5.4.2012: Mineral Fork

Our neighbor came home the other day with an awesome moose antler he found in Mineral Fork, so I spent my Friday afternoon trying to play copycat.  Came up empty, but not a bad way to get out and enjoy Wasatch spring.  I found a good place to set up the hammock and comb for sheds... found plenty of tracks but no dropped headgear.  Next time...

spring in the Wasatch makes for wet trails

looking back across Big Cottonwood

area I picked to set up camp and search

nesting

4.20.2012: Red Pine

trail: White Pine trailhead to Red Pine trail
elevation: 7,700 feet (White Pine Trailhead) - 9,600 feet (Red Pine Lake) - 10,897 feet (peak)
total vertical: 3,197 feet

map

Quiet day up into Red Pine today.  Couldn't see enough of the bowl I wanted to ride, so I decided on a cool line from the peak in front of Pfeif.  The snow was terrible, but the run was awesome; a wide open, steep, and untouched 1,300' of vert from summit to lake.  Had a hell of a time getting back out the drainage, but it was well worth the minor aggravation to have some time to myself in the woods.  There were a bunch of deer around, no moose.

whaaaaaaaat??!!

4.14.2012: Mt. Superior, north side

elevation: 8,720 feet (Alta Guard Station) - 11,000 feet (Superior ridge) - 10,277 feet (Cardiff Peak)
total vertical: 2,960 feet

We picked our way along Little Cottonwood ridge in an attempt to reach the peak of Mt. Superior and ski its north face.  The snow along the ridge was slippery and narrow... not ideal when there is a potential 2,000 foot rocky tumble down to the road.  Below, Matt K comes to an understanding with gravity.

I worked for a good line on an open canvas, just below Superior (picture below).  

The snow was decent, better towards the bottom of the run where it was lower angle and springy down into Mill D South Fork.  Getting back up to Cadiff Peak was pretty damn tiring, and we were not rewarded with much of a run down to the car.  The weather moved in and it was almost zero visibility on Cardiff Bowl.  Below, Matt K. emerges from the clouds into more clouds.

Easter in the Tushars

elevation: 12,169 (Mt. Delano)

total vertical: 3,500 feet 

I woke up early to finish some laundry and whip up a couple breakfast sandwiches. Most of the necessities were planned and packed the night before (food, main gear, etc.), but we still managed to lap the house -car circuit about a thousand times, forgetting then remembering all the little things in an anxious/tired early-morning mental fog. We were on the road just before 7am, no more than an hour after our inconsequential self-imposed deadline, stoked to get out of Salt Lake for the weekend.

Can’t say I was much help on the driving front, drifting in and out of consciousness for most of the trip, so Kosak manned the wheel and we made great time down to Beaver. We took one stop along the way, to fill up and stretch the legs at a gas station in Cove Fort. Highly recommend this place if you need to take a quick break on I-15 and don’t mind dead animals; the store doubles as something of a hunting museum, and the walls are plastered with an impressive collection of mounted deer and elk heads.

In Beaver, Route 125 spells the end of interstate boredom and leads east into Fishlake National Park. The road curves gently alongside an active creek, gaining elevation dramatically as it passes Mahogany Cove Campground and winds its way up and up into the Tushar Mountains.

Our first option for the weekend was based primarily on whether or not the Big John Flat Road was open, so we were glad to find the gate pushed back and the path fairly clear of snow. Toyota made it about a mile up the increasingly steep and snowy dirt road, before we decided it wasn’t worth pushing further and found an area to set camp. It was probably around 11:30am by the time we got on trail, no great rush to get anywhere. I thought we might be able to peak Mt Delano, depending on how much of the road was left to cover on foot… if nothing else, it would be good to explore the area and get an idea of terrain for the next day.

eagle's nest

Turned out we only covered about a mile of Big John Flat Road in the car, so we still had a solid two and a half miles or so before getting to Big John Flat. It’s a nice road, meandering like an unconcerned snake, setting a moderate and consistent uphill pace. Once we arrived at Big John Flat, a huge open meadow right at the base of Delano, we regretted not backpacking our stuff in and setting up a little base camp that would allow for an easier couple days of skiing (maybe next time).

Big John Flat

By the time we got to the ridge base, passing the Tushar Mountain Tours yurt and a couple decent low-elevation runs, we were well spent from a fairly challenging 3 mile approach. It took some self-convincing, and a whole bunch of “just get to the next patch of snow” to reach the summit. We both knew it would be ridiculous to put in such a big effort only to come up short of the peak, but there were definitely a few moments of “Fuck it… let’s just ski from here.” It was Matt K’s first 12K peak and I think we were both psyched to check the Tushar Range high point off the list.

yurt

on the ridge

Matt K. near the summit

Our concern at the top, without being able to see down the slope, was that the snow would stay firm when the run got steep, leaving us clinging to our edges and praying for no wind. That bit of apprehension was quickly abated and the run was surprisingly good – anxious up top with some teeth-chattering bumpy stuff, a few open butter turns down the steepest section, then some good corn to the bottom.

