Mt Timpanogos elev 11750'

Since the hiking season is rapidly coming to an end I thought I better hurry and do Timpanogos. I had talked to a friend, Mark Hiles, a couple of days before about doing the hike and he was very intent on joining me. He has a goal to hike Timp every year, and he hadn’t done it yet this year.

It was good to have him along too because he has been to the summit two times before, although both times he took the Timpanooke trail but descended the Aspen Grove trail once. I headed to his house at 6:40 and we arrived at the Aspen Grove trail head at about 7:10.

The Trail Head is well marked and starts at the north end of the parking lot (which requires a $3 fee). The first portion is a well graded trail which after a little while turns into a paved trail for the first .8 of a mile.

The first part of the hike takes you through the Primrose Cirque. It was a pretty view looking down the canyon, which reminded me a lot of the view of the beginning of Angels Landing in Zion National Park. Numerous switchbacks take you out of the Cirque and into the Hidden Lakes Basin.

This is a pretty change of scenery - big meadows with a couple of small lakes and one larger one above which in the cliff band we saw the first four of the 18 mountain goats we saw on our hike. Not too long after entering the basin, we came to Emerald Lake and the Timpanogos Shelter.
After leaving the shelter, we headed West and soon came to the boulder/snow field. For the most part, the trail is pretty easy to follow, and is also marked with cairns. Even if you do manage to lose the trail (as we did for a short while) it is easy to see where you are supposed to go off to the west. The trail which leads up to the saddle is visible as you climb through the boulder field to the west.

Once through the boulder/snow field the climbing up to the saddle begins. It really isn’t that tough, especially compared to Box Elder or Provo Peak. Once at the saddle, turn left (south) to head toward the summit. A faint trail also comes in from the right which leads to North Timpanogos.

At the saddle it became extremely windy. So much so that I had to use a carabineer to fasten my hat to my camelback. It also became a lot colder. It remained windy and cold for the remainder of the hike toward the summit.

The trail then takes you on some short switchbacks through a cliff area. After getting through this area, the summit comes into view and doesn’t look that far off. The remainder of the hike is just following the trail and watching the metal hut on the summit get closer and closer.

We reached the summit at 11:15 and spent a half an hour taking pictures, signing the log book, eating lunch, and hunkering down on the East side of the summit ridge to get out of the wind.
Instead of sliding down the glacier, which Mark had done on his previous two trips up Timpanogos summit, we oped for the more prudent route (in my view) of backtracking down the trail. The trip back down was where we saw most of the mountain goats. We also saw some storm clouds rolling in which accelerated our decent.

We arrived back at our car at about 2:50pm after 14.7 miles according to my GPS (all other sources I’ve read indicate that it should have been about 16 miles). If solitude is what you're looking for, you're but going to find it on this hike! But it was a fun hike with a variety of different terrains. It wasn’t as difficult as I had imagined the "mighty" Timpanogos would be, but it left me tired and sore nonetheless.

Box Elder Peak elev 11101'

After about three weeks off from hiking, the mountains were once again calling my name. I still hadn’t conquered Box Elder Peak after a botched attempt a couple of months earlier, so I thought I’d make another attempt.

Being the typical cheap Utah County resident that I am, I didn’t want to pay the $3 that it costs to go up American Fork Canyon. That would have given me access to the Deer Creek trail head. Instead, I opted for the longer route with more elevation gain from the Dry Creek trail head in Alpine. I reached the trail head and started my hike a couple of minutes after 9:00am.

The first couple of miles was uneventful other than little rain shower and my encounter with a bobcat. I had stopped for water for just a few seconds when a bobcat started walking down the trail towards me. At first I thought it was a house cat, but after realizing that a house cat wouldn’t be where I was, and after seeing the bobcat turn around and run after spotting me, I realized what it was.

The main trail follows a dry creek bed for the first part of the hike. Many trails intersect the main trail and at times it is hard to know what trail to follow. For the most part, all of the trails connect back up with the main trail after a few hundred feet. One exception and a place where I got lost in my first attempt, was about a quarter mile after the second large stream you cross with the aid of logs. A trail comes in from the left and the dry creek bed that your hiking up makes a hard turn to the right up the hill. Make sure to follow the dry creek bed to the right.
After a couple of miles, you come to a field with a sign telling of the way to the Box Elder Trail #44 and the Deer/Dry Creek Trail #43. The book I was using to navigate recommended taking the Deer/Dry Creek Trail, so I decided to take that trail. I think I saw the point that the Box Elder Trail connected with the summit trail later in the hike, although I can’t be positive it was the same trail. If that was the trail it would have cut a mile or two off the hike and much of the elevation gain and loss that I experienced later. The main trail for much of this part of the hike looks like it follows maybe an old miners wagon trail because of the dual trails that exist for part of the way.

