Just got back with an overnight in Cardiff Fork with Mrs. Admin.
One thing I didn't mention earlier about last week's trip to Big Mountain is that Mrs. Admin started that trip with us. But she didn't make it more than a couple of hundred yards. :roll: She was complaining about the fit of the pack and started out very slowly, and two switchbacks up the trail she took the car keys and went home. I wanted to get her out there but didn't feel like subjecting any of my usual backpacking companions to what could easily be a repeat of that experience, so we decided to head out just the two of us this weekend.
Our destination was Cardiff Fork, also known as Mill D South, which is a side canyon that heads due south from Upper Big Cottonwood Canyon. The head of the canyon is formed by the north side of Cardiff Peak and Mt. Superior, right across the street from Alta. Regular forum readers may recall that we backcountry skied there in January. It was also where we saw the moose last weekend near the trailhead, which lies just three drainages west of Honeycomb Canyon at Solitude Mountain Resort.
Our plan called for an out-and-back route a little over three miles each way with 1,600 feet of elevation gain to reach a relatively flat meadow used by Wasatch Powderbird Guides as a landing zone below Cardiac Bowl and Cardiac Ridge, just below tree line. And just like last week, this trailhead is only 20 minutes from home within an urban area of 1.5 million people.
We headed up in early afternoon on Saturday. This trail is an absolute zoo for the first mile as it's an easy family hike that follows the stream to Doughnut Falls. Lots of kids, sneakers and wife-beater T-shirts.
Doughnut Falls was an absolute crapshow, so much so that we never climbed up to see the Doughnut itself.
This photo on Panoramio shows why it's called Doughnut Falls, had we climbed up that far:
We doubled back to the main trail and headed higher. I'd expected that the crowds would disappear after we went above the falls and that prediction came true -- we'd see only two other hiking parties above the falls on Saturday, no one else overnighting up there and we barely saw anyone on Sunday until returning to the falls, but more on that shortly.
The hiking takes place largely on old mining roads. Upper Cardiff Fork itself is a patchwork of National Forest land and private mining claims. The latter are the ongoing subject of dispute between backcountry skiers and the land owners who are doing their best to keep skiers off their holdings. Many of the roads were posted with multiple "No Trespassing" signs, some of which comically even said "Cameras in use" (there's nowhere they were getting the power, or the network connectivity to operate any so-called "cameras" on a real-time basis). We continued upward with impunity, walking past the abandoned Cardiff Mine site and up a steep hill via a herd path littered with fresh moose prints passing a series of snow-filled mine adits.
The campsite was everything that I'd remembered from last January and more.
Someone had left a very well-made fire ring, although it clearly hadn't been used yet this year. The roar of the cascade from the snowpack above was nearly deafening. Ground nearby showed ample evidence of use by both moose and deer. We set up the tent, gathered firewood and went down to the stream to filter water to use that night. That freshly melted snow tasted divine.
I cooked dinner, a freeze dried Texas BBQ Chicken with rice that Mrs. Admin even enjoyed.
We watched the sun set and the stars come out. Mrs. Admin discovered the magic of Google Sky, and we easily located the planets Neptune, Uranus and Jupiter as well as countless stars, even so close to the light pollution of Salt Lake City.
We awoke when the sun first reached our tent at 9 a.m. and drove the temperature skyward.
I walked the 500 yards to retrieve our bear bag and made some coffee. By the time we broke camp and headed back downhill, it was just after 11.
As we approached the Cardiff Mine I was somewhat disconcerted to find there what I presume to be the landowners as they were able to drive two vehicles to the site (the road is gated for everyone else). I did my best to act like we belonged there, even though there were posted signs all over the place.
For a brief history of the Cardiff Mine, including some historical photos see http://www.miningutah.com/id238.html .
We walked right past these folks and even stopped to chat for a second. To their credit, despite the acrimony I'd heard about they were very friendly and did nothing to discourage us from traversing their land, although they did seem anxious to find out if we'd come over from Alta or had walked up through their land the night before. Even after admitting to the latter they didn't give us any trouble at all.
They were the only people we'd see until we approached Doughnut Falls again. Sure enough, from there down the trail was a zoo, but we pulled off in a secluded spot on the banks of the stream for a light lunch.
