In recent years, my family has hiked together every summer, a tradition initiated mostly by me. Before school commenced this fall, one last trek was requested by some of our kin. That hike ended up being Bald Mountain in the Uintas. Due to some health emergencies and unforeseen laziness, our group got condensed. Regardless, it was a fantastic outing with entertaining company, memorable refreshments, and gorgeous views.
Even the youngest among us handled our uphill battle brilliantly.
Bald Mountain is a quick hike, its 11,942-foot apex notwithstanding. Only 2.6 miles and 1,145 feet of elevation separate trekkers from its flat top. It took us about three or four hours to make the complete journey.
Bald is beautiful.
What’s a hike without some shenanigans?
Once we reached the summit, we were in no hurry to leave. The views were spectacular with over 20 lakes and the points of the Uintas’ majestic zeniths encircling us. The only downside to the top? Despite the beautiful August day, temperatures were in the 40s and a 20 MPH wind kept zinging us.
Boys just want to build forts.
Although climbing Bald Mountain requires less effort than the average ascension, it still has its downers… way downers.
Exploring strange new worlds is kind of my thing… well, mine and Captain Kirk’s. I loved checking out Provo River Falls on our return drive. These falls look so much like stairs it’s hard to believe they were made by nature and not a work crew. I didn’t even know that Provo River had waterfalls. Look what I’ve learned!
The upper portion of Provo River Falls looks manufactured at first glance.
We stopped at Oakley’s Road Island Diner on our way home. Its yummy shakes and sandwiches were an integral part of my trail-bribing scheme, a successful stratagem. Our drive back became a “name that tune” war. Little-known gems from the 80s and 90s were played in succession as we all tried to prove our knowledge of obscure and archaic music.
We all splashed into Provo River.
This is just one of the falls’ many flourishes.
Bald Mountain was a fine excursion indeed. I’m a happy camper when I’m in the mountains… even when I’m not camping.
We had an eventful weekend recently filled with unrelated points of interest: chocolate, magic, and mountains.
Yes, Jason was on the run.
On Friday, we went to Taste with Jason’s parents as a birthday treat. As its name suggests, Taste is a place for tasting fine foods with pinky fingers up. Evaluating different types of high-end chocolate was a treat!
Expedious Momentum!
Nope, I’m not too cool for this.
On Saturday, we participated in the Muggles Battle Cancer 5K. We created quick, and reasonably-breathable, costumes for this event using what we had on hand. Jason’s Death Eater tattoo was impressive for a two-minute Sharpie job. It was over 90 degrees when we started this race, so it might have more appropriately been named Muggles Battle Heatstroke. Perspiro Maxima!
Our hiking band included some little rookies.
Below Sunset Peak, Brighton’s lakes formed a string of shimmering circles.
On Sunday, we hiked to Sunset Peak with some of my family members via Lake Mary, Lake Martha, and Lake Catherine. Getting to Lake Catherine takes a 2.2-mile trek. From there, it’s a little over a mile to the top of Sunset Peak. If you are a math whiz, you can add that up to be about 3.3 miles each way or 6.6 miles total. You whiz! Somehow, our distance summed to 7.6 miles, presumably from sidetracks to Dog Lake and around shorelines. I’m going to blame that extra mile for the extra hour it took us to complete this hike. Five hours was the estimate, but we required six.
Wildflowers added a delicate dash of color to Brighton’s terrain.
The air was murky during our climb because of particulates blown in from the California and Oregon wildfires. Sunset Peak still provided inspiring views from its 10,648 feet, but some of the surrounding beauty was concealed in a veil of haze.
Sunset Peak rose above hillsides dimmed by smoke.
It was a varied weekend with a little something for the mouth, the eyes, and the heart.
Jason and I have gotten in the habit of taking trips with my parents and sister every summer. I guess we like each other enough not to seek a cure for this habit. My sister suggested we visit Durango this year and that’s how we found ourselves there a few months later.
