MikeSandy.net

Latest Archived Hike Reports

Mount Olympus Attempt

Fact: I am out of shape. Truth: I didn't think I was so out of shape that hiking Mount Olympus would pose such a challenge. In fact, I decided to abort my attempt a couple hundred feet from the top.

Dan and I started hiking at around 11:45 AM. I started off slowly, which is typical for me, especially on Olympus. I got into a good rhythm though, and I was moving along pretty well.

I began to labor once we started up Blister Hill's switchbacks. No matter how long I rested, my legs couldn't stand more than a few minutes of climbing before they needed rest.

It got worse as we climbed higher. I needed longer breaks for shorter intervals of climbing. I advised Dan to hike ahead of me to the saddle. I'm not sure how long he was waiting for me by the time I arrived at the saddle, but I'm sure it wasn't a short amount of time.

After a quick break, we started the final scramble to the top. A girl we met at the saddle asked if she could join us because her aunt had decided to stay back at the saddle. Not before long, Dan and the girl were racing ahead of me, but I just kept plugging along.

At the crux of the scramble, I just got sick of being so exhausted. I figured Dan and the girl would be good company, so I shouted up for them to continue on without me. I decided to abort my summit attempt.

While Dan continued on to the summit, I just sat there halfway up the crux enjoying the view, eating some honey roasted peanuts I had packed, and watching people struggle up and down the tricky section.

Eventually, Dan came down from the summit and we continued on down the mountain.

If nothing else, this unsuccessful attempt on Mount Olympus was a good bit of exercise, and it served as a perfect barometer to indicate my level of fitness (or lack thereof). Almost exactly two years ago, Steve and I climbed Olympus. Of course, I couldn't keep up with Steve, but I did pretty well--much better than I did today. That hike was 26 pounds ago. I have a lot of work ahead of me just to get back to that level of fitness, which was still 20 pounds heavier than my ideal weight!

Grandeur Peak Hike

Late in the day today, I decided to hike to the top of Grandeur Peak to get some sunset photos. I hadn't hiked to the top of Grandeur Peak since Labor Day in 2005--almost exactly six years ago.

I started hiking from the Church Fork trailhead at about 5:30 PM. The temperature was fairly cool, especially in the forested portion of the hike. I made it to the summit at about 7:30 PM.

The view of the sunset from the summit was awesome. I lingered up there until it was almost completely dark. Aside from missing a switchback and heading straight down the mountain for a couple hundred feet before I realized my mistake, the hike back down was, thankfully, uneventful.

Mount Olympus Hike

Steve and I started hiking Mount Olympus at about 3:30 PM. We had planned on starting at 3:00 PM, but I was late because I discovered on my way to the trailhead that I had forgotten my water bottles in the refrigerator at home. My return trip home to retrieve my water made me about 20 minutes late.

About twenty minutes after we started, Steve passed a rattlesnake basking in the sun on the side of the trail. Immediately, the rattlesnake made a few quick rattles that startled Steve and made him jump back quickly. The snake, still coiled, just looked around for a couple seconds, and then slowly slithered back into a nearby bush. I had heard there were lots of rattlesnakes on this trail, but until this hike I hadn't yet seen one.

For most of the day, the sky was overcast, but the sky began to clear up a bit about the time we started hiking. Although parts of the valley were clear, there were still some dark clouds to the south and east that didn't look threatening, but I wasn't sure the conditions wouldn't deteriorate.

We hiked quickly, with Steve leading the way, of course. On the steep sections past the stream, he was well ahead of my pace. Despite my slower pace, I still made it to the summit about a half hour faster than suggested by the Wasatch Mountain Club-published hiking guidebook.

The evening lighting from the summit was spectacular and I captured quite a few good photos from the summit and while I climbed up and down the steep scramble to the summit from the saddle.

We hiked two-thirds of the way back down in the dark. We arrived back at our cars at 9:00 PM, and Steve followed me back to my place for some homemade pizza.