Today was a sharp contrast to Saturday. As slow as Mrs. Admin was on Saturday she was hauling tail today. We made it back to the car in under an hour and a half. She kept talking about how "pure" and beautiful the upper canyon was. She was amazed by the stars and enjoyed sitting around the campfire last night. I'll break her of car camping yet. :wink:
View attachment Cardiff Fork flyover.kmz
One thing I didn't mention earlier about last week's trip to Big Mountain is that Mrs. Admin started that trip with us. But she didn't make it more than a couple of hundred yards. :roll: She was complaining about the fit of the pack and started out very slowly, and two switchbacks up the trail she took the car keys and went home. I wanted to get her out there but didn't feel like subjecting any of my usual backpacking companions to what could easily be a repeat of that experience, so we decided to head out just the two of us this weekend.
Our destination was Cardiff Fork, also known as Mill D South, which is a side canyon that heads due south from Upper Big Cottonwood Canyon. The head of the canyon is formed by the north side of Cardiff Peak and Mt. Superior, right across the street from Alta. Regular forum readers may recall that we backcountry skied there in January. It was also where we saw the moose last weekend near the trailhead, which lies just three drainages west of Honeycomb Canyon at Solitude Mountain Resort.
Our plan called for an out-and-back route a little over three miles each way with 1,600 feet of elevation gain to reach a relatively flat meadow used by Wasatch Powderbird Guides as a landing zone below Cardiac Bowl and Cardiac Ridge, just below tree line. And just like last week, this trailhead is only 20 minutes from home within an urban area of 1.5 million people.
We headed up in early afternoon on Saturday. This trail is an absolute zoo for the first mile as it's an easy family hike that follows the stream to Doughnut Falls. Lots of kids, sneakers and wife-beater T-shirts.
Doughnut Falls was an absolute crapshow, so much so that we never climbed up to see the Doughnut itself.
This photo on Panoramio shows why it's called Doughnut Falls, had we climbed up that far:
We doubled back to the main trail and headed higher. I'd expected that the crowds would disappear after we went above the falls and that prediction came true -- we'd see only two other hiking parties above the falls on Saturday, no one else overnighting up there and we barely saw anyone on Sunday until returning to the falls, but more on that shortly.
The hiking takes place largely on old mining roads. Upper Cardiff Fork itself is a patchwork of National Forest land and private mining claims. The latter are the ongoing subject of dispute between backcountry skiers and the land owners who are doing their best to keep skiers off their holdings. Many of the roads were posted with multiple "No Trespassing" signs, some of which comically even said "Cameras in use" (there's nowhere they were getting the power, or the network connectivity to operate any so-called "cameras" on a real-time basis). We continued upward with impunity, walking past the abandoned Cardiff Mine site and up a steep hill via a herd path littered with fresh moose prints passing a series of snow-filled mine adits.
The campsite was everything that I'd remembered from last January and more.
Someone had left a very well-made fire ring, although it clearly hadn't been used yet this year. The roar of the cascade from the snowpack above was nearly deafening. Ground nearby showed ample evidence of use by both moose and deer. We set up the tent, gathered firewood and went down to the stream to filter water to use that night. That freshly melted snow tasted divine.
I cooked dinner, a freeze dried Texas BBQ Chicken with rice that Mrs. Admin even enjoyed.
We watched the sun set and the stars come out. Mrs. Admin discovered the magic of Google Sky, and we easily located the planets Neptune, Uranus and Jupiter as well as countless stars, even so close to the light pollution of Salt Lake City.
We awoke when the sun first reached our tent at 9 a.m. and drove the temperature skyward.
I walked the 500 yards to retrieve our bear bag and made some coffee. By the time we broke camp and headed back downhill, it was just after 11.
As we approached the Cardiff Mine I was somewhat disconcerted to find there what I presume to be the landowners as they were able to drive two vehicles to the site (the road is gated for everyone else). I did my best to act like we belonged there, even though there were posted signs all over the place.
For a brief history of the Cardiff Mine, including some historical photos see http://www.miningutah.com/id238.html .
We walked right past these folks and even stopped to chat for a second. To their credit, despite the acrimony I'd heard about they were very friendly and did nothing to discourage us from traversing their land, although they did seem anxious to find out if we'd come over from Alta or had walked up through their land the night before. Even after admitting to the latter they didn't give us any trouble at all.
They were the only people we'd see until we approached Doughnut Falls again. Sure enough, from there down the trail was a zoo, but we pulled off in a secluded spot on the banks of the stream for a light lunch.
Today was a sharp contrast to Saturday. As slow as Mrs. Admin was on Saturday she was hauling tail today. We made it back to the car in under an hour and a half. She kept talking about how "pure" and beautiful the upper canyon was. She was amazed by the stars and enjoyed sitting around the campfire last night. I'll break her of car camping yet. :wink:
View attachment Cardiff Fork flyover.kmz