At about the 5 mile mark and at about 9600 feet, you reach another huge meadow with signs pointing the direction of White Canyon trail #188, Box Elder Trail #44, Deer/Dry Creek Trail #43, and Granite Flat Campground. At this point, Box Elder Summit which has been hidden for most of the ascent, is in clear view and it is clear that you should take a right to follow the trail heading in the direction of the Peak.

It is at this point that you have to loose a lot of elevation (at least it seemed like a lot) to get to the final ridge. There is another tricky point here. After about maybe a half mile, you come to a post in the trail that probably used to have a sign on it. The sign is long gone but trails go to both the left and the right of the post. Follow the trail to the left. (I believe the one to the right is the Box Elder Trail #44) After a few hundred yards, a small, faint game trail breaks off to the right and starts heading up the ridge. Follow this trail.

This is where the steep climbing begins. This part of the hike reminded me a lot of the ascent of Provo Peak. Another note to prevent making life extremely miserable for yourself - For the most part, the steep trail stays on the ridge. At a few points along the way, game trails break off to the right and look like much easier going - they are not! Stay as close as you can to the ridge to avoid having to climb on your hands and your knees up the steep side of the mountain later (personal experience). I spent a few MISERABLE hundreds of yards bushwhacking on the steep right side of the ridge and even thought about turning around and heading home for a while.
I felt a little altitude sickness at about 10,500 feet until I descended back below that elevation on the way back which made the final ascent that much more difficult. I stopped to rest much more along the way than I usually do. The summit comes into view but always seemed very far away. It wasn’t until I reached the final few hundred yards, which contours right that I realized that I was almost there.

I finally reached the summit at about 1:20pm and spent about 15 minutes enjoying the views of surrounding peaks. While at the summit I took time to sign the log book, take pictures and spot a couple of mountain goats off in the distance. I actually heard them before I saw them (they started many little rock slides down into the Box Elder cirque).

The decent was pretty uneventful. I did see a huge buck off to the right side of the trail which ran when I grabbed for my camera. I arrived back down at the trail head at about 4:15pm tired and ready for a good meal.

This hike was definitely the most difficult I have attempted to date. There were many beautiful meadows, some with purple wild flowers in contrast to white granite boulders protruding out from the meadow. The water flow is much greater in the early summer months which makes the waterfalls much more picturesque but also makes crossing the streams a little more scary (even though you cross on logs). All and all though, this was a brutal hike from Dry Creek, and probably a one time hike for me. The hike totaled about 14 miles and took me about 7 hours and 15 minutes to complete.

Gear Used: GPS, "Wasatch Eleveners" book, camera, a camelback and two 16oz water bottles, two granola bars, hiking boots, and a wide brimmed hat.

Mt Baldy & Sugarloaf elev 11068' & 11051'

After a week of Junior Golf Camp and with another week of it this week, I thought I better stick to a relatively easy hike. Mt Baldy and Sugarloaf were just what the doctor ordered.

I left my house in Provo at about 8:30 and arrived at the trail head at the Albion Basin Campground around 9:40. After getting my gear ready, I was on the trail at 9:45. The hardest part of the whole hike, was trying to stay on the right trail. There are a few signs that point you in the right direction but, not being familiar with the area, there were other spots where I was lucky to stay on the right path.

The first little bit of the hike follows an interpretive trail with signs along the route that discuss geology, hydrology, and animal and plant life in Albion Basin. The trail crosses several little streams, which added a small since of adventure for a relatively tame beginning.

Once arriving at Cecret Lake, I opted to continue following the main trail to the right because I couldn’t immediately spot the trail I had read about that meanders around the east side of the lake. This decision added a total of about .75 miles to my hike.

Once past the lake, the faint trail runs into a dirt service road that heads up the mountain. If you are not familiar with what the peaks look like, continue following the road uphill - there are spots where other roads connect with the road the trail follows. At one point, the road actually takes you right under some ski lifts.

The road finally T’s after a short while with the trail which leads to the saddle between Sugarloaf and Mt Baldy, to the left. After turning left here, the Sugar loaf ski lift station is directly ahead of you in sight. I hiked Sugarloaf first, so I continued just about to the station, taking a small faint trail that leaves the service road to the right a few yards before actually arriving at the station.
This is where the hiking begins. Even though there isn’t much farther to go at this point, the last 600 vertical feet are much tougher than the rest of the hike to this point. The trail climbs through a rocky area before the summit comes into view.

I arrived at the summit just before 11:00. Once at the summit, I could easily see the trail that I had read about that meandered around the east side of Cecret Lake, and I wish now that I had spent a little more effort in finding it so I wouldn’t have had to backtrack over a trail I had just been on.