Mount Timpanogos Attempt

Westley asked me at work on Friday if I wanted to join him and his brother on a hike of Mount Timpanogos. I decided to join him even though I had to be back for the Utah Utes football game that evening.

Unfortunately, we didn't start early enough for me to make a summit attempt. At Emerald Lake, with an hour to an hour and a half left to the summit (2-3 hours round trip), I decided to turn around and head back down.

Despite not being able to make a summit attempt this time, the hike to Emerald Lake was rather enjoyable. Of course, there was the usual slew of jeans-wearing novices on the trail, but the weather was absolutely perfect and the fall colors were beginning to emerge on the mountain. Plus, I had hiked Mount Timpanogos last year, so I didn't miss anything new.

Mount Raymond Hike

On Mount Raymond, I certainly didn't reach my limit--after all, I pushed through and made it to the top--but I could sense my limit as I clung to various fins of rock along the sometimes knife-edge summit ridge. My tolerance for adventure is greater than some, but not as high as I'd like it to be sometimes. Given my decidedly risk averse family lineage, however, it's somewhat amazing I get outside to test my limits at all.

I wasn't sure if it was the fear of falling or the fear of my own fear that burdened my consciousness on that summit ridge. Regardless, I've noticed that the fear is seldom unfounded--a fall off that ridge wouldn't have been fun.

But what made that summit ridge difficult? The few required scrambling moves were elementary. In fact, that ridge is only rated as class 1, which isn't difficult or particularly dangerous. (In comparison, Mount Olympus' final 600 vertical feet is a steep class 3 scramble--without exposure--that wasn't difficult for me.) Aside from Mount Raymond's final summit cone, the ridge also wasn't particularly steep. Instead, the challenge for me was entirely mental, and probably only because there was some mild exposure.

Nonetheless, I overcame the mental challenges and summited. The view from the top was pretty good, mainly because it overlooks most of both Millcreek and Big Cottonwood Canyons. I still prefer the view from Olympus and Timpanogos to the view from Mount Raymond, however.

I had planned to also climb Gobbler's Knob to the east of Baker Pass (Raymond is west of the pass), but the weather was threatening, so I decided to head back home. Not ten minutes after that decision, a steady, drizzling rain started, and not before long it had sufficiently drenched me and my clothing. To make matters worse (as far as dryness was concerned), much of the trail was lined with overflowing brush that further coated me with wetness like thousands of wet paintbrushes as I hussled past them on my way back to the car.

I actually haven't often hiked in rain. The Tetons backpacking trip this year is the only other time I can remember encountering rain of any significance on a hike. This storm put my hiking clothes to test.

On this hike, I wore my new Merrell hiking boots. They're more like high-top sneakers with hiking boot tread than real hiking boots. They became so completely waterlogged that they made squishing noises starting from the Desolation Trail junction with the Butler Fork Trail after, at most, 45 minutes of rain. Pathetic, but not unexpected.

My pants (again) got drenched. They performed similarily in the Tetons.

My $45 pack cover (i.e., a piece of plastic) performed superbly. My pack stayed bone dry underneath its expensiveness.

My SmartWool socks and polypropylene liner socks kept my feet warm despite the fact that, in total, I was able to wring a half cup or so of water out of them after the hike. What they say about wool and polypropylene (that they keep you warm even when wet) is true, I guess.

My cheap Sierra Designs windbreaker, which I fool myself into believing will also keep me dry because it feels like a piece of plastic, quickly became saturated and very cold. The 100-weight fleece jacket I put on underneath it warmed me back up and kept me warm, however.

Despite the poor weather and the fact that the destination wasn't as awesome as some other hikes I've done in the Wasatch, it was a worthwhile hike that gave me a much different perspective of Millcreek and Big Cottonwood Canyons. I don't anticipate making another attempt on Mount Raymond in the summer, however. I don't think the destination is worth the trouble of that summit ridge. I might make it back up to Baker Pass to climb Gobbler's Knob, however, or, perhaps, back up part of Mount Raymond's summit ridge in the winter to ski some of its seemingly perfect chutes. We'll see.

*Note: I forgot to bring my camera, so I won't be publishing any photos from this hike, unfortunately.

Without further ado, here's some hike stats:

Peak Elevations

* Circle-All Peak - 8,707 feet
* Mount Raymond - 10,241 feet

Hiking Times

* 09:45 AM - Start (Butler Fork Trlhd)
* 10:45 AM - Circle-All Peak
* 11:00 AM - Depart Circle-All Peak
* 11:11 AM - Desolation Trl Jct
* 11:45 AM - Bowman Fork Trl Jct
* 11:50 AM - Arrive at Baker Pass
* 11:55 AM - Depart Baker Pass
* 12:54 PM - Arrive Mt Raymond
* 01:54 PM - Arrive Baker Pass
* 01:59 PM - Desolation Trl Jct
* 02:26 PM - Butler Fork Trl Jct
* 03:15 PM - Finish

Lake Blanche Hike

Mindy and I did the hike to Lake Blanche, one of the more popular hikes in the Salt Lake City area on what turned out to be one of the hottest days of the summer. The trail wasn't too long or too difficult, aside from a few steep spots; however, I didn't find the destination lake all that scenic.

Paintbrush Divide/Cascade Canyon Loop

- Hiked up to the Paintbrush Divide
- Hiked down to Lake Solitude
- Snowed or rained the whole way down from the Divide.
- Clear weather in Jackson Hole, however.
- Showered at our suite at the Kudar Motel
- Drinks at the Tavern, dinner at the Cadillac Grille and another drink at the Silver Dollar.

Short Hike into Lower Paintbrush Canyon

We woke early in the morning, quickly packed up, and drove towards the Grand Teton National Park visitor center to scure a camping permit for the night.

We were able to secure a camping permit, but, unfortunately, the Holly Lake and Upper Paintbrush Canyon camping zones were full, so we settled for the Lower Paintbrush Canyon camping zone. A bear box was included with the permit, which was very nice because none of us has one.

After an excellent breakfast in Jackson at the Bunnery, Steve and I stopped at the Albertson's just outside of town to get some final supplies. There we met up with Bob and headed back toward Grand Teton National Park.

At the visitor's center, we split up the supplies and re-packed our packs. Bob parked his car across the street from the visitor's center so we could take one car into the park. We parked at the overflow parking lot near the String Lake Trailhead, walked towards Leigh Lake, and up into Paintbrush Canyon.

Less than three hours after we started, we arrived at the furthest campsites in the Lower Paintbrush camping zone. It wasn't even 3:00 PM. We filled the time by setting up camping, playing frisbee on the mountainside (not ideal), cooking dinner, walking back down the trail a bit, and just relaxing. We went to sleep before it even got dark because we basically ran out of things to occupy the time.

Avalanche Lake Hike

After a lazy day boating on Lake McDonald and relaxing on the beach near Apgar Village, Jen, Mindy and I hiked to Avalanche Lake in the evening.

The trail starts a few miles past Lake McDonald Lodge near the Avalanche Creek campground in Glacier National Park. The beginning of the trail is part of the Trail of the Cedars, a popular easy boardwalk trail amongst huge cedar trees.

The trail to Avalanche Lake is awesome. The surrounding cedar forest has this eery vibe, and the vegetation reminds me of what I imagine one finds in the Pacific Northwest. This description ignores perhaps the trail's best feature: Avalanche Creek Gorge. Avalanche Creek Gorge is a rugged, mossy gorge through which glacier-fed water violently tumbles down through the flume on its way to Lake McDonald Creek. The most rugged part of the gorge is very photogenic and the evening light provided us with a great opportunity to get postcard-quality photos of the gorge on the way back down the trail.

