...Higher Elevations

I had the opportunity to climb and ski Mt. Timpanogos this past weekend with neighbor Rob...rather, I created the opportunity by recruiting him and covering up how grueling it would be to lug that much gear up 5000+ vertical feet. Mt. Timpanogos is, by far, my favorite peak in the Wasatch and the weight of the gear wasn't too much of a deterent because I knew the hard work would be well worth it. Mt. Timpanogos is the largest "massif" in Utah, meaning it is the largest block of uplifted rock, often encompassing multiple summits. Geology aside, this was a skiing trip and unfortunately, it was a few days short of July and I wouldn't be able to pull down ski days in July quite yet. (as part of my quest to ski 12 months out of the year)

The climb began at Aspen Grove trailhead at about 5:45 am. The first few miles of the hike were suprisingly enjoyable as they encompassed hiking through steep meadows of wildflowers while passing a couple large waterfalls surging due to the warm temps and rapid snow melt. I was pumped by the time we reached the first snowfields as that meant it was time to break out the new toys from Black Diamond; some new Sabretooth crampons. The lower snowfields became the real test as the weight of the pack felt greater with every step as the snowfields got steeper and steeper. As the ascent progressed, I made notes in my head in an attempt to make the descent as painless as possible because many of the snowfields ended in pesky overgrowth and impassable limestone cliffs. The timing was perfect as well as we reached the upper basins and got off the steep lower snowfields just as the snow began to get seriously mushy in the late morning sun. It was surely a relief to get back on flat ground again.

After another hour of trekking, the hut came into view and it was finally time to drop some of this gear at the sleeping location. The afternoon was spent napping and avoiding swarms of flies in anticipation of a sunset summit and a ski down the main snowfield post sunset in an attempt to ski some firmer conditions. The wait was well worth it...

Hey goats.Looking down the main snowfield on the hike to the summit. The hut lies at the bottom of this snowfield.

Myself turning the corner toward the main summit of Mt. TimpanogosLooking back down (east) toward the snowfield and the hut from the main summit ridgeline.Looking south/southwest toward Cascade Mtn and Provo, UTRob hiking the summit ridgeline with the south summit in the background.Summit. Wherever you go, go blue.Rewarded for a hard day's work. Skiing the snowfield at sunset.

Mt. Timpanogos doesn't disappoint. The hike to the summit is a hard days hike and can be done easily in the summertime (following snow melt) without the overnight. Fantastic views and fantastic snow deep into the month of June...life doesn't get much better than this. The permanent snowfield up on Timp will likely be the source of skiing late into August and possibly even September! Unfortunately, the real world is coming sooner than later... Hopefully, the trip can be made again even if I have to start punching the clock like the rest of the world...