I first hiked Timp on Labor Day 2009. And it totally kicked my butt. I had terrible, year-old, $20 shoes from Payless with absolutely no traction and I did it on 1 1/2 hours of sleep. Going up wasn't too bad but coming down was painful with every step. On our descent, we slid down on the snow field just East of the summit. I was unable to control my speed so I went flying down the hard and rocky snow screaming in terror for my life. By the end I was bleeding, my shorts were ripped and completely ruined, my muscles were sore from struggling to grasp anything to stop myself, and I was completely shaken up. I definitely wouldn't recommend that method of descent.
This year's hike went much better. For one thing, I was prepared and I knew what to expect. I now own proper shoes (it's amaing the difference proper shoes can make) and I had a little more sleep. (Only three hours, but still an improvement.) We began our hike at 3:30 AM and this time we took the Timpanooke Trail (last time we took the Aspen Grove Trail) and it was fun to see some different, but also incredibly gorgeous, terrain. The scariest part of the hike this time was not on our way down but rather, on our way up. The trail crossed a large patch of snow that rested in a dip in between two hills on the mountainside with no other way around. At the bottom of the snow patch was a steep drop that, if one were to fall off of, would result in tremendous injury and possibly even death. Snow is slick, especially when it's well-packed and old. (It was especially slick for my dad who insists on hiking in flip flops.) Once across the patch of snow, if a hiker were to look back, he or she would realize that there was another peril beside the drop that they didn't notice before: some of the snow terrain that was just crossed was only a foot thick or less. This part of the hike was very terrifying to me, particularly by night. After my family and I got across, we saw one hiker slip ten or so feet down the slick face of snow towards the drop--totally terrifying! She made it across OK but it was freaky to watch her stuggle.
Thin snow similar to the one described above--so thin that it collapsed My dad's feet
Once again, I was completely stunned by the beauty of the this mountain. Beautiful trees, rivers, and waterfalls on the lower parts followed by steep rock faces and shale rock slides on the ascent up to the meadow. In the meadow, there are vast amounts of wild flowers in every color of the rainbow followed by more rock face cliffs and then the saddle where nearly all of Utah Valley plus parts of Salt Lake Valley spread before you. After the saddle, the hike is very steep, the cliff face eroded into stairs. The final part is one of the toughest not only because of the quick altitude gain, but also due to the thin air. But it's all worth it when, finally, you reach the summit of Mount Timpanogos, the pinnacle of the hike where you have great views in many directions and, if you're lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it) you might just encounter a few snow flurries as we did. Two years ago I said I'd never attempt this hike again but just a few weeks after our hike, as my body began to heal, it was this very beauty that I describe here that drew me back again. And after my second hike, I'm pretty sure I'm addicted! I love this hike! There's not much else like it and it's completely exhilerating.
On our way back, we didn't slide down the glacier but just walked. We were amazed with how much quicker we got down and with how much better the hike went. The glacier is definitely not the way to go--don't ever do it! Last time, every step on the way down hurt so much! This time I was tired but really my biggest concern was that I needed to go to the bathroom. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment