Login

Eat, Zip, Climb

Once a year, you get a day older but receive credit for a whole year of maturity. It’s not quite right, but the discrepancy comes with some perks. The festivities for my birthday this year took me from my backyard to the top of a mountain and from speeds above 35 MPH to under one. Yes, birthdays can be a beautiful blend of diverse delights… and endurance training.

Olympic leftovers
In 2002, the ski jumping, bobsled, luge, and skeleton competitions were all held at the Utah Olympic Park. It still serves as a main training site.

My birthday occurs during a busy time of the summer. Therefore, it often gets forgotten amidst travel and holiday plans. Those who make it a priority gain elite status in my heart. My sister is one of those. In the days leading up to my birthday, she took me and some of the other family females out to brunch. Then, her clan came over for a backyard meal around a cozy fire.

Kessler Peak
Kessler Peak is situated between Mineral Fork and Cardiff Fork.

Jason is the ultimate birthday spoiler, though perhaps not the ultimate cook. He bravely attempted to make some sort of cinnamon bun from scratch for my birthday breakfast without any of my help. The recipe was labeled easy online but will never receive that designation from him. They turned out more puck than bun. He consulted his friendly household food scientist afterward, and the problem was quickly deciphered. He had substituted volumetric measurements for weight measurements. I appreciated his thoughtful gesture even if I didn’t consume too much of the outcome.

God's Lawnmower
God’s Lawnmower, a ribbon that runs the length of the entire north side of the mountain, is a notorious avalanche area that regularly claims lives.

Dense buns weren’t Jason’s only birthday plan. He took me to the Utah Olympic Park for a tour of the facility and a zip line tour. I loved learning about the history and operations of this venue, which was built for the 2002 Winter Olympics. Isn’t all new knowledge fascinating?

a relic of prospecting
Mining in the Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons occurred between 1867 and 1976 with silver and lead being the primary minerals of interest. This miner’s shelter is a remnant of those days.

The zip lines at the Utah Olympic Park make use of the gully the park is situated in, zooming seven times across its gap. The first line is the longest at about 1,500 feet and moves fast enough to make your eyes water. Other lines range between 550 and 800 feet in length. My birthday was a busy day for the park. Even though we had a reservation, we had to wait about 45 minutes to get on the first line. After that, the zipping zipped. The zip line system at Utah Olympic Park isn’t as sophisticated as some of the others we’ve been on. You have to grab a rope on the adjacent line as you come in. If you miss it, let’s just say you will feel rather silly about the amount of effort required for the line operator to heave you in. Maybe not high-tech but still high fun.

excavation remains
You pass two mine shafts heading up Kessler, the second of which is a direct drop.

The next day, Jason correctly guessed I’d appreciate a magnificent challenge as part of my annual reminder of our ever-aging state. For what better way to feel like a babe than ascending a 30-million-year-old rock? In Kessler Peak, we thought we had a short trek. Kessler Peak is one of the most prominent mountains in Big Cottonwood Canyon at 10,403 feet, but the trail to its apex is only 2.3 miles each way. An online guide we read said this journey takes 5-7 hours to complete. We got a good laugh out of that. Seven hours to hike 4.6 miles? What a joke! It took us six hours and 55 minutes. I guess the joke is on us. Fortunately, since we started at 2:45 PM, we only had to use headlamps to light the last 10 minutes of our expedition.

maximum outlooks
The top of Kessler Peak supplies ample views of the Uintas, Hidden Peak, Mount Raymond, and Clayton Peak.

Why the dawdling pace of less than a mile an hour? This path climbs over 2,900 feet. With a grade of 79% for long stretches, it takes more time to go down in some places than up. The last 1.5 miles are particularly sheer and unforgiving.

a symbolic conquest
If you can conquer a peak on your birthday, you aren’t older than dirt yet.

What did we think of the hike? The view from the summit is remarkable and our favorite of the peaks we’ve climbed in Big Cottonwood Canyon. However, although the trail is easy to follow, there are no signs indicating you are on the right path. I’d not recommend this hike without a downloaded map that includes GPS as some offshoots are more worn than the main route. A branch 1.8 miles from the trailhead, which leads nowhere, baffled us. Without the help of a map, we might have been wandering the hillsides clueless for quite a while.

an imperiled perimeter
Kessler Peak was by no means the most daunting mountain we’ve summited, but we still had a few nervous moments on its exposed edges.

My birthday this year held memorable activities, people, settings, and workouts. Many thanks to my considerate and adventurous husband and thoughtful family members for the assorted commemorations of another obligatory trip around the sun.

Rachel December 30, 2021 No Comments

Bluffing

With vaccinations lifting restrictions last spring, my family was eager to spend some closer-than-six-feet time together. Therefore, my sister suggested we all assemble somewhere in southeastern Utah. After some research and a bit of random selection, we ended up in Bluff for this last-minute excursion. Though you probably haven’t heard of this Utah speck, maybe my post will convince you too to do a little bluffing.

Natural Bridges
In 1908, Natural Bridges was designated a national monument making it Utah’s first contribution to the national park system.

Although Bluff is a small town with only about two hundred residents, it is situated amidst grandeur and opportunities for adventure. While busier than its size might suggest, it is far from being a hub of tourism, which we appreciated.

Sipapu
All three bridges at Natural Bridges formed from an entrenched meander system.
Horse Collar Ruin
Horse Collar Ruin is well-preserved and unique.

