Utah served up a weekend of lovely weather for all the outdoorsy folk. Dr. Hottie & I hadn't been up in the mountains in a month! Although he is still a bit dinged up from our 100k race, going for some epic hikes was in order. Saturday we hiked 7 miles roundtrip to see Red Pine Lake. The weather was cool and gray- fall comes early at 10k feet. The highlight was seeing a HUGE bull moose off the side of the trail on the way down. It's head was about the size of me. As I was hightailing it down the trail, Dr. H was trying to get closer for a good picture. Unfortunately for him, the moose had no intentions of leaving its feast of dense leafy branches.
Sunday we completed one of the most popular hikes in UT- Mt. Timpanogos. It was 14 miles round trip, and I honestly did not want to come home. I would have been content to pitch a tent at the nearby campground & stay until winter. The Timpanooke trailhead was a short 1 hour drive from our place. Along the hike you go through three unique ecosystems (forest, subalpine, and alpine). We saw lush forest, waterfalls, alpine basins, a glacier lake, mountain peaks, and lounging mountain goats. It was truly epic!
In honor of the last weekend of summer, I took some time to reflect on all of the trails we experienced together this season (I don't keep track of miles). It's impressively long (considering Dr.H's 80+ hour workweeks), and thankfully there is SO much more to see.
1) Bonneville Shoreline Trail (City Creek to UofU hospital)
2) Little Black Mountain
3) Great Western Trail (East Canyon)
4) Grandeur Peak (Milcreek Canyon)
5) Pipeline Trail (Milcreek Canyon)
6) Great Western Trail, Dog Lake, Desolation Lake, The Crest (Big Cottonwood Canyon)
7) Red Pine Lake (Little Cottonwood Canyon)
8) Mt. Timpanogos via Timpanooke Trail (American Fork Canyon)
9) Sundance Ski Resort Trail System
10) Frary Peak (Antelope Island State Park)
11) Great Western Trail, Lightning Ridge, Windy Pass (Springville & Orem UT)
12) Appalachian Trail (Great Smoky Mountain National Park)
1) Bonneville Shoreline Trail (City Creek to UofU hospital)
2) Little Black Mountain
3) Great Western Trail (East Canyon)
4) Grandeur Peak (Milcreek Canyon)
5) Pipeline Trail (Milcreek Canyon)
6) Great Western Trail, Dog Lake, Desolation Lake, The Crest (Big Cottonwood Canyon)
7) Red Pine Lake (Little Cottonwood Canyon)
8) Mt. Timpanogos via Timpanooke Trail (American Fork Canyon)
9) Sundance Ski Resort Trail System
10) Frary Peak (Antelope Island State Park)
11) Great Western Trail, Lightning Ridge, Windy Pass (Springville & Orem UT)
12) Appalachian Trail (Great Smoky Mountain National Park)