Mill Canyon Peak

Since the dry wallers were in the midst of finishing the drywall we could not work on the basement finishing project so instead we decided that we were going to get out in the mountains the enjoy the fall colors.  We decided on Mill Canyon Peak because we were led to believe that this was an easy 2.7 mile hike in each direction, the peak is above 10,000 ft and we can see it from our backyard.  We chose an 8:00 departure time from our house because it meant that we could still sleep a little and then make it up and back in time for a late lunch.  With that in mind we packed some snacks and headed to the car.  We needed gas which caused a delay and a few other delays occurred before we were able to begin our journey.  Our drive included a dirt road up to Cascade springs and then we turned on another dirt road.  We all started hiking and were excited for the hike.  It was beautiful outside and very warm.

 The views on the hike of Timpanogos are great.  The fall colors were changing and we saw aspens that were orange and yellow as well as other trees that were red.

 It was not 2.7 miles.  When we got ot 2.7 we ran out of trail and started hiking straight up the ridge.  The path was steep but we kept going... Eventually we made it to a false summit and realized that actual summit was still quite a ways away.  When we finally got to the top we had hiked 4.2 miles to the summit at 10,344 ft.  It was quite a bit more hike that we had assumed it would be and we all made it!

 At the top we ate our snacks and enjoyed the view and some sitting down time.

Even going back to the car was quite an adventure.  We tried to go straight down the mountain but it was steep and it took forever!  Also we kept finding large holes... I think they might be badger holes!  When we got to the car we were dirty and tired but accomplished!

Mount Timpanogos Date

I have wanted to hike Mount Timpanogos since I went to BYU.  But at the time I assumed it was too difficult of a hike for me and I didn't attempt to do it.  I continued with that assumption up until the time we moved away after Cameron graduated.  I always wanted to hike it but assumed it was too difficult.  

This year I feel different.  I have been running and doing difficult things and I knew I could make it to the top.  It didn't help that when I got up at 4:45 in the morning I realized my cold had not disappeared overnight and was in fact worse.  But I would not let a little cold get me down.  

We pulled into the parking lot and that is when I realized that the rest of Utah had decided to also hike Timpanogos on this day.  We parked (slightly illegally,) and signed in to a register since the ranger appeared out of nowhere and asked us to.  We started hiking just as it was getting light and by the time we were on the trail we did not need a headlamp.

The first couple miles of the Timpanookie trail are easy.  The switch backs are nicely graded and the way is not too steep.  We hiked easily and enjoyed the views.

We were surprised to come around a corner and see this moose in the bushes.  After a while it moved and we could see the nice rack on it.  I have been wanting to see a moose since I moved to Utah so I was very happy to see it.

The line of people you see in front of us was a standard feature especially on the way up.  This particular group was hiking slower than us but was so large they were hard to pass.  Finally I asked them if we could pass because we were hiking much faster than them...  they agreed.  Cameron and I were only passed by two men, separately the whole way up.  We hiked it pretty quickly although we saw one guy running up as we were hiking down who did it almost twice as fast as us.

I really liked this mountain in the background!  What a pretty point.  The best part about the trail is that we stayed in the shade for most of the hike.  By the time we got in the sun it was cool enough for us to appreciate it due to the elevation.

After we summited that saddle the trail became more difficult.  I was also getting tired and I don't think I had enough to eat (a nutra grain bar and some sports beans) and I got pretty frustrated.  Also once again my fear of heights seemed to terrorize me as the exposure was pretty impressive.  I did not like to have people pass me and want to pass on the inside while I waited on the outside of the trail... I wish I could be less afraid as now it seems silly but them I was pretty scared.

Finally after a long walk along the ridge and lots of rocks to climb over we made it to the summit.  IT was very cold up top but the break seemed really nice as we never took a break the whole way up.

Cameron and I seem cursed to always summit mountains when it is hazy.  Here the haze is from the fires in Northern California.  I was bummed that we couldn't see further.

We were in a hurry as we wanted to get back to our kids.  So we tried to hike down as fast as we could.  I managed to do quite well descending compared to past hiking trips where I almost always go down slower than up but still it took me a while and we had many people pass who were content to run down the trail.  The first mile was pretty cold and my fingers felt frozen.  I vowed to come prepared with gloves on all future mountain ascents in Utah- just in case.  I was very glad for our poles which made the whole hike easier.  Cameron and I didn't stop and rest except once on the way down and it made for some very tired knees and legs by the end.  In the picture below is the sole Mountain Goat that we saw on the trip.  He was just resting in the shade.

There were lots of maple trees in full color... Here is one that we took a picture of.

At the car I was grateful to rest.... we hiked 15.4 miles in 7 hours and 54 minutes plus an additional stop time of about 1 hour total.  We hiked about 2 miles an hour and climbed 4,686 feet according to my Strava gps.... One mountain off the bucket list finally!