10.18.09
Sunday hike: Grand Forest
After a few days of rain, the mushrooms are ponderous and prolific in the Grand Forest.
Mushroom, Anthropologie style: nice mix of ruffles and gorgeous delicate hue.
I saw a number of these inside-out fellows. They remind me of umbrellas in too stiff a wind, ribs to the sky.
This one is the most intriguing shade of metallic purple. You know, I’m coming around on purple lately.
And this meaty guy thinks he’s a ruffled oyster stranded far from the sea.
09.14.09
Old roses and warm blackberries
Yesterday we hiked the trail around Indian Island. The water is very clear and clean, the blackberries very ripe and ready. There are even some old woodpeckered apple trees with windfall skirts and lots more little apples. We picked some (astringent, tart) and sauced them later (with sugar and cinnamon, mmm).
08.23.09
Sigh, Mount Si
I’ll climb you again another day. We started out about 2pm this afternoon, with beautiful hiking weather (high 60s and overcast skies) and full water bottles.
One member of the posse just wasn’t up to the full climb, so we made it almost to the 2-mile mark before turning around and heading down again. The trail is only 4 miles long, up all the way, and really well-used by the friendliest hikers I’ve ever encountered.
One gentleman coming down as we were just starting out asked me if we were headed to the top with all three kids. “Yep. We’ll see if we make it,” I told him. He laughed gently, the kind of laugh that a gentleman with two hiking poles, Austrian hiking shorts and an Alpenclimber hat gives. “I’ve been on the trail since morning. Good luck!”
We’ll save some of that luck and use it again soon.
I didn’t take any great photos during the hike, but I think the way eyeglasses refract images is cool.
07.19.09
3 hikes in Utah
A moderate one, an easy one, and a fairly strenuous one.
First, Farmington Canyon. We hiked this as part of my family reunion; age span was 6 months to 56 years. I was surprised to find the landscape so green–Utah has gotten some out-of-season rain lately, and the canyons are really gorgeous right now.
Some interesting geology shows up in the boulders along the trail:
Since the trail is creekside, with a pretty little waterfall at one point, we had dragonfly companions.
As you hike back down, you can see the salt flats stretching out in the distance. The view reminded us of a Uzilevsky.
The second hike was a short flight of steps up the side of Big Cottonwood Canyon, undertaken with the goal of having dinner at the picnic table, and one of my favorite spots in the world: Moss Ledge.
On Wednesday, B., a brother-in-law, and I hiked Mt. Timpanogos beginning at the Aspen Grove trailhead. We started at 7 am and returned 7 1/2 hours later–going from sea level to 11,000 feet in a week took my breath away, quite literally. We didn’t quite make the summit because the snow field stretches across the trail near the peak, but we were quite close–and it was spectacular.
Mount Timpanogos as seen from the Aspen Grove trailhead.
Looking back from fairly low on the trail, you can see the Heber Valley and the Uintas. As you climb higher, Deer Creek Reservoir comes into view as well.
Waterfalls you can walk behind!
We got lucky–some of the mountain goats ventured fairly close to us.
Above the tree line, you get rocks and snowfields. But coming back down again, I took time to really notice the wildflowers absolutely bursting with color all over the mountain.
02.17.09
A Short Stay in San Francisco
If you drive down the Willamette Valley in February you’ll see lots of new little lambs in the fields, wagging their long tails and never too far from their mamas.
And here we have Baker Beach, just down the hill from C. and T. (thanks again for having us, guys!), where we started off a very full Saturday.
This is the cable car we rode (behind it is the restaurant where we lunched–their asparagus in oyster sauce was very, very good).
A mandatory visit to Boudin’s sourdough bakery:
While we looked at maps, architecture, oceans, and people, A. found mouse holes all over the city. Here’s one, sprouting a bit of mouse salad.
Along Fisherman’s Wharf (noisy, bustling) there was an oasis in the form of Franklin Bowles Gallery, which had a collection of Chagall lithographs. My favorite was Le Songe de Daphnis et les Nymphes.
On Sunday, we drove north of the city and visited Muir Woods.
It was raining pretty steadily, so the only clear photo I got was standing inside one of the giant redwoods and shooting upwards.
Funny that such a huge tree grows from this little thing that S’s holding:
01.03.09
New Year’s hike at First Water
New Year’s Day saw us hiking in Arizona’s Superstition Mountains. A few days after desert rains, there was still a fair amount of water along the trail. Here’s K. getting a closer look at the stream.
Here’s A. with cousin D.
Muppet cactus.
This one’s crossing his fingers for us.
11.30.08
Gazzam Lake in November
We’ve tramped the trail before, never reaching the lake for one reason or another. Today we walked the ring-like trail with the lake lying like a dark diamond in a beautiful setting. It took us about an hour to make the full loop, with time to take in the scents, sounds, and sights of a quiet shore in the depth of autumn.
Oh, and the kids didn’t miss the signs at the entrance advising us that bears, coyotes, and spotted owls have been sighted in the area. You can be sure that we heard lots of bears. Or at least a vibrant discussion on what exactly to do when confronted by a bear.
07.15.08
Bells Canyon, Utah
This hike was part of a family reunion this last weekend in Salt Lake City. Near Little Cottonwood Canyon, Bells Canyon is a steep climb up a sand and boulder staircase. The view is fantastic, as is the pristine reservoir.
The hike continues on up beyond where we stopped at the lower reservoir–it looked tempting!
12.09.07
Images from the Grand Forest
We made a grand foray into the Grand Forêt this afternoon, and it was beautiful as always. It’s like walking into a cathedral of trees, eyes drawn upward but also into the nooks and corners, and always with a sense of wonder. It was chilly today, cold enough to see our breath as we hiked and cold enough to make us gallop like Clydesdales coming back.
Aren’t these mushrooms amazing? They look like melted wax, shells, blown glass, flowers…
08.11.07
Outing: Gazzam Lake Park
To finish off S___’s birthday, we went for an exploratory hike at Gazzam Lake Park yesterday evening. The main trail head (which leads to the lake) was unfortunately blocked off–due to owl attacks, believe it or not! There are fledgling owls and some pretty protective mama owls along the trail, apparently.
As we were piling back into the minivan, a friendly father out with his daughter chatted with us about the trail closure. He pointed us in the direction of the Peters Trail, and we got our hike in after all!
We seemed to be the only ones hiking in the area, which was a probably a good thing, seeing as how Peters Trail is supposed to be a quiet trail, with a sign saying No cell phones, etc. Good thing it didn’t say No noisy kids! 