No frame is too antiquated for me.
Jason and I have a different vacation style than many members of my family; we are ever ready to discover new places and try new things while others prefer just chilling. Fortunately, we rented a lovely home that made relaxation and exploration simultaneously possible.
Cliff Palace is the largest cliff dwelling in North America.
The Durango fire, known officially as the 416 Fire, started just days before our excursion. It made the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad inoperable and tourist destinations like Purgatory inaccessible. We didn’t waste time crying over spilled embers though.
The tunnel Balcony House’s tour crawls through is 12 feet long and 18 inches wide.
Our first day in Durango, we shopped on its adorable Main Ave and squeezed in a trip to Aztec Ruins National Monument in New Mexico. Aztec Ruins, despite its name, has nothing to do with the Aztecs. (Those silly Spaniards thought every native was an Aztec.) Instead of Aztecs, Ancestral Puebloans were the monument’s former inhabitants. Over a thousand years ago, these people created this sophisticated community near the Animas River. I was surprised by the refined design elements incorporated into their structures. At Aztec, unlike other ruins, you can actually go through a number of the site’s 400+ rooms. It definitely merits the drive from Durango and is different than what you see at Mesa Verde.
Balcony House consists of 38 rooms and two kivas.
The Balcony House tour is Mesa Verde’s most extreme. A 32-foot ladder is just one of its adventurous challenges.
No trip to Durango would be complete without investigating Mesa Verde National Park. We spent a day there; we could have easily spent a couple more. We did the Cliff Palace and Balcony House tours. Cliff Palace was physically difficult for some members of our group and Balcony House was a heights challenge for others; I’m A-OK with adrenaline spikes and muscle contractions when timeless curiosities are involved. We also drove along the Mesa Top Loop to sift through hundreds of years of the Ancestral Pueblo civilization’s evolving architecture.
We watched lightning flash a tantrum above Spruce Tree House’s quiet alcove.
After our packed day in Mesa Verde, some members of our group needed a breather. That breather came in the form of escaping from a room at Conundrum, painting nails, and binge-watching Stranger Things.
Silliness is contagious.
Our last day in Durango began with a hike in the San Juan Mountains on the Colorado Trail. The Colorado Trail crosses 500 miles of the state’s rugged terrain. We took it long enough to cross the Junction Creek bridge, about 5.5 miles. It was a bit muggy that morning, but the creek provided some toe-dipping diversions.
You can never have too much mountain.
Although the ride home would have been wearing enough on its own, Jason and I made several not-entirely-on the-way stops in route that extended our travel time further and resulted in a return after 2:00 AM. We checked out Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, a stretching preserve that contains the highest concentration of archeological sites in the U.S. Over 6,000 have been recorded within its borders and a total of over 30,000 has been estimated. We visited its Anasazi Heritage Center, along with the Dominguez, Escalante, and Lowry Pueblos. Lowry Pueblo was our favorite of these. On Lowry’s windy plateau, we ate a peaceful picnic of salsa and chips while the stones of a remote civilization hummed a quiet history.
A two-mile walk around Little Ruin Canyon reveals many intricate structures like Hovenweep Castle.
Our last stop was Hovenweep National Monument. Although a bit isolated, Hovenweep was both a curious and astonishing marvel! There, tall towers of remarkable complexity pack the rim of a small canyon like a prehistoric city block. These structures look almost medieval with their turrets and defensive positions along the ravine’s brim. Many were constructed so close to the canyon’s cliffs that chunks of them have crumbled into that gully over time.
Most of the structures in Hovenweep’s Little Ruin Canyon were constructed in precarious spots along its edge. Overtime, many have lost pieces to the valley floor.
Durango was a historic trip with many historic moments. We witnessed the remains of some remarkable cultures, got my sister hooked on Stranger Things, and got my mom to play a board game. (Say what?) We also got a hint of the power behind the 416 Fire as smoke infiltrated the air and ash drifted down on our heads. Dang Durango!
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