Mt. Delano and area skied

We came out way too low in Merchant Creek, and had to make a hot, agonizing climb back up to the ridge between the creek and Big John Flat. Fortunately the run from ridge to meadow was really enjoyable spring snow, making our navigation mistake somewhat worthwhile.

Back at camp, the sun started to set and we got a big fire going (limitless dry wood!). Matt did well to remember silverware, but neither of us thought of plates, or anything else to eat on, so we went caveman on a couple steaks… nothing quite like bare-handing a big fat ribeye after a long day in the backcountry. It was a good night of hot fire, cold beers, and stars. I woke up a couple times, blown away by how bright the moon was.

Temperatures plummeted overnight, and we woke up to a bitter 18 degrees. We warmed up in the car for a while, thawing toes and gathering the energy needed to get back out and start a fire. The sun finally rose over the trees, and we had a magnificent onion bagel, turkey sausage, and orange breakfast.

camp morning

big boy breakfast

Not much to report on Easter Sunday… took a couple runs at the closed Eagle Point Ski Resort up the road, and drove around some before heading back north. We passed the one liquor store in Beaver, a 20’ by 20’ shack with a big sign on the door, “Open Mondays!” We got lunch at a rest stop in nowhere Utah and it had a freaking exotic petting zoo. What the hell??? Llamas, ostriches, some other random animals, and a damn mini ZEBRA. Picture of the poor guy below.

power animal

3.26.2012: Pink Pine Ridge

trail: White Pine to Pink Pine Ridge
elevation: 7,700 feet (White Pine Trailhead) - 10,000 feet (Pink Pine)
total vertical: 3,800 feet

Enjoyable tour but poor snow up Pink Pine Ridge today.  Got dropped off at the White Pine lot without an agenda, just trying to get some work in and explore.  Scottie’s Bowl didn’t look inviting, so I pushed up onto Pink Pine for a couple laps.  

northeast face of Pink Pine

The first run was careful - a northeast-facing meadow shot, off the lower-elevation northern section of the ridge.  Everything about the ground was heavy and wet.  Each turn cut through the melted top layer and released as a slow, six inch-deep wet slab... snow lava.  It wasn't hard to stay ahead of the slough, but the pinwheels were a nuisance; small snowballs becoming large, snowman torso obstacles as they cascaded down the slopes.  

Touch and go on the initial steeps (not much fun), then a decent, but slow cruiser down to the skin track.  After getting back down to the White/Red Pine split, I still had a couple hours before getting picked up, so I climbed back up and walked as far along the ridge as I could.  

Definitely worth the trek!  It was a great chance to survey White Pine to the east and Red Pine to the west (picture below), in immaculate visibility.  I felt completely happy, challenging my navigation and nerves as I picked across the narrow, corniced ridge.  Always great to see Pfeifferhorn, the shark fin!

White Pine (left), Red Pine (right)

3.21.2012: Mt. Raymond

elevation: 7,120 feet (Butler Trailhead) - 10,200 feet (ridge of Mt. Raymond) - 7,000 (Mill A exit)
total vertical: 4,000 feet

A heavy, hot day climbing into Butler fork this afternoon.  Paid off with a nice signature on the otherwise blank east face of Raymond, and a fun, 800 foot or so, cementy tree run.  Only two bummers on the day - trying to get down the sticky, melting drainage (back to the road) was like trying to ride fly paper, and all the sunshine resulted in a pretty intense farmer's tan.

Mt. Raymond

track

3.15.2012: Moab

Just a couple pics from a great trip down to Moab.  We wandered around Arches and camped at Lower Drinks on the Colorado River.

Thanks to the Paull girls for letting me tag along!

3.11.2012: Cardiff

elevation: 8,720 feet (Alta Guard Station) - 10,277 feet (Cardiff Peak)
total vertical: 1,557 feet

Got funky spring chicken on Cardiff for a quick early afternoon lap.  It was good to start getting a feel for warming times and optimizing corn runs.  I forgot to flip the bruins cap around and lost it a quarter of the way down the bowl... ended up being for the best since the line I took after trudging back up to get it was much looser than the initial run.  Real warm and sunny for the climb and ride - a nice easy one lapper (one and a half lapper).

cardiff

We stopped at REI on the way home and I thought this McDonalds demolition architecture was pretty great.  I guess when you rip off McDonald's skin, you're left with a pretty rad, colored rib cage.

yeah buddy