I've been planning a serious hike all week, and I was very excited when this morning bloomed clear and bright -- a gorgeous early Summer day in Utah! So I loaded up the gear, headed up Big Cottonwood Canyon, and hit the Butler Fork Trailhead, which merges with the Mill A Basin Trail after about 1/2 mile. At this junction, I was startled by an adolescent moose who was less than 10 feet from where I was standing. He was munching out on some leaves, and stopped eating long enough to give me a somewhat disinterested look, then went right back to eating as if I didn't exist. It was really cool to stand there and watch a moose that close, but I have to admit a bit unnerving as well -- they're HUGE, and this one was just a teenager! After picking up the Mill A Basin trail, I worked my way slowly up the canyon wall toward Circle All Peak. On the way, I was threatened by some sort of bird (it resembled a large chicken) that I later found out was a Sage Grouse. It was a female, and they're not normally aggressive, so it must have either been protecting chicks or eggs. It did startle me at first (it came rushing out of the undergrowth straight at me, I had no idea what it was until it came out on the trail), but I stood my ground and it finally went away. Quite a wildlife trip, this hike!
I finally reached Circle All Peak (8,707 feet), after about 2 hours of steady (but relatively easy) climbing. Circle all Peak is just a popular view point south of Gobblers Knob. The peak, as they call it, by definition is not a real peak. It's prominence is way less than 300 ft and it is a point on a ridge to a higher peak called Gobblers Knob. This is a nice place to view much of the Canyon, along with the higher peaks. After taking in the amazing views (and talking with this really cool hiker from Florida -- go figure -- who had been backpacking in the backcountry for 5 days, and was heading into Salt Lake for supplies and then back out into the wilderness -- how cool is that?), I went to Mount Raymond.
Mount Raymond (10,241 feet) is slightly lower than its popular neighbor, Gobblers Knob (10,246 feet), but it is more fun to climb. The angular peak rises from the apex of three weathered limestone ridges that come together at roughly equal angles on the eastern side of the Mount Olympus Wilderness Area. The views are amazing, and you really feel like you are on top of the world! After spending a couple of hours hanging out on top of Mount Raymond, I worked my way back down and staggered back to the car. :) Overall hike was a little over 9 miles, with an elevation gain/loss of roughly 4,000 feet. Mucho fun!
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