Timpooneeke Campground, American Fork Canyon, Utah: Friday, July 10, 2009

I had such an amazing time climbing Mount Timpanogos yesterday (07-09-09, see blog entry), and I was so impressed with the area around the Timpooneeke trailhead, that I deciced to take Jesse to see it.  So we grabbed the pugs (Paco and Rudy) and headed out to enjoy another fantastic Utah Summer day.

The drive up American Fork Canyon in gorgeous, and when you get to the Timpooneeke area, the wildflowers are amazing.  We took the pugs on a little hike (I wasn't capable of much more -- still VERY sore from my Timpanogos summit hike yesterday) and they got to play in the stream, explore, and generally do everything they love to do.  I found out later that there has been an occasional black bear problem in this area, which means I will likely NOT take the pugs back here (they're bear-snack-sized, after all), but this day was perfect adn we had a wonderful time.  From here it's only 1.5 miles to hike up to Scout Falls, a beautiful waterfall system.  Come and visit, and I'll definitely take you here!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,283834,00.html

http://www.utahbirds.org/counties/utahco/TimpoonekeTrail.htm 

http://www.goby.com/scout-falls--near--aspen-grove-ut/e-224365 

http://www.hikercentral.com/campgrounds/112241.html

Educational Moment:  The Wasatch Mountain Range stretches about 160 miles from the Utah/Idaho border and south through central Utah.  It is generally considered the western edge of the greater Rocky Mountains, and the eastern edge of the Great Basin Desert Region. 
According to the Utah History Encyclopedia, Wasatch in Ute means "mountain pass" or "low pass over high range.

Since they top out just below 12,000 feet, Wasatch peaks are not especially high compared to the Colorado Rockies or even the Uinta Mountains (Northwestern Utah).  However, they are sculpted by glaciers, yielding notably rugged, sweeping upland scenery comparing well with other prominent ranges of western North America. They also receive heavy falls of snow, in many places over 500 inches per year.  Due to the low relative humidity in wintertime, along with the added "lake effect snow" from the Great Salt Lake, the snow has a dry, powdery texture which most of the local ski resorts market as "the Greatest Snow on Earth".