AN UNEXPECTED
VACATION
In
early September, I found out that I’d be traveling to Salt Lake City, Utah for
work. My boss had been promising me a
one-week break for some time, so I asked if I could have it the week after the
Utah trip. He agreed, and I decided to
spend my free week playing in Utah.
My
job in Utah was scheduled for the last week of September, so I’d be taking my
trip the first week of October. I was
hoping that timing would coincide with the peak of fall color in the mountains. However, I planned to focus most of my trip
on southern Utah. After spending 4
weeks in the Canadian Rockies over the summer, I was looking forward to a
dramatic change in scenery.
Christy
and I had traveled to Utah several years earlier. On that trip, we visited Arches National Park, Canyonlands
National Park, Anasazi ruins on the Cedar Mesa, and Little Wild Horse Canyon
near the San Rafael Swell. Since I’d
already been to southeast Utah, I decided explore the other side of the
state. I planned out a route that would
take me to Grand Staircase / Escalante National Monument, Bryce National Park,
and Zion National Park.
WHY HAVE JUST
ONE?
Today’s trip
report was brought to you by the color gold.
I
finished my work by 3pm on Friday.
Since I had a few hours, I decided to drive up into the mountains and
look for some fall color. I had already
seen quite a bit on the flight into Salt Lake City from Dallas. We flew right over the Sangre De Cristo
Mountains in southern Colorado. The
slopes of the mountains were painted gold from all of the aspens. We even flew right over Great Sand Dunes
National Park. The sand dunes are
tucked up against the western flank of the mountains. From 40,000 feet, it looked like a giant sandbox in the shadow of
14,000’ peaks. If a giant bucket and
shovel had been sitting in the middle of the dunes, it wouldn’t have looked out
of place.
At
the end of the flight, we flew directly over the Wasatch Mountains and into
Salt Lake City. The slopes of these
mountains were colored red. Now it was
only four days later, and I was hoping that the color would still be there.
I
had visited REI a few days earlier to buy stove fuel. While I was there, I asked them for a suggestion for a scenic
drive. They had recommended Mill Creek
Canyon, which is just southeast of Salt Lake City. I drove that way, and paid $2.25 to access the “toll road” into
the National Forest. I climbed up
through the canyon, passing numerous trailheads along the way. I didn’t see much red color except among
some shrubs. However, towards the upper
end of the road, I began to encounter aspens turned gold. Just when it was getting good, I reached the
end of the road. I parked, but I wasn’t
ready to head back down yet. I wanted a
better look at the aspens.
Several
trails leave from the upper parking area.
I decided to walk up one a little ways to see if I could find a better
look at the fall foliage. All I carried
was my camera. As I walked, views
opened up to include the canyon below and the mountainsides above. Every few feet brought more color. This is how I accidentally ended up hiking 3
miles on Friday. Before long, I reached
a junction with a sign indicating that I had already walked more than a
mile. Another trail looped back to the
parking lot, and that route was only ½ mile farther. I still had plenty of daylight, so I opted to complete the loop.
The
people of Salt Lake City seem to make good use of the recreational
opportunities right in their back yards.
I saw people hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking. In fact, there were so many people mountain
biking, it was a challenge to dodge them at times.
I
reached another junction, where a trail heading higher promised better views
and color. I walked up it ¼ mile but
found only limited views. I backtracked
to the junction, but continued ahead on a spur trail to the top of a knob. This peak was mostly open, and the views
were stunning. I found myself looking
up at higher peaks, draped in gold.
I’ve seen some good fall color in the Appalachians, but this was
amazing.
I
hurried back down to the car, as I still needed to get groceries and pack for
my trip. I stopped at an Albertsons for
supplies. While I was in the store, a
six-pack of beer caught my eye. The
package featured a picture of a guy surrounded by several women. The name of the beer was “Polygamy
Porter”. It’s slogan? “Why have just one”. This would be funny anywhere, but being in
Utah made it hysterical. Considering
that the Mormons would probably love to give Prohibition another try, it’s a
hoot seeing the local brewery antagonize them a little.
Back to Utah
Back to Hiking and Backpacking Trip Reports
Please remember to Leave No Trace!