Dog Lake and Beyond!

I didn't get a hike in last week and I seriously missed being on a trail. Something akin to withdrawals I suppose. - confession of a hiking addict.  So today I went hiking solo, picking a very familiar trail but adding a new twist.  It was wonderful!! To be up in the mountains, out of this stinkin' inversion and to breathe clean air was just what I needed!  My destination was Dog Lake via the Mill D North Fork Trail in Big Cottonwood Canyon.  The trail was snow packed which made for easy hiking with just a few places iced over at the beginning.  I recently purchased a new pair of YakTrax I wanted to try.  More on those later.  No snowshoes needed.  Sure do wish the mountains would get more snow!  

The sky was the most exquisite shade of blue!

I followed these bike tracks all the way up the trail and thought really??!!  And sure enough there was a mountain biker on the trail today.  Now that is an extreme outdoor sportsman!  Kudos to him!

I was truly alone today, but it was okay.  I made it to Dog Lake and kept on going.

 Dog Lake

 

 

From Dog Lake I headed east following another hikers trail climbing up a small knoll through dense quakies finding an amazing vantage point with wonderful views (by now everyone knows I love a good mountain vista).  A perfect spot for a snack and to soak up some sun!

 

Looking into Millcreek Canyon all the way to Antelope Island.

Gobblers Knob and Mount Raymond

Back country skiers know this area very well from the looks of all the ski tracks.  I also saw a lot of animal tracks, but no actual animal sightings.

 More of what I love best about hiking!

A mighty Ponderosa pine next to a mighty Douglas Fir.

 It was a great day on the trail!  I hiked 5.4 miles and saw only one other hiker and the mountain biker.

I'm kind of getting into gear these days.  I purchased these YakTrax which slip over your hiking boots designed to keep you from slipping and sliding on the snow and ice while hiking during winter months.  I would rate these a B+.  They worked great on the packed snow, but on ice I needed more traction.  And they did slip off the toe of my boot a couple of times.  They cost me $20 on Amazon.

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******Miles hiked tally

beginning March 22, 2013

216.1

Bell Canyon Reservoir

My friend Martha and I were determined to get a hike in this week.  Snow or no snow! (Thursday, January 9)  We started up Big Cottonwood canyon for Donut Falls, but the road became a little too hairy driving for me so we turned around and chose Bell Canyon Reservoir instead.  It was a good choice!   It snowed on us the entire time, but that just added an element of adventure to the snowshoe hike.  It is possible to enjoy the outdoors in almost any type of weather.

The trail to Bell Canyon Reservoir is just east of Wasatch Boulevard on Little Cottonwood Road (9800 South and 3400 East)  The easy access from the city make this trail very popular and well used year round.  We walked around the entire reservoir for a total of 2.2 miles.  I have never seen the reservoir completely frozen over and ducks love this place.

Fresh fallen snow along the trail - beautiful!

Snow makes the ordinary a little extraordinary!

 Christmas wasn't over yet on the mountain!

 

I came across this quote just today and yes snow is exhilarating!:

"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather only different kinds of GOOD weather."    John Ruskin

These photos were taken of Bell Canyon Reservoir in January 2013.

Ducks on the water.

An ice cairn.

 

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******Miles hiked tally

beginning March 22, 2013

210.7

Elbow Fork Trail from the Terrace Picnic Area

Let's go take a hike!

And climb to the highest heights.

Let's go take a hike,

To where eagles are soaring!

Up through the evergreens.

Up where the air is clean.

Oh, let's go take a hike! 

I went to the movie "Saving Mr. Banks" last week and the Mary Poppins tune got stuck in my head so I made up some hiking lyrics.  (I won't get in trouble will I?)  Very good movie by the way.  I returned to Millcreek Canyon for another hike this weekend.  This time from the Terrace picnic area we chose the Elbow Fork trail to the left.  Again no snowshoes needed,  but you will definitely want some type of cleat on your boots.  The trail was icy and steep in some spots.  We decided to do this as a loop hike returning down Millcreek Canyon road to Maple Grove picnic area.  Maple Grove is where the road is closed and gated for winter use.  The total distance hiked was 4.8 miles.  I hiked Elbow Fork trail during the summer and I enjoyed it more as a winter hike.  Within a few minutes of hiking we reached the ridge and our first view of the Oquirrh Mountains.

 

The trail follows the ridge for quite a ways with nice views of Porter Fork before descending back into the beautiful forest.  I absolutely love the dense forest on this hike.

 

 This rock looked like a sharks head with mouth open to devour hikers - think JAWS!

More awesome views like this one of Grandeur Peak opened up as you make your way down the trail to Millcreek Canyon road.

The last few yards of this trail is quite steep but once you cross the footbridge you are back on the main road and back into civilization. We only saw two other hikers on the Elbow Fork piece of the trail.

Millcreek Canyon road is a very popular cross country ski trail and dog walk.  We saw dogs of every shape, size and breed loving every minute of their walk. 

 I also enjoyed every minute of my walk!

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******Miles hiked tally

beginning March 22, 2013

208.5

Bowman Fork Trail

Happy New Year!  2013 will be forever etched in my memory as a fantastic hiking year . . . . feeling so blessed!   I will reflect a little more about 2013 later in this blog entry.   Today (January 3) my sister and I hiked a portion of the Bowman Fork trail in Millcreek Canyon - no snowshoes required, but we did wear cleats that slip on over our snow boots to keep from slipping and sliding on the snow packed trail.  Bowman Fork trail begins at the Terrace picnic area about 4 miles up Millcreek Canyon from the fee station.  Plenty of parking on both sides of Millcreek Canyon road.  You must first walk a quarter of a mile up from the gated road to actually reach the Terrace picnic area.  From the very far end of the picnic area you will find signs for both the Elbow Fork Trail to the left and Bowman Fork Trail to the right.  Bowman Fork is a gradual climb following a small stream through tall evergreens.  It is a delightful trail.  We hiked just over 1.6 miles before heading back down.  Didn't quite make it to White Fir Pass - maybe next time.

Sights along the way.

Looking back at 2013

Starting a new year always makes me take a look back.  I had the best hiking year! - once a week, all year long.  I did learn a couple of things about hiking this year. 1) Regardless of the weather I can get outdoors and enjoy nature! (with the exception of lightning storms) and 2) I always see something interesting and picture worthy!  So here are a few of my favorites from 2013.

Best Snowshoe Hike - April 2013

Guardsman Pass

Most Visually Stunning Hike - June 2013

Lake Blanche

Best Lake Hike - July 2013

Lake Lackawaxen

Best Wildflower Shot - May 2013

Mount Olympus

 Best Animal Shot - July 2013

Mount Tuscarora

Lion King Wanta' be

Best Fall Colors Hike - October 2013

Mount Aire

                   Favorite Nature Quote

 Thanks so much for reading my blog!

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******Miles hiked tally

beginning March 22, 2013

203.7