This view is from near the beginning of the trail. As we pulled around and saw the mountain from this angle, draped in white, we all pretty much realized making the summit would be a long shot.
Lot's of cows up there.... on the way down we ran into some old-school cowboys on horseback driving some in.
I now know that what looks like a dusting on the mountain top from down below can actually be a couple feet of deep, icy blown snow on top. We made it to the first (and lowest) of the mountain's several peaks, and it was quite a trudge to get there. We had plenty of warm gear as far as jackets gloves and hats, but we only had low-cut hiking shoes and no winter alpine gear (crampons, axes etc) and even then it would have been pretty sketchy, so we called it good right there.
Really cool how it was still pretty much summer in the low valley, full-color autumn in the high country, and full-on winter on the mountain-top.
It was arctic-cold and windy up there (I think the lowest temp we saw was 26 degrees F, but we didn't even check at the peak). We found a spot just a few feet below the peak where the rocks blocked the wind and had some self brewed coconut curry hot cocoa-- which turned out pretty good and really hit the spot up there.
I think we made the right choice in not trying for the true summit...
Wow, gorgeous shots as always, Sam! Is this close to where you guys live?
ReplyDeleteThanks! Yeah, less than an hour. It's the southern most mountain in Utah Valley. There is a really pretty drive you can take all the way around the backside of Nebo, lots of golden aspens right now and tons of good little spots for camping and exploring back there... we started this hike about halfway around that loop.
ReplyDeleteSam, these are great! They make me miss the mountains and the seasons a lot.
ReplyDeletewow! I am assuming by "we" you mean you and isaac? I'm totally impressed! ..and more than a little jealous of the many hikes you have surrounding you. I think my favorite pic is the one of your backpack and water bottle sitting in the snow with the gorgeous background.
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