After a few minutes on the summit of Sugarloaf, (there was no summit log) I decided to get going to Mt. Baldy. The decent was relatively easy as the grade was steep, but not insane. It was easy from here to spot the "Baldy Express" ski lift station and the trail that ran up Mt. Baldy behind the station.

I reached the saddle again and continued under the ski station where I found the faint trail. At first I wasn’t sure if this was the trail because the first part of the trail goes straight up the mountain where climbing, albeit easy climbing, is required. After just a few hundred yards, the trail once again regains it’s relatively gentile grade all the way to the top of Mt. Baldy. At the summit, again there was no log, but there was an emergency toboggan turned upside down. I was met at the summit by a group which I had passed on my way up to Sugarloaf and again on the way up to Mt. Baldy. They were able to help me identify many of the other 11,000 foot peaks in this area.

The American Fork Twin Peaks looked very accessible from here, (although I hear there is a pretty ferocious knife ridge that has to be negotiated) and views of Pfeifferhorn, Lone Peak, and the back side of Timpanogos were outstanding. I could also see Provo Peak and East Provo Peak. To the north, the Cottonwood Traverse looked extremely daunting.

All in all, the hike was 5.58 miles round trip and took me a total of about 2 hours and 45 minutes. If I had needed to, I probably could have made it in less time, but I decided to take my time and enjoy all of the unfamiliar peaks around me. The scenery on the hike wasn’t as spectacular as many other hikes I have been on and the hike it’s self was much less physically demanding than all of the other hikes I have been on. But the views of the surrounding peaks made it all worth it. Two more eleveners down!

Provo Peak elev 11068'

Since most of the snow had melted on the higher peaks, I thought that on my next day off from work, I should attempt my first 11,000er. Since Provo Peak is the closest to me, I thought I would start there.

Although eventually I would like to make an attempt from the valley floor, until I gain my hiking legs for the season, I thought I better make the attempt from the trail head off of Squaw Peak Road.

A Spring avalanche, still blocking the road, made the hike just a bit longer - about 1.2 miles longer round trip. Hiking the Squaw Peak Road, however, actually turned out to be a good warm up for what was in store for me.

About 3.9 miles from Rock Canyon Campground there is a small turnout/parking area. Across the road (to the east) is where the trail to Provo Peak starts. Although unmarked, it is impossible to miss as it actually starts as a four wheeling trail.

The trail starts east - northeast for a little bit and is pretty easy to follow. It eventually runs into a terrace which was carved by the CCC in the 1930's to prevent erosion. The terrace heads north - northeast and was a sharp left from the four wheel drive trail I was just on. The terrace made for easy hiking on a steady uphill grade, but nothing overwhelming.

At about 8800 feet altitude, a cairn and an arrow made with rocks stand in the middle of the terrace apparently to mark the place to turn east off the terrace and start up the hill. I followed the arrow and left the terrace, but didn’t see anything that remotely resembled a trail so I went back to the terrace and continued on for about 60 more yards. Sensing that I needed to start heading east, up the mountain, I decided to leave the terrace here since it appeared that other people had done the same in the past.

Still, even at this point there was no apparent trail. It was pretty obvious where I needed to go to gain the west ridge, so I decided to try my first attempt at bushwhacking. It was pretty easy to navigate my way through aspen trees and other shrubs as it was still pretty early in the season and the bushes and shrubs hadn’t grown very big yet.

At about 9300 feet, I found the trail again. This gave me peace of mind knowing I was going the right way, despite the fact the trail let me straight up hill at an insane grade. This is how the rest of the climb would be - straight up the west ridge of the Provo Peak. This trail made the "Y" trail look like a piece of cake. There were, however, several small break off trails that all seemed to reconnect a few yards later.

As I approached the summit, the wind started gusting so I took my hat off, stuffed some large rocks in it and left it on the trail to pick up on the way down. At this point also, my hands were just about numb as the temperature was dropping and clouds were rolling in. I knew I better hurry before the weather really started to deteriorate.

I reached the summit about an hour and a half after leaving my car. Unfortunately because of the clouds blowing in, the views of Timpanogos and other mountains were obscured. Actually seeing the clouds blow by me was quite a scary sight. They were moving fast and although obviously they wouldn’t hurt, the velocity at which they blew by my face was a little unnerving. It also started to sprinkle. So I grabbed my camera, snapped a few pictures, signed the logbook which was stowed under a pile of rocks at the summit, and hurried down the mountain.
It started raining hard for a few seconds which made me a little uneasy as the down-climb was very steep and I was nervous as to the condition of the road since my pathfinder is only a 2 wheel drive.

I ended up losing the trail again at the same spot that I picked it up on the way up, but accidently ended up taking the same route down as I did up, judging from spotting a couple of my footprints going up the Peak.

I made it back to my pathfinder and started the bumpy trek back. The longest part of the whole trip was having to wait four hours while construction crews worked on the Road. I guess there are worse places to be stranded, but I was too worn out to do any more exploring.

