On Sunday (6-16-19) Karen and I left Logan and drove south through Salt Lake City. Karen had to work Monday and Tuesday in Sandy, UT and we stayed two nights in a hotel there. But, Sunday was a day for play.
We headed up Big Cotton Wood Canyon to locate Hidden Falls. It proved to be much harder than expected. We started at three different trailheads before discovering the short path to the fabled falls. The Canyon was packed with weekend hikers and NOBODY we asked knew that Hidden Falls existed.
Last winter’s extremely heavy snows were still melting in the high country and the path to the falls was underwater. We crossed a makeshift bridge and found the concealed cascade.
Across a double switchback in Hwy 190 from Hidden Falls we began our second hike of the day on Mill B. South Trail. We failed to reach the water falls because Big Cotton Wood Creek was raging at record levels from late season snow melt and blocked the way. We did have a lovely lunch by this ripping torrent.
We abandoned the crowds in Big Cottonwood Canyon and drove south to Sandy for hike number three. The trail to Lower Bells Canyon Reservoir was a steep climb up unevenly spaced steps cut into a rocky slope. It was a tough track that tested our resolve every step to the top.
Our efforts were rewarded with a lovely lake that reflected the Twin Peaks Wilderness Area in the background.
When we got to the hotel after our triple hike, I discovered the Rocky Mountains had killed my hiking boots. The souls of both boots were worn thin and attached only at the heels and toes. They were many years old, and died in The Rockies after some serious punishment. It was a noble end.
Karen went to work Monday morning and I searched for new hiking boots. Scheels is a 220,000-square-foot sporting goods store with a16-car Ferris wheel in Sandy, UT. Their boot selection was outstanding and I love my new Keens.
Of course after work, I had to take Karen to Scheels. She loved the 16,000-gallon saltwater aquarium and the retro shooting gallery, almost as much as, her spirited shopping spree!
After my new boot purchase I went up Little Cottonwood Canyon to break them in on the White Pine Lake Trail. I forgot my aluminum, telescoping hiking pole and was prepared to turn back at the bridge when a local guy with a blue Mohawk and no shirt gave me his stick. When I hit the high elevation snow, I was glad to have the thicker staff. I left it at the trailhead for the next hiker in need.
This trek was an excellent test for my new footwear. Little Cottonwood Creek turned the bridge that spanned it into an island. It was an ominous sign of what was to come.
The beginning of the trail was like hiking up a steep creek. As advertised, my new boots were waterproof and my feet stayed dry and warm all day.
About two miles in and 1,000-feet higher, the trail was covered by patchy streaks of snow. Not what I expected, but still manageable.
After slogging through mud, water and wet snow for another mile the trail became entirely packed with snow.
I made it nearly to the top of the 2,762 elevation gain on this 5-mile slog before the incline of the snow made it too treacherous to traverse without crampons. I enjoyed the panoramic view before accepting defeat and walked back to the bottom with flashbacks of my Snow Mt. Ranch days in Colorado.
Tuesday I traded mountain hiking for sightseeing in Salt Lake City. Utah’s capitol building was my first stop. The fifty-two columns that line the outside of the structure were made from granite quarried from Little Cottonwood Canyon.
Everyone is allowed to enter the capitol without passing through a metal detector or checking bags. You just stroll right in and walk around at leisure. The Rotunda is on the second floor and the twenty-four monolithic columns that line the room are the largest in the country. The dome is 165 feet tall at its peak.
There are many exquisite, bronze statues scattered about the Rotunda, but my favorite was Utah native Philo T. Farnsworth. He is “The Father of Television” and the patents issued to him in 1934 are still used in every TV set today.
The coolest building in SLC is the City Library built in 2003. It has a six-story, curved wall you can walk to the top on with awesome views of the Wasatch Mountains.
In stark contrast to the library’s relective-glass facade is the City-County building across the street. Its outside surface is intricately carved from Utah’s Kyune sandstone and was completed by free masons in 1894.
I left downtown in time to meet Karen after work and took her out for dinner. We flew the red-eye home, which made for a long day. Our trip to Utah and Idaho was packed with fun and made us remember we aren’t quite as young as we once were, but we still manage to get around.