It was around 3:30 yesterday and we started thinking about what to do for dinner. It was a beautiful day and we hadn't yet gotten out of the house, so we packed up a picnic and headed for Cecret Lake at Alta.
We parked at the Albion Campground, which is right at the base of the Supreme lift. At a mile and about 400-500 feet of elevation gain, the hike into Cecret Lake is one of the easiest and most family-friendly in the Wasatch. And it showed. The trail is a superhighway, and on a Saturday afternoon it was packed with lots of small kids.
There were perhaps a dozen people or more at various points around the lake. No matter -- it was a beautiful day in a beautiful place.
We sat on a slab of bedrock jutting out into the lake and ate our picnic. We even caught the odd juxtaposition of last year's snow and this year's snow -- a cross-shaped patch remains from last season in the Castle Apron, and there were still hints of Thursday night's dusting up high yet to melt out as well.
Perhaps most amazing to me was that Mrs. Admin wouldn't stop talking about how beautiful it was. She's not an outdoor person and this caught me a bit off-guard. She started describing a growing deep connection with the mountains. I was a bit beside myself.
To avoid the hordes we opted to descend via Razorback to Devil's Elbow to the Supreme Access Road, hanging a left onto Cabin Hill before it rejoined with the trail. Afterward we walked up to the Alta Helena Mine and spotted a rock where two of the miners carved their name and the year -- 1912 or 1918, couldn't quite be sure exactly.
I explained various bits of Alta's history. I pointed to Patsy Marley and Catherine's Pass, and explained that both were named after ladies who worked in Alta's brothels. When we got home Mrs. Admin wanted to know more of Alta's history, so we browsed photos archived in the digital collection at the Marriott Library of the University of Utah. Then she actually wanted to sit down and watch a Powderwhores flick, followed by Steep, which if you haven't seen it dives into what makes big mountain skiers tick, from the late Doug Coombs to Andrew McLean. And she actually got it. Now she wants to hike again today. :shock:
We parked at the Albion Campground, which is right at the base of the Supreme lift. At a mile and about 400-500 feet of elevation gain, the hike into Cecret Lake is one of the easiest and most family-friendly in the Wasatch. And it showed. The trail is a superhighway, and on a Saturday afternoon it was packed with lots of small kids.
There were perhaps a dozen people or more at various points around the lake. No matter -- it was a beautiful day in a beautiful place.
We sat on a slab of bedrock jutting out into the lake and ate our picnic. We even caught the odd juxtaposition of last year's snow and this year's snow -- a cross-shaped patch remains from last season in the Castle Apron, and there were still hints of Thursday night's dusting up high yet to melt out as well.
Perhaps most amazing to me was that Mrs. Admin wouldn't stop talking about how beautiful it was. She's not an outdoor person and this caught me a bit off-guard. She started describing a growing deep connection with the mountains. I was a bit beside myself.
To avoid the hordes we opted to descend via Razorback to Devil's Elbow to the Supreme Access Road, hanging a left onto Cabin Hill before it rejoined with the trail. Afterward we walked up to the Alta Helena Mine and spotted a rock where two of the miners carved their name and the year -- 1912 or 1918, couldn't quite be sure exactly.
I explained various bits of Alta's history. I pointed to Patsy Marley and Catherine's Pass, and explained that both were named after ladies who worked in Alta's brothels. When we got home Mrs. Admin wanted to know more of Alta's history, so we browsed photos archived in the digital collection at the Marriott Library of the University of Utah. Then she actually wanted to sit down and watch a Powderwhores flick, followed by Steep, which if you haven't seen it dives into what makes big mountain skiers tick, from the late Doug Coombs to Andrew McLean. And she actually got it. Now she wants to hike again today. :shock:
