be a good time to climb this one. 

The mountain was so lush and green after the rain this week.

Looking down on Salt Lake City with Antelope Island and the Great Salt Lake in the distance.

Looking east at Gobblers Knob, 10,246 feet and Mount Raymond 10,241 feet.

                     Looking at the north face of Mount Olympus.

You can also see Parley's Canyon and Mountain Dell reservoir towards the northeast.

 

More of the journey to the top!

"For myself I hold no preferences

among flowers so long as they are

wild, free, spontaneous!" Ed Abbey 

 Wildflower of the Week

 

This bright wildflower covering the hillside of Grandeur Peak is a Western Larkspur.  It is very pretty, but is poisonous to livestock. My dad taught me about Larkspur many years ago.

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CraZy Hiker Chicks Top 10 Reasons to Hike

#10 Hiking is an excellent cure for boredom.

#9 Hiking will strengthen your legs.  You may even notice calf muscles.

#8 On hiking trails you meet the most friendly people.  And even friendlier dogs. 

#7 Winter hiking allows you to escape the inversion in the valley and breathe CLEAN, FRESH AIR! 

#6 Hiking relieves stress, worry and anxiety - GUARANTEED!

#5 If you are lucky you will see a variety of wildlife on your hike.  Keep your eyes open!  And look around!

#4 Hiking will improve balance, coordination and bone density because you are walking on very uneven surfaces.

#3  Hiking increases feelings of well-being and lowers depression. 

#2  Hiking gives a greater appreciation for the beauty of our natural world.

#1 Hike for the pure pleasure of it!  John Muir said it best "Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul."

Peaks Bagged

 1.  Grandeur Peak ♦♦ 8299

******Miles hiked tally     

beginning March 22, 2013

59.1

Lake Blanche

From desert hiking to mountain hiking in the same week - I am one lucky hiker chick!  I will admit I was a little apprehensive about hiking to Lake Blanche this week.  The last time I hiked this trail I was in my early 40s and I remember telling my husband "take my picture because I am NEVER going to do this hike again!"  Fast forward about 14 years . . . . now in my mid 50s and I didn't have any problem hiking to Lake Blanche.  In fact it was delightful and so incredibly beautiful! (I'm running out of adjectives to describe my hikes, sorry)  Don't get me wrong, I'm tired after hiking and my feet and legs ache but I always recover by the next day.  What I do notice is that my legs are stronger, my lungs have greater capacity and my heart beats strong.  Enough gab . . . let's get hiking!

Lake Blanche

The trail to Lake Blanche is 5.8 miles roundtrip with and elevation gain of 2670 feet. (pretty steep) This is one of the most popular hikes in Big Cottonwood Canyon so you will find crowds on the weekends.  We hiked on Thursday afternoon and had the entire lake to ourselves.  Sundial Peak stands at the center of a cirque. A cirque ('surk) is a deep steep-walled mountain basin usually forming the blunt end of a valley.  Very majestic!

Lake Blanche with Sundial Peak in background.

Lake Florence and Lake Lillian are two more lakes worth exploring.

The Lake Blanche dam was built in the 1930s.

 Pictures speak a thousand words!

I felt like I was almost on top of the world!

Sundial Peak

 

This is about where I sat many years ago and swore I would never hike this trail again.  Now I think a hike to Lake Blanche, Florence and Lillian will be a yearly event.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Wildflower of the Week

This teeny, tiny wildflower is a Nuttall's Violet.  Nuttall's Violets bloom during May and the first two weeks of June.  You have to look really close the ground to find this wildflower and I only saw a few as we hiked the trail to Lake Blanche.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

CraZy Hiker Chicks Top 10 Reasons to Hike

#10 Hiking is an excellent cure for boredom.

#9 Hiking will strengthen your legs.  You may even notice calf muscles.

#8 On hiking trails you meet the most friendly people.  And even friendlier dogs. 

#7 Winter hiking allows you to escape the inversion in the valley and breathe CLEAN, FRESH AIR! 

#6 Hiking relieves stress, worry and anxiety - GUARANTEED!

#5 If you are lucky you will see a variety of wildlife on your hike.  Keep your eyes open!  And look around!

#4 Hiking will improve balance, coordination and bone density because you are walking on very uneven surfaces.

#3  Hiking increases feelings of well-being and lowers depression. 

#2  Hiking gives a greater appreciation for the beauty of our natural world.

#1 Hike for the pure pleasure of it!  John Muir said it best "Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul."

******Miles hiked tally     

beginning March 22, 2013

53.6

Snow Canyon State Park

I spent last week in sunny St. George and one of my favorite places to hike in the area is Snow Canyon State Park.  I love red rock and I love desert!  Did you know that there are 22 hiking trails in Snow Canyon?  Some are pretty short and I'm not sure they qualify as a true hike such as the Sand Dunes and Pioneer Names.  A couple of others are closed annually like Jenny's Canyon and Johnson Canyon, but that leaves a lot left to explore. 

Butterfly Trail

Desert dwellers know that you don't hike in the middle of the afternoon.  Hottest part of the day -DUH!  So Tuesday morning bright and early I began my hike along Butterfly trail which gets its name from this split rock that looks just like the wings of a butterfly.  The Butterfly trail to West Canyon overlook is about 2 miles.

My goal this morning was to find the lava tubes.  I had heard about the tubes and how you could climb into them.  What I found was not a tube but a giant lava cave.  It was 10 times bigger than what I was expecting and climb down into it I did!  It was definitely fun to explore the cave, but very stinky!  I wasn't prepared with a flash light and I was really afraid of being attack by bats.  I could smell bat guano (POOP) so I didn't venture in too deep.  I highly recommend checking out the lava "tubes".