The destination itself, Avalanche Lake, is also awesome. A logjam at the head of the lake indicated the violent process that gave the lake its name. The lake is surrounded by the steep 3,000+ vertical foot headwalls of some of Glacier National Park's highest hanging valleys. High on many of those steep headwalls were beautiful cascades that feed the lake with snowmelt. The scene was amazing, especially for a hike of less than 5 miles roundtrip. The soft late evening lighting made it even better. We relaxed by the lake until almost 9:00 PM. (One of the great things about Glacier National Park is that, because it is so far north, it doesn't get dark in the summer until well after 9:00 PM.)

Although we weren't able to make it back to Apgar Village in time to buy some firewood to have a campfire that night, it was well worth that sacrifice to enjoy the Avalanche Lake scenery and to get some great photos of Avalanche Creek Gorge.

Iceberg Lake Hike

Mindy's cousin Jen decided to go on a full-day horseback riding trip, so Mindy and I had the day to ourselves. I had proposed doing a hike (of course) and I was glad that Mindy agreed to join me.

This hike in Glacier National Park, Montana started just down the street from the Many Glacier hotel at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn. The trail is very easy and climbs very gradually and only to the tune of about 1,200 feet over about 4.5 miles.

The trail starts in a wide-open meadow that is just the epitome of the terrain you see grizzly bears roaming around in on National Geographic Channel television shows. I definitely had my eyes and ears open for bears. I didn't see any bears, but we did see a bighorn sheep on a cliff above the trail.

Next, the trail entered a lush forest. Aside from an older couple from Great Falls, Montana that we passed, we didn't see anyone else on the trail until we reached Ptarmigan Falls, which was about halfway to Iceberg Lake. A ranger-led group and a number of other hikers were resting above the falls. We took only a short break and then passed several groups as we climbed out of the forest and hiked along the lower slopes of the Ptmarigan Wall far above Iceberg Creek.

Not before long, we reached the lake. Despite being July, there were still several icebergs floating in the lake. They were a strange, but beautiful site. Combined with the clear, cold, blue water, the icebergs made me feel like I was in Alaska.

After taking some photos of the lake among a throng of visitors, we hiked to a vantage point on the slopes southeast of the lake to take some more photos. As more and more hikers arrived at the lake, we started back toward the trailhead.

About 15 minutes after we started hiking back, I heard what sounded like someone banging a stick against a rock intermittently. I found it curious, but paid no attention to the sound. Shortly thereafter, however, I discovered why someone was banging the stick: the lady was banging the stick against a rock to make noise so as to not startle an adult grizzly bear about 30 yards uphill from the trail. I questioned the purpose of banging the stick considering that a group of a dozen people had already gathered and the bear was clearly aware of their presence because we could see it occasionally look up from its digging to curiously gaze at its audience.

Our grizzly bear encounter was decidedly tame, thankfully. It helped that we didn't startle the bear. It helped that there were a dozen other potential mauling vicitims there. (I figured that there had to be someone slower than Mindy and I in the group.) The bear just wanted to dig for food. And it did so impressively with its front legs, massive claws and strong shoulders.

Word of the grizzly bear had spread quickly down the trail. People hiking up to the lake peppered us with questions as we passed them. Most were thrilled that they may get to see a grizzly bear, a few were terrified, but no one turned around.

After a couple hours of walking, we finally made it back to the trailhead. We met Jen back at the Many Glacier Hotel. On the way back to Fish Creek Campground, which is on the opposite side of Glacier National Park, we stopped to eat dinner at the Park Cafe near St. Mary. Mindy and I ate there the last time we visited Glacier. Since last time, the service had not improved, but the buffalo burger with Long Island dressing was as good as ever.

An evening drive on Going-to-the-Sun Road was a new experience for Mindy and I (and Jen who hadn't been to Glacier until this trip). The evening light made the scenery even better. We also couldn't resist stopping for a drink at Lake McDonald Lodge, where we sat by the lake for a bit and then sat in the big wooden rocking chairs on the patio. The bugs were a pain, but the setting was idyllic. A relaxing campfire topped off a very active and enjoyable day in one of the greatest places on earth.