Early May Hike - Dry Hills

This Post returns to the theme of hiking in the West Desert. 

Looking Back Down the Trail, Towards Mt. Nebo.

Early in May I traveled to the south end of Goshen Canyon to visit an area I'd seen before but never hiked. This place might seem unimpressive in comparison with much more spectacular mountains not far away (such as shown in the first two images of this post), but it has qualities all it's own. The West Desert is an important part of the diversity of landscape that exists here in the Intermountain West. I had explored the eastern ridge above the canyon a couple weeks before. The plan this trip was to climb and walk the higher, more extensive western ridge.

Closer View of Mt. Nebo.

The western ridge provides spectacular views in every direction. Hiking up the trail towards the ridge, I frequently paused to look back across Juab Valley at Mt. Nebo, which rises to nearly 12,000 feet above sea level. The ridge I would be hiking this day is not nearly so high, rugged, cold and daunting as those snow capped peaks. Compared to climbing Nebo, my hike that day was rather easy. Maybe another day, Nebo!

Higher Up the Ridge.

Upon reaching the ridge line, I left the trail and headed higher. By this time I was reminded that gnat season was in full swing as no-see-ums mounted a close assault on me. Mosquitoes joined the attack. I dug through my daypack and found a small spray bottle of insect repellent. Applying the repellent pretty much ended the no-see-um's onslaught. The mosquitoes, however, were not impressed and continued to press their attacks.

A creek flows through the canyon, but the hills and ridges around the canyon are dry. That dryness shows in the pale, greyed colors of trees, grass and rocks. This time of year, though, the drab colors of the hills and ridges are punctuated here and there with bright red blossoms of cactus. The surprisingly intense red of the cactus flowers contrasts dramatically with the subdued hues of the surrounding landscape.

Blooming Cactus

More Cactus

Yet More Cactus

There's not a lot of other wild flowers on these hillsides. Those that are in bloom are small, and could easily be overlooked by unobservant passers by. No other flora here even approaches the brilliance of the cactus flowers, but as far as I'm concerned, all of it deserves a hiker's notice.

Once away from the immediate area of the creek, it seems the only species of tree on these hills is juniper. One of the reasons, and probably the main one, for how sparse the trees are on these hills is because of wildfires that occasionally sweep the area.

Fire Killed Tree

 The ridge I walked was a series of peaks and saddles that gradually rose higher the farther north I traveled. The geology of the ridge where I hiked up seem to reveal some granite and basalt. As I headed north along the ridge, the rock formations became limestone and sandstone. 

All along the ridge I could hear the clear, brilliant songs of meadowlarks. At one ridgeline pass I was surprised by a flock of seagulls flying from Goshen Valley and apparently headed toward Mona Lake in Juab Valley. The seagulls cleared the pass by just a few yards directly in front of me, dipping and whirling and banking as they flew.

The Top?

On one of the highest peaks along this stretch of the ridge was an important looking marker. The pile of rocks and flag seem to suggest that this peak has some significance. I have no idea what that significance might be, or even if the peak has a name, but I did feel welcomed when I walked around to the other side of the flag.

"Welcome!"

The next picture shows the view looking north from the peak. The snow capped mountains in the far distance are, from left to right: Lone Peak, Mt. Timpanogos, Cascade Mountain, and Provo Peak. The closer peak at the left in the picture was my goal for the hike.

Looking North

Here's a view from the same spot of the southern end of Goshen Valley.

A View into Goshen Valley

Looking directly south, I could see much of the ridge I had just walked, and a lot more ridges I haven't walked - yet.

Looking Back the Way I Had Come.

Leaving that peak, the ridge took me across another saddle and over a peak that had widely scattered juniper trees growing on it. It's one of the very few places directly on the ridge that had any trees at all. Down a wash on the western side of the ridge I could hear a batch of chukar partridges chatting among themselves.

The Next-to-the-Last peak on the Ridge.

Hiking beyond that, I finally made it to the end of the ridge. The last peak was marked with a scraggly-looking pole that was slowly loosing what I think were it's guy wires. The pole may have had a flag on it at one time, but looked like it would make a better lightning rod than flagpole.

End of the Ridge, But Not the Hike...

Walking around to the other side of the marker I looked down the end of the ridge. Two golden eagles were in a dead tree on the other side, just below the peak. Startled by my sudden appearance right above them, they took flight. The eagles soared back and forth a hundred or so yards from me. I tried to take a couple pictures of them, but the pics didn't turn out.

I really wanted to stay and watch the eagles but mosquitoes were becoming intolerable. I was killing mosquitoes on my arms, sometimes three or four per swat. Also, the sun was just above the mountains to the west, and it would be dark soon. I headed down the mountainside to find a way back to my car. Farther down the slope I crossed a small ridge and traveled into a little valley where I saw a herd of mule deer. It was fully night by the time I crossed another small ridge on my way out of that valley. I hiked in the dark looking for a dirt road I believed was in the area. If I found it, it should lead me back to where the car was parked. As I walked farther down the mountainside I heard a coyote begin to yap and howl in the hills just across the canyon. Finally I found the road. From there I walked in the dark along the dusty road playing a game I call, "Where The Heck Did I Park The Car?!" I can't say it's always a fun game. I don't know how far I walked - by this time it seemed a lot longer than it probably was - but I eventually arrived at my car. From there it was down the dirt trail to pavement, and then, back home.