Here's the first installment from our trip to Utah and Idaho. We left two weeks ago on Monday and spent the night with Chris (who camps out in the old Ottley home while he works in Salt Lake every other week). Tuesday we drove up to Aspen Grove Family Camp where Kim works. She is amazing! She got us three days and two nights there for free - meals included (and let me tell you, a person could survive easily on only one of their meals a day).
Anyway, I decided to hike as far as I could up Timpanogas, depending on how well I handled the altitude (comings as I did from sea level) and how much snow there was. I made it as far as Emerald Lake at 10,330' and discovered that I am no longer the fastest guy on the mountain. A couple of 20 something guys passed me (having left 20 minutes later than me, it took them an hour and a half to catch me). Yes, I'm finally getting older - just not growing up. I still passed everyone else along the route. However, a half-mile or so past the shelter the snow completely covered the trail and there was no going further without crampons and an ice ax.
Anyway, I decided to hike as far as I could up Timpanogas, depending on how well I handled the altitude (comings as I did from sea level) and how much snow there was. I made it as far as Emerald Lake at 10,330' and discovered that I am no longer the fastest guy on the mountain. A couple of 20 something guys passed me (having left 20 minutes later than me, it took them an hour and a half to catch me). Yes, I'm finally getting older - just not growing up. I still passed everyone else along the route. However, a half-mile or so past the shelter the snow completely covered the trail and there was no going further without crampons and an ice ax.
Below are some photos I took along the way. If you click on each one you can see some amazing detail.
The switchback cut back and forth over the creek falling down the center.
This is a bowl carved out by glaciers up nearly to Emerald Lake.
This is the shelter, built in 1959 by the City of Prove and BYU.
The inside of the shelter, which Kim says she spent a few hours in one night on the way to the top. One of those "watch the sun rise from the top of Timp" excursions.
This is a short video of a few of the mountain goats feeding up past the shelter. Very friendly.
You can just make out the trail as it cuts throught the snow.
Here you can see the easy part of the trail as it gently switches back and forth up the mountain
.
And finally, the view of Aspen Grove Lodge from part way up the Timp. trail.
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