Looks small in my picture, but it was huge!

Looking up at the roof of the entrance to the cave.  Didn't see bats, but I could smell them.

Always find color even in the desert.

After exploring the lava tubes I continued on to the West Canyon Overlook.  The landscape is so beautiful!  I never get tired of looking!

Looking over at Whiterocks.  Another trail worth exploring!

Big beautiful sky!

I see and discover something new each time I hike this canyon.  Here is a little arch.  With a closeup shot.

 
I'm not sure what this plant is.  I assume it is some type of Yucca.  The big black bees sure like it!

This plant was over 6 feet tall.

I was so lucky to get this picture of a leopard lizard.  They are huge and
this was the only one that didn't run and hide when I walked by.
 

I haven't hiked Snow Canyon in the summer but I imagine it is way too hot for my liking.  We were lucky last week that the temperatures were only in the mid 80's thanks to a cold front moving through our state.  I did do one other hike last week that I didn't like very much.  

Three Ponds

a.k.a 3 Puddles

First mistake made was hiking this trail in the hottest time of day.  City dwellers! You don't hike desert in the middle of the afternoon!!!! (I was with a group, but didn't speak up and protest)  The majority of this trail is trudging through a sandy wash and it's 3.5 miles of sand filling your shoes.  I experienced a tiny bit of heat exhaustion so I was not in the mood to take pictures (which isn't like me at all).  Sorry didn't like this trail!

******Miles hiked tally     

beginning March 22, 2013

53.3

Kolob Canyons

I love it when I discover a new hiking treasure!  I found one this weekend in Kolob Canyons located just off I-15 a mere 17 miles south of Cedar City.   The trail we took was called Middle Fork of Taylor Creek and led to Double Arch Alcove.  Kolob is Morman lingo for the place where God lives.  The name aptly applies to this extremely beautiful and often overlooked area of Zion National Park.  Because Kolob Canyons is part of Zion NP you will be required to pay the entrance fee of $25 per car.  The entrance fee is good for 7 days so make sure to include Kolob in your next trip to Zion!

Taylor Creek Trail

Taylor Creek trail is a serene walk through a beautiful forested area to a double arch alcove,  a distance of 5 miles roundtrip with an elevation gain of only 450 feet.  A perfect hike for the entire family!  You will cross the small stream which is Taylor Creek numerous times (too many to count) and you will pass two historic cabins built in the 1930s before reaching the final destination of Double Arch Alcove.  The scenery is breathtaking! 

 

This picture shows how small Taylor Creek is.

One of two cabins you will pass on the trail.

Double Arch Alcove

Once you finish your hike be sure to take the Kolob Canyons scenic drive of only 10 miles roundtrip for more gorgeous canyon views.

Wildflower of the Week

This bright red wildflower is called Eaton's Penstemon and was scattered all along the Taylor Creek trail.  I always thought this one was a honeysuckle, but not so.  Eaton's Penstemon is a member of the snap dragon family. 

CraZy Hiker Chicks Top 10 Reasons to Hike

#10 Hiking is an excellent cure for boredom.

#9 Hiking will strengthen your legs.  You may even notice calf muscles.

#8 On hiking trails you meet the most friendly people.  And even friendlier dogs. 

#7 Winter hiking allows you to escape the inversion in the valley and breathe CLEAN, FRESH AIR! 

#6 Hiking relieves stress, worry and anxiety - GUARANTEED!

#5 If you are lucky you will see a variety of wildlife on your hike.  Keep your eyes open!  And look around!

#4 Hiking will improve balance, coordination and bone density because you are walking on very uneven surfaces.

#3  Hiking increases feelings of well-being and lowers depression. 

#2  Hiking gives a greater appreciation for the beauty of our natural world.

******Miles hiked tally     

beginning March 22, 2013

47.8

Dog Lake in the Spring

Spring hiking is tricky!  I'm having a difficult time finding enough low elevation trails to hike this spring.  All suggestions would be very welcome!  I thought Dog Lake might be a good option, but it ended up being a hike of two extremes!  The first half of the hike was almost too hot (felt like July) and the second half still had four feet of snow covering the trail.  CraZy!!  It would be wise to wait until June to do this hike.  The distance to Dog Lake is 5.2 miles roundtrip with an elevation gain of about 1450 feet.  

Mill D North Fork Trail to Dog Lake

Dog Lake from the Mill D North Fork trail.  From here we walked around the lake and took photos from each direction.

 The lake was just starting to melt so it was really slushy. (and so were my shoes and socks) This photo is looking back towards the Mill D North Fork trail.

This would be your view if you arrived at the lake from Millcreek Canyon on the Big Water trail.

  

 Another side of the lake!  Wishing I had my snowshoes.

 

This gives a good idea of how much snow is still on the trail and how deep.  


  

 Wildflower of the Week

This member of the sunflower family is called Arrow Leaf Balsamroot. Balsamroot has big, beautiful, yellow flowers and large grayish-green arrowhead shaped leaves.

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CraZy Hiker Chicks Top 10 Reasons to Hike

#10 Hiking is an excellent cure for boredom.

#9 Hiking will strengthen your legs.  You may even notice calf muscles.

#8 On hiking trails you meet the most friendly people.  And even friendlier dogs. 

#7 Winter hiking allows you to escape the inversion in the valley and breathe CLEAN, FRESH AIR! 

#6 Hiking relieves stress, worry and anxiety - GUARANTEED!

#5 If you are lucky you will see a variety of wildlife on your hike.  Keep your eyes open!  And look around!

#4 Hiking will improve balance, coordination and bone density because you are walking on very uneven surfaces.

#3  Hiking increases feelings of well-being and lowers depression.

******Miles hiked tally     

beginning March 22, 2013

42.8