Summers Big Hike.... Mt Timpanogos

Mt. Timapanogos... My big hike for the year. I was lucky to join my friend Susan's annual Timp hike... It's a long hike, about 16 miles over 4600 foot elevation gain to the 11,749 ft summit. My friends have it all figured out... we went during peak wild flower season. We shuttled cars, so we could hike up the Timpanokee trail and down the Aspen grove trail. It's a lot of work, but an amazing hike. First switchbacking through the trees to the amazing wildflower meadow. Then up a rocky trail to the saddle, then winding and stairstepping to the top. We headed down the the other side of the mountain to the glacier, we slid down a snowy luge run to get to Emerald Lake. Mountain goats were abundant on cliffs near the lake. As we switch back down the Aspen Grove trial we are treated to water falls created by the glacial melt off. The wild flowers could not have been much more amazing, the views spectacular!

I took many more pictures... you can see them on my facebook page and of course this was also a cheeseburger summit!

Small and colorful blessings...

Yesterday was a slightly craptastic morning. I had to run one of those lousy errands...a trip to the tire store for new tires for my car. **Poof** to $500+; don't we all hate it when that happens even when we know it's coming? Of course by the time I was done at the tire shop I was rather late for work. Working for the University means parking is at a premium, so arriving much past 9 am can be parking problematic. Even if you've purchased a $200+/year staff parking pass a parking spot can be elusive.

After cruising my two, first choice, late arrival lots and finding nada I realized I was screwed and headed out and around campus to the far north end where I've heard rumors that there are always spaces in the engineering lot. And, thankfully, there were. Nothing like adding at least a half an hour to the morning commute, but at least I got to park, even if it was in Zimbabwe... **sigh**

Along with the inconvenience and expensive came a few nice additions to my day. I got to take a nice walk through a 'foreign' neighborhood while my car was being worked on, and I came across some lovely morning glories rambling over someone's fence. Later, while walking to Zimbabwe for my car after work I passed the most delightfully colored roses in a campus garden I never would have otherwise walked by. Flowers always make my day, and the lighting was nice... So here is the reason why I always like to carry my camera!

What I did on my summer vacation..

Clearly it wasn't blogging, LOL. Of course the reality is that as an old working person I don't really get a summer vacation... just more weeks of work and hot weather! But even without a really vacation I managed to get some local fun in, and mostly for the benefit of my daughter who reads this but doesn't see the pictures I post on facebook, I figure I'll share... even it it is a bit after the fact.

So one cool thing I did this summer... My friends and I hiked up to the Little Cloud Bowl at Snowbird to watch them fly in the towers for the new Little Cloud ski lift. It was pretty cool to watch the helicopters at work, those pilots appear to have mad skills. Hovering above the platform, tethered to the tower as it gets screwed down, pirouetting on the end of the cable. Pilot hanging his head out the window, watching what's happening on the ground, controlling the helicopter. Mad skills I'm sure! Besides watching the helicopters, the hike from the base to the top of the tram was incredible too. The wildflowers in Little Cloud Bowl were some of the most beautiful I've seen in my lifetime. Amazing!