We went to Natural Bridges National Monument our first day in the area. Due to its remote location, Natural Bridges gets fewer guests than its magnificence deserves, which makes for an even pleasanter visiting experience for those willing to wander way out. Jason and I have been to Natural Bridges before, and the trail we took was mostly a repeat, but we noticed more archeological sites, pictographs, and petroglyphs in White Canyon this time. From granaries high on the canyon walls to those accessible in hidden places, we were shocked by how much we had missed on our first visit. We had planned on hiking the full loop between Sipapu and Owachomo Bridges, but my dad fell and pulled his hamstring not long after we stopped at Horse Collar Ruin, about two or so miles into our trek. He was in horrible pain and struggling to walk, so most of our group took the trail to the top of the canyon after Kachina Bridge to aid him. Jason and I continued with a couple of the bolder kids through Armstrong Canyon to Owachomo Bridge. A vehicle awaited us at Owachomo, cutting our trek down to 6.6 miles. Thanks for a three-mile minivan shortcut Sis!

undetected edifices
Natural Bridges contains many undamaged and practically whole prehistoric structures, most of which remain undetected by hikers.
Kachina
Kachina Bridge is more mass than grace and is still being worn by flood waters.

With an injured father, we decided the best activity option for the next day was checking out Valley of the Gods. Valley of the Gods is a basin full of odd shapes and towering buttes created out of Cedar Mesa sandstone over the span of 250 million years. As it is basically a drive with about a dozen or so stops, it is a perfect place to take a stubborn father with a leg injury so he can enjoy the outdoors without straining himself further. Thanks Mother Nature for your kind consideration of wounded pops!

Owachomo
Owachomo Bridge is in the late stages of its life and is no longer being eroded by flowing water.
Castle Butte
Valley of the Gods is a smaller, and much less popular, version of Monument Valley.
Setting Hen Butte
This photo can only be explained by the nearness of Setting Hen Butte and the exhilaration of long-overdue family nearness.

Since we were just a few minutes from Gooseneck State Park, we dropped by after exploring Valley of the Gods. Gooseneck State Park gives an excellent view of the San Juan River as it flows over six miles while only moving 1.5 miles west. This is one of the best examples of an entrenched meander anywhere in North America. If you don’t understand what an entrenched meander is, I’d recommend watching the 2 Minute Geology clip on the subject via YouTube.

Gooseneck State Park
At Gooseneck State Park, 1000 feet of rock is revealed. Those 16 layers date back 300 million years.
Alhambra Rock
Alhambra Rock, a relic of ancient volcanism, can be seen from Gooseneck State Park.

Before heading home the next day, we stopped at Edge of the Cedars State Park. This place features the largest collection of Ancestral Puebloan pottery in the region, a restored kiva you can enter, and a partially excavated village. While not as impressive as nearby Hovenweep National Monument, the museum at Edge of the Cedars contains plenty of information and noteworthy artifacts to merit a visit.

Solar Marker
This interesting sculpture at Edge of the Cedars transforms on the winter solstice.

The landscapes and historical relics were captivating near Bluff but hanging out with my family was more so. After we’d spent over a year meeting at parks and chatting from a distance, we got to cram uncomfortably into vehicles and sit at tables together! Our joy at the normalcy of our outing was almost overwhelming. We occupied our evenings sitting around fires chatting and giggling. My family is amazing because we readily laugh and joke around, yet we are still fully willing to have meaningful, serious conversations. More than the majestic bridges and buttes, I will remember the exquisite reconnection.

Rachel November 2, 2021 No Comments

You Widdewey Wabbit!

Easter in 2020 was weird. The Easter bunny left things way out in the street since he wasn’t comfortable getting any closer. This year, it was less strange while still being nonstandard, but Jason and I made holiday glucose spikes possible through a few enigmatic modifications. Let me sugar coat and nougat fill the tale for you.

Like most of you, Jason and I thought everything would be so normal by this Easter that kids would be crawling over each other for a Tootsie Roll. We were wrong. Although some sections of my family were fully vaccinated before Easter, for obvious reasons the kiddos were not amongst those. Therefore, we felt a hunt where all social distancing would be discarded in the name of honeyed loot was not the best idea. The two of us came up with another option no less sugar laden.

We stuffed colorful baskets with plenty of candy from several high-end and thematic sources and provided a variety of gift cards from which each kid could pick. For the record, I don’t think the children would have noticed if their candy came from the seamy end of a Styrofoam plant, as long as it was sugar infused.

sweets stuffed
Our nieces and nephews received as many sweets as we could stuff.

What to do about the golden eggs? Usually, the golden eggs are the most coveted portion of the hunt as there are only a few of them, and they contain cash. Last year, we took pictures of the eggs in hiding, and the kids had to find them in photo form to receive them in non-picture format. This year, we did riddle solving via a custom-made online survey to decide who got golden. The winners still had to select an egg from those available with limited knowledge of contents. Each egg contained $5-$40, but we increased that spread from 25 cents to 50 dollars when we reported it to the kids, which had the desired impact of making them more nervous about picking than necessary.

The Easter Bunny made our nieces and nephews both excited and uneasy this year, as he should, and he made Jason and I puzzled over how to provide gooey, sticky, sweetened treasures without providing COVID contact. I think we riddled it out.

Rachel August 5, 2021 No Comments
 Categories

Recent Posts

Recent Comments
Blogroll