Late Autumn Hike 2018

Autumn color is past. The brilliant reds of Rocky Mountain Maples and warm golden glow of aspens have come and gone, always, it seems, in too much of a hurry to go. Grays, ochres and russet tones dominate the landscape in this season.

Of course, any season can be good for hiking in the Wasatch Mountains. Last week I went for a hike in a nearby canyon. The weather that day was very pleasant, a little cool but not really cold. Higher up there was frost on the ground and small patches of snow in parts of the canyon that never see the sun this time of year. The higher peaks are snow capped.

When hiking, I try to always carry a few things I might need with me in a day pack. Things like water, snacks, compass, flashlight, knife, warmer clothes for when the weather turns colder, etc. These days, one of the things I try to always have with me is a camera. The images in this post were all taken during last week's hike.

First Meadow, Left Fork

Up near the top of the canyon the trail forks. Following the right fork, I came over a rise to see two large, dark animals in the path. Two cow moose blocked my way. When I took a couple more steps toward them, the larger moose laid her ears back. That's when I decided it was no longer my path and retreated a few steps. After one more look back at the moose, I decided to hike back the other way, away from the moose!

Moose

In case the above photograph isn't clear enough to easily see the moose, I've added something in the next photo to help point them out to you.

Returning to the fork, I then went up the left trail to a favorite meadow. There I ate some snacks I'd brought with me, drank some water and refilled my water bottle at a spring in the meadow. Wandering around the meadow I found a broken tine from a moose antler. I wondered if it had been broken off in a savage fight between two adult bull moose. 

Broken Moose Antler

A few years ago I was in this same meadow when I heard a loud grunt off to my right. I turned to see a huge bull moose coming off the mountainside and into the meadow. The moose was walking straight towards me! The moose would take a few steps, pause, then move a few steps closer. As He approached, he slowly tilted his head back and forth as if to draw attention to the massive antlers that adorned his head! Not waiting to see if and how the bull moose intended to use that rack, I quickly surrendered the meadow and headed back down the trail walking at a fast pace. 

There were no moose in the meadow when I was there last week, so I took my ease and enjoyed exploring the place. As I wandered around through some aspen trees I discovered some extensive carving on a couple of them. This one stated,

"I WILL CROSS THE GREAT DIVIDE    GARY TAYLOR   1871"

I can't verify the date carved at the bottom, nor do I know anything about the rest of the carved statement, but it was a mildly intriguing find.

A nearby tree had an even more extensive text scrawled into the bark. I'd imagine that any comment that began with the word "Yea" might be important. Unfortunately I couldn't make out what most of it said, so that Wasatch Mountain prophet's message is lost to me. Good luck if you think you can make it out. If you can, let me know in the comments, OK?

These three little figures were carved on the same tree. Maybe they have something to do with the message carved on the tree? 

Random Pics from Random Hikes in the Wasatch Front 2017

Paintbrush

Hiking has always been a very important part of my life. Going on walks in the woods, mountains, desert - anyplace wild - is beneficial physically and mentally, and in so many other ways.

The Dry Lower Slopes of the Wasatch Front

Right next to town are the Wasatch Mountains. A few canyons cut deep into the mountains, and are convenient places to begin hikes. The photos in this blog post are from a few of the hikes I've taken this year. To view larger images, click on the pictures.

Near the Mouth of the Canyon

I don't always take photos while hiking. When I do, it's with a cheap little Casio camera that is usually with the gear in my day pack. I have better cameras at home, but it's the Casio that goes with me on trips. If the camera should be accidentally dropped, lost, or otherwise die, it wouldn't be too great an expense to replace it. All of the photos in this post were taken with that little $60 camera.

Water on the Trail

The spring runoff was pretty heavy this year. Fast moving water cut the usually dry canyon trail in several places. A springtime hike included a number of stream crossings while trying to keep my feet dry.

Closer View of the Water in the Previous Picture.

Thick vegetation covers some areas of the canyon bottom. Above that rise towering cliffs.

Wildlife commonly seen in the canyon include mule deer, bighorn sheep, and sometimes moose. I've seen elk sign in the canyon but have yet to see live elk.

Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies were common in the canyon this year.

Over halfway up the canyon trail you begin to get views of mountains rising above 11,000 feet in elevation.

Lizards are the most frequently seen reptiles in the canyon, but snakes are also often seen. I've met a number of rattlesnakes, and in spite of a couple alarming experiences we've always parted company peacefully. Also common are nonvenomous snakes; gopher snakes, racers, and - surprisingly - rubber boas.

It's not a giant earthworm -it's a rubber boa!

The upper end of the canyon opens up into meadows surrounded by evergreens and aspen trees, and wide open views.

Near one meadow I discovered a good sized aspen tree with very interesting claw marks on it. The claw marks were quite large. Similar marks were also found on a nearby tree. Could the marks have been made by a bear climbing the trees? The marks were rather old, but still encouraged vigilance on my part.

The claw marks go quite a ways up.

In another canyon later in the year I found this. It's not what I'd call pleasant accommodations. It looks like it should have trolls living in it. 

The top of this canyon also opens up into wonderful views of high mountains.

Provo Peak viewed from the north.

Imposing cliffs of Cascade Mountain.

The following photographs are a mix from a couple different canyons. Which canyons doesn't matter for my purposes here. I think this post will be about hiking and just being out in the wild more than it is about any particular place.

There are fascinating views of impressive mountain geology all around during these hikes, but there's much to see closer up, and on a smaller scale.

A Gnarly Rocky Mountain Maple Tree

Mud Wasp Nest?

High up on a cliff I saw this. Below the initials "LW" are reddish concentric circles and other marks. Are the reddish images ancient Indian rock art?

Among all the bigleaf raspberry plants I found one raspberry. I ate it.

Late summer wildflowers, including asters, growing by the trail in abundance.

Following are more views from Wasatch Range canyon hikes. The first one is a similar view to one shown earlier, but photographed later in the year, after most of the snow had melted.

Thanks for checking out my blog. Hope you liked it! Finally I'll leave you with this picture of me enjoying time spent in a Wasatch Mountain canyon.