Broads Fork Twin Peaks elev 11,330' via the North Ridge Robinson Variation

Back up in northern Utah and time for another hike! I decided on Broads Fork Twin Peaks. After reading about 3 different ways to summit, I decided on the Robinson Variation of the Broads Fork Trail head because it sounded like the safest route, and perhaps the easiest.

I left my Layton apartment a little after 8:00 am and reached the Mill B South Parking area at 9:01. The trail to Broads Fork is at the west end of the parking lot, marked by a small sign. There was also another paved path and restrooms at the east end of the parking lot. When I arrived, there were a half dozen or so cars in the parking lot, all of which were parked at the east end, so I figured I'd have the trail to myself. I was right!

I got my gear together and started up the steep trail at 9:06. The trail climbed steeply at first, and although I figured the grade would be more severe than I had been on for a while, I hoped it would ease a little from how it started. Broads Fork gains 84% of the total elevation gain of Mt Whitney, but in 1/3 of the distance, which means I was in for a steep trail...

I came to a small sign marking the Twin Peaks Wilderness area after a quarter of a mile on the left and then another large sign marking the same thing after 1/3 of a mile on the right. I could hear the sound of a large river up ahead, and soon the trail steepened and led me to a sturdy bridge that I used to cross it. The water flowing over the rocks from up above was a pretty sight so I took a picture and got on my way!

In reading about this route, I read that the trail split after 2.2 miles in a meadow, but I encountered the first of a couple of trail splits prior to entering a "meadow" and after almost 2.0 miles and an elevation of about 8300 feet. The right fork of the trail is the Robinson Variation which leads off to the right side of the "meadow" (no grass, just plants) and into the east facing couloir. The left fork of the trail is the standard Broads Fork route.

I went right and followed a faint trail through intermittent willows and over boulders. A short distance after the first trail split, it split again. Again, I took the right fork as the left fork appeared to go towards the middle of the meadow. In places, I followed cairns to stay in the proper direction. To this point, the trail was very well defined and easy to follow.

Just through the meadow, I looked over to the left to see if I could spot the other trail. I noticed a large lake that I hadn't seen before and was also able to spot the other trail on the opposite side of the meadow.

By this time, I made it to a rock slide at about 8600 feet elevation in the couloir and saw cairns above. From here the trail just follows the rock slide up to the ridge for about a mile and 1500 vertical feet higher. It is very steep climbing. At first, the rocks are bigger and it's more of a rock hopping trek, but as I got higher up, the rocks became smaller and more loose and would slide with every step. The advantage of this portion of the hike is there are a ton of raspberry plants growing, so when I needed a break, I stopped for a second to refuel on raspberries.

The point to aim for on the ridge is on the right hand side, which is the low point at about 10000 feet elevation. Once I reached the top, I had my first views into the salt Lake Valley. They were amazing views! I took in the scenery, stashed my hiking poles, and then turned left and followed the ridge, dropping about 40 feet below it to the east (left) to avoid overly technical climbing. I read that parts of the remaining trek would be class 3 so I knew I would need both hands free to aid with climbing.

I made my way to the ridge top again so I could get my barrings and see about how far I had to the summit. When I got back to the ridge, I was surprised to see how close the Twin Peaks were, but also at how daunting the remainder of the route looked! I also noticed some scary storm clouds forming to the north and could see visible rain in the distance coming down from the clouds.

At one point, I couldn't see a possible way to continue because the route seemed to be blocked by pine trees along the ridge. But as I explored further, I saw that if I crossed a small chute, a slight climbers trail led through the trees and on towards the summit. I crossed the chute and made my way through the trees. I had no sooner done so than I was greeted with the sound of rolling thunder to the north.

I looked over at the clouds and then over at the summit not far away. Surely I could make it there and back before the storm arrived - if it even would arrive. I picked up some pine needles and threw them in the air to check the direction of the wind. The wind was blowing the storm away from me. I still couldn't make up my mind. I started taking a few steps toward the summit along the trail and then thought of my kids, stopped, and turned around to head back.

It was so frustrating to have struggled for so long up that vertical rock slide just to be forced back before reaching my goal. But I was glad I turned around soon enough. As I got back to where I stashed my hiking poles, more thunder rang out and it started hailing. By this time, I realized that I was not in a good place - a high, exposed mountain ridge in the middle of a lightning storm. I hunkered down for a little while and ate my peanut butter and jelly sandwich and tried to wait a bit for the storm to pass.

It stopped hailing for a second so I decided it was time to make my move and start my decent down the rock slide. As soon as I started, it started raining on me, making what big rocks there were, among all the little ones, that much more slippery. I got about a quarter of the way down and heard more thunder in the vicinity of the Twin Peaks Summit. I quickened my pace and finally reached the bottom of the rock slide.

I lost the trail and bushwhacked my way through dense bushes until I reconnected with it a short time later. As I reached the meadow, this time a loud crack of thunder sounded from right behind me in the coulier. Nothing gets my adrenaline flowing like being chased out of the mountains by thunder and lightning. I hurried back down the trail, all the while hearing loud crackles of thunder behind me. I finally made it back to my car at 2:27 after 5 hours and 21 minutes and 7.55 miles of hiking.