My original plan was to also climb to East Provo Peak but because of the deteriorating conditions and the steepness of the down climb to get over to the peak, I decided not to make the attempt. I was caught a little unprepared on this hike, as I didn’t expect the temperature to be so cold at the summit.

Equipment used: Camelback, waist pack with two 16 oz bottles of water, GPS, two hiking poles, Camera, and two granola bars.

Y Mountain elev 8568'

My Brother-in-law Jeff, and I had planned this trip to the top of Y Mountain for quite sometime and had actually tried it unsuccessfully about a week and a half earlier. This time, equipped with snow shoes and with a better knowledge of where the Y Mountain trail broke off from the Slide Canyon trail, we hoped we would fare better.

We got to the trail head just a couple of minutes past 8:30 in the morning. We had just had two large snow storms two and three days before we went, so we wanted to get an early start before the ground thawed and the switchbacks to the Y became extremely muddy. It was supposed to be a warm day, with highs reaching into the 60's and when we got started, it was well on it’s way.

The switch backs to the Y are the most difficult and probably the most boring part of the hike, aside from the excellent views offered of the valley below. They are also the most tedious in the spring after a snow storm because of the before mentioned mud and occasional ice that freezes over night. We hit the switchbacks with full force, not resting until "mile marker 4" (there are signs marked with numbers 1 through 12 to mark your progress to the Y. They obviously aren’t mile markers, but we called them mile markers at one point and the name stuck). We made it to the Y in 36 minutes which wasn’t bad considering the slick hiking conditions and factoring in that we still are in winter shape.

Once we passed the Y, we could tell that someone had already started up the trail before us which meant that we wouldn’t have to break the trail. We took the trail to the south of the Y and up through Slide Canyon. A few hundred yards after we started heading east through the canyon, we saw a recently killed dear carcass. It was a rather eye opening reality check for both of us as to the fact that we weren’t alone in the wilderness.

The trail through the pine forest was especially pretty as there was still snow on many of the branches. Once we made it to Bear Flats (sometimes just referred to as "The Meadow"), we decided that it was time to don our snow shoes. It was the first time I had ever worn them and although at first I was skeptical as to how much of a difference they would really make, I soon discovered that if I wanted to do a lot of snow hiking, they would be a great investment.
Soon after Bear Flats, you enter an aspen grove and it is in this grove that the trail to the Y Mountain Summit breaks off to the left. We missed the turn off in our previous attempt but on the way back, noticed where we should have turned. This time also helping us out was the hiking party that was already on the trail before us. Because the snow level was so high, after turning onto the summit trail we had to veer to the right of where the normal trail goes under the trees up a dry creek bed. Though steep, it meant less bending over to get under the tree branches and, besides, the other party had already broken the trail for us. It was at this point that we passed them on the way down. A man, his daughter and their Malamute.

We soon got to another snow covered meadow that I call the Meadow of Death (I’m not sure if it actually has an official name). I call it this because in the summer time, the meadow is filled with wild flowers and the sound of bees all around you is so loud it is very intimidating. The meadow also has a pretty steep grade So the combination of trying to hike as fast as I can through a bee infested steeply graded meadow is enough to warrant the name. This time, though, there were no bees to worry about and we could take our time as we made our way through.

There are two summits on Y Mountain, one to the east and one to the west. The trail takes you to a saddle between the summits and the more defined trail in the summer takes you over toward Rock Canyon and then up the West summit. The East Summit is actually a bit higher (maybe about 40 feet according to my GPS) and has better views of the surrounding mountains and valleys to the East. The West Summit has better views of the Utah Valley below. I had never been to the East Summit before, but since the party before us went that way, we decided we would follow since we wanted to hike both summits anyway. The views were spectacular! We also stopped and ate lunch on the East Summit.

After about 50 minutes of eating and enjoying the beauty, we decided to head over to the west summit. For this trip, we would have to blaze our own trail. Because the summits are so close together, knowing what way to go wasn’t an issue; the issue was walking through the deep snow. This is where our snowshoes saved us from probably turning back. We went straight down the east summit, hiked north toward Rock Canyon, where the normal trail goes, and then started the tough hike up the West Summit. Once we reached the summit, we called our wives so they could take out the binoculars and look for us from our homes (we live across the street from each other). Once we were spotted, we decided it was probably time to head back home.

The decent was quick and uneventful other than the occasional face plant in the snow as we were running down the West Summit, or the joint pain we experienced as we went back down the switchbacks after passing the Y.

It was a very fun hike that gave me my first experience in wearing snow shoes, and was made even more picturesque by the snow covered mountains and trees surrounding us. We finished the hike in about 8 hours, taking about and hour and a half total resting time on top of both peaks.