After a few weeks of attending to other obligations I had to get out of town, even if just for an overnight. Usual backpacking bud Todd was at Deer Valley all weekend for a sales meeting. Other usual backpacking bud Skidog was up for a quick trip if we stayed within cell phone range of his soon-to-deliver better half. Salida emailed me to get together Friday night for a beer, but I suggested that a beverage next to a campfire would be a better idea and he agreed. So did colleague Greg.
It was thus that we met up after work on Friday evening at the park-n-ride lot at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon. We dropped my truck at Mill D North Fork and continued up another mile to Bear Trap Gulch in Salida's truck and hit the trail.
We'd do a loop, ascending from the road to Lake Desolation via the uphill leg on that map marked in yellow. Spotting a car saved the red leg of walking a mile up the road at the end in order to make a loop route out of it.
Really, the route profile didn't look that bad:
However, 1,700 verts in a little over 2 miles is still 1,700 verts in a little over two miles. The trail was relentless, merciless...with the steepest part at the very end when we were already exhausted. OK, I won't include Salida amongst "we" -- that guy's an animal! It was, however, one of the prettiest hikes I've taken around here, through chest-high wildflowers (well past their prime) and some of the most gorgeous aspen stands I've ever witnessed. Salida, Skidog and I took notes for future backcountry ski expeditions easily accessed by skiing off the back of The Canyons. We didn't see another soul on the ascent.
At the top we paused for a bit to take photos, looking back toward Honeycomb Cliffs and the top of Powderhorn at Solitude as sunset neared:
Mount Baldy, Hidden Peak and American Fork Twin Peaks were visible in the distance as the late-day sun reflected off the Tram tower 4:
So was the Great Salt Lake:
We hiked along the Park City ridgeline for a bit before descending to the lake, right along Red Pine Gulch of The Canyons near the top of Ninety-nine 90. We passed the bomb trams likely used to drop charges in the days leading up to the avalanche fatality there last January.
We arrived at the lake right as dusk was setting in. Lake Desolation hardly lived up to its name, as there were two other parties at the lake but we found our own private corner and set up camp, gathering firewood, hanging the bear bag and filtering water before it got completely dark. We then cooked dinner, sat around the fire and swapped stories well into the night. At 10:30 it became four groups at the lake as a couple arrived by flashlight. We also watched two mountain bikers traversing the Great Western Trail above with the aid of Night Rider-style lighting.
We were awakened by a literal buzz of activity. That trail junction was like Grand Central Station in the morning with a constant flow of mountain bikers, trail runners and hikers. Salida skipped out early as he had to be back in SLC by 8 a.m. to help a friend move. It's just as well, as we would have held him up anyway.
Greg, Skidog and I broke camp and headed out via Mill D North, the dotted orange line on the map at the beginning of this post. In stark contrast to the trail up Bear Trap Gulch, Mill D North was a freeway, with a steady stream of mountain bikers and hikers. Like Bear Trap Gulch, however, most of the descent was through lush aspen stands:
Each and every one of these photos is dedicated to my dear friend Sharon, who remains convinced that Utah is nothing but a barren, brown desert wasteland. :roll: This was all a whopping 20-minute drive from home.
Views across Mill D North to the Salt Lake Valley were superb:
As Skidog said upon return to the truck, "Another great walk in the woods." Thanks for the company, gentlemen!
It was thus that we met up after work on Friday evening at the park-n-ride lot at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon. We dropped my truck at Mill D North Fork and continued up another mile to Bear Trap Gulch in Salida's truck and hit the trail.
We'd do a loop, ascending from the road to Lake Desolation via the uphill leg on that map marked in yellow. Spotting a car saved the red leg of walking a mile up the road at the end in order to make a loop route out of it.
Really, the route profile didn't look that bad:
However, 1,700 verts in a little over 2 miles is still 1,700 verts in a little over two miles. The trail was relentless, merciless...with the steepest part at the very end when we were already exhausted. OK, I won't include Salida amongst "we" -- that guy's an animal! It was, however, one of the prettiest hikes I've taken around here, through chest-high wildflowers (well past their prime) and some of the most gorgeous aspen stands I've ever witnessed. Salida, Skidog and I took notes for future backcountry ski expeditions easily accessed by skiing off the back of The Canyons. We didn't see another soul on the ascent.
At the top we paused for a bit to take photos, looking back toward Honeycomb Cliffs and the top of Powderhorn at Solitude as sunset neared:
Mount Baldy, Hidden Peak and American Fork Twin Peaks were visible in the distance as the late-day sun reflected off the Tram tower 4:
So was the Great Salt Lake:
We hiked along the Park City ridgeline for a bit before descending to the lake, right along Red Pine Gulch of The Canyons near the top of Ninety-nine 90. We passed the bomb trams likely used to drop charges in the days leading up to the avalanche fatality there last January.
We arrived at the lake right as dusk was setting in. Lake Desolation hardly lived up to its name, as there were two other parties at the lake but we found our own private corner and set up camp, gathering firewood, hanging the bear bag and filtering water before it got completely dark. We then cooked dinner, sat around the fire and swapped stories well into the night. At 10:30 it became four groups at the lake as a couple arrived by flashlight. We also watched two mountain bikers traversing the Great Western Trail above with the aid of Night Rider-style lighting.
We were awakened by a literal buzz of activity. That trail junction was like Grand Central Station in the morning with a constant flow of mountain bikers, trail runners and hikers. Salida skipped out early as he had to be back in SLC by 8 a.m. to help a friend move. It's just as well, as we would have held him up anyway.
Greg, Skidog and I broke camp and headed out via Mill D North, the dotted orange line on the map at the beginning of this post. In stark contrast to the trail up Bear Trap Gulch, Mill D North was a freeway, with a steady stream of mountain bikers and hikers. Like Bear Trap Gulch, however, most of the descent was through lush aspen stands:
Each and every one of these photos is dedicated to my dear friend Sharon, who remains convinced that Utah is nothing but a barren, brown desert wasteland. :roll: This was all a whopping 20-minute drive from home.
Views across Mill D North to the Salt Lake Valley were superb:
As Skidog said upon return to the truck, "Another great walk in the woods." Thanks for the company, gentlemen!
