A Hike on a Mountain

July 2015

 

During our week of celebrating our first anniversary we drove up Little Cottonwood Canyon and explored. We had no plan in place, just a packed lunch, water, and a little guide book on local "easy" hikes.

We stopped near the mouth of the canyon at the old  quarry where they mined the "temple granite" or "white granite" for the Temple and Utah State Capital building in Salt Lake City. This quarry was used from 1863 to 1893. The stone is Quartz monzonite stone. 

We continued to drive up the canyons and finally stopped at Alta. Ski resorts obviously look totally different in the summer. The area surrounding Alta (the oldest ski resort in Utah) was breath taking. We drove on a narrow dirt road, winding our way up and around the mountains, surrounded by beautiful alpine wild flowers. We wound our way up and stopped at a campground in the Albion Basin. We started on the trail bound for Cecret Lake at the base of Sugarloaf Peak and we found ourselves at 10,000 feet. Chris made it to the lake, I reached my limit and waited for him at the base of the final (and steep) hill. My goal is to make it to the lake next time we go. We looked around for wildlife, for there were signs saying to watch for Moose. Alas...no Moose. I could have sworn I heard a Mule Deer... only to find that it was a large metal gate down at the campground (a popular place for teens to lean on and swing). It totally sounded like the hunting game my brother use to play. I was totally bummed.

Even though this hike kicked my rear end, it felt victorious...just by the fact I was walking for more than a few minutes without crashing. The air felt amazing. The wild flowers scented the air with a dreamy scent. The kind you just close your eyes and drink in. It was like a dream.

 

 

 



 

The picture above is looking toward the mouth of the canyon and into the Salt Lake Valley.

Our time up in the Little Cottonwood Canyon was magical. There were many times were I felt so high and rather scared, but it was so beautiful I just kept staring, staring at beauty and danger. It was rather exhilarating!