Went back to the Deseret Peak Wilderness area in the Stansbury Mountains (about 1/2 an hour from Salt Lake City) for the third time -- this time to reach the summit, and with my lab Brandis in tow. In case you're wondering why our other lab Tika didn't come along, I'll provide a brief explanation: Tika was a pound puppy rescue, and before I adopted her (about 7 years ago or so) she had been abused. Although she is well-adjusted and apparently very happy, when she gets startled or frightened she has this blind panic bolt instinct -- well, the Deseret Peak summit hike is very dangerous in places, with some sheer cliffs, very narrow trails with steep drop-offs, etc., and there is a lot of wildlife in this region (deer, moose, coyotes, even cougars -- supposedly), and if she were to be startled by an animal I can envision her bolting straight off a cliff -- something I'd rather not have happen. :) As it was, I learned that Brandis LOVES heights, and he gave me several bad moments when he would go right to the edge of precipices and peer over.
Anyway, Brandis was ecstatic (he loves to hike and explore), and although he's getting a little old for this (10 years and counting), he took to this hike like he was a puppy. The trail climbs through a forest of aspen for about three-fourths of a mile before crossing a year-round stream (we had to stop here and let Brandis play in the water for a while). Shortly thereafter the trail reaches a fork, with the right fork leading to Willow Lakes. The left fork heads south towards the peak, which is the route we took. Over the next mile and a half, the trail climbs up Mill Fork for almost 2,000 feet, crossing several meadows with the sheer 1,500 foot southwest face of Deseret Peak appearing above. Climbing the cirque at the head of the canyon (a truly thigh-busting exercise) we reached the saddle, with amazing views, and these gorgeous mountaintop meadows stretching for miles. It was here that Brandis got into an argument with some sort of groundhog -- apparently Brandis was intruding on his territory and he was not amused. Nor did he seem to be scared of Brandis or myself. I thought it was hysterical, but Brandis was just bemused.
From here the ridgeline goes up switchbacks on the final ascent to the summit, at 11,031 feet. There are spectacular views of surrounding salt flats and nearby mountains, and you can see the Wasatch Mountains in the distance. Most people take the same way back down, but I decided to take the lesser-used Pockets Fork trail (lesser-used indeed -- in places the trail all but disappeared and it took me a while to find it again). The only downside to the whole hike was there was less water than I was expecting, which meant I had to share with Brandis, and I came close to running out (I was getting quite thirsty by the time we reached the car). The entire route we took was miles round trip with 3,600 feet elevation gain.
From here the ridgeline goes up switchbacks on the final ascent to the summit, at 11,031 feet. There are spectacular views of surrounding salt flats and nearby mountains, and you can see the Wasatch Mountains in the distance. Most people take the same way back down, but I decided to take the lesser-used Pockets Fork trail (lesser-used indeed -- in places the trail all but disappeared and it took me a while to find it again). The only downside to the whole hike was there was less water than I was expecting, which meant I had to share with Brandis, and I came close to running out (I was getting quite thirsty by the time we reached the car). The entire route we took was miles round trip with 3,600 feet elevation gain.
The next day, poor Brandis could barely move. I think next time I need to let him warm up and practice a bit before I take him to the top of an 11,000 mountain! :)
nice pictures
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