Uinta National Forest - Big Baldy Peak Loop - May 29, 2010 - Member Trip Report
| Hike Name: | Uinta National Forest - Big Baldy Peak Loop |
|---|---|
| Country: | United States |
| State: | Utah |
| Trip Rating: |  |
| Trip Date: | May 29, 2010 |
| Duration: | 5 hours, 30 minutes |
| Trail Conditions: | Fair to Good |
| Trail Traffic: | Light |
| Trip Weather: | Partly Cloudy |
| Trip Winds: | Moderate |
| Trip Precipitation: | None |
| Trip Temperature: | High: 51-60, Low: 21-30 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Trip Report: | I started this day at one of the trailheads to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, and hiked up a couple of hundred feet over 0.7 miles to the Dry Canyon Trailhead. The trail starts right out from the Dry Canyon trailhead with steps -- not easy for anybody with short legs as the steps are rather high. In the first half mile, the trail is beautifully maintained and is a joy to hike. It passed through several towering rock cliffs and is mostly open or in oak scrub. After the first half mile, I passed the Curley Springs trail junction and at that point the Dry Canyon Trail became less steep. The next 2 miles grew difficult, however, as the uphill grade never relented. Gradually, the trail passed through oak scrub, into a maple forest that is so thick you can see little around you except the trees. For me, it seemed like an endless uphill, and without being able to see the pass above or anything because of the woods, it was hard to keep pushing on without a goal in sight. Also, in these woods, the trail increasingly showed the signs of heavy use, being worn down by 2 feet or more in many places. Finally, the trail opened up a bit and the highest ridge could be seen. At this point I passed through groves of quaking aspen, not yet in leaf. The trail itself has a number of stretches that were snow covered, and this was on the south-facing slope. After passing through a forest of aspen, the trail opened out on the ridge top. At 8300’ this is the high point of the trail, and it was covered in about a foot of snow, and blasted by gusty, icy winds. After shooting a few pictures on the cold ridge top, I started my descent. The trail was not visible except in a few places, but from that I could discern where the switchbacks were and pretty much was able to keep to the trail. I could have bushwhacked here, I suppose, except that the snow was very dense and packed and offered little traction – very slippery. At one point, the trail switched back into a fir forest and in there I found 3’ deep snow. I didn’t posthole more than 6 inches, so this actually made for better walking than the rest of the snow-covered trail, where I had to walk digging my heels into the snow. After about a mile of this snow walking, the trail finally dropped down far enough to get below the snow. It was not as cold, of course, and the farther I descended from the high ridge, the warmer it got. By time I got to the trail junction with the Battle Creek Trail, I was warm, even sweating, again. The trail down the next mile or so was rocky and steep, the worst kind of descent for me, except that it was, at least, dry. At Curley Springs Trail, I crossed Battle Creek rockhopping, and started up the other side. For the next mile, the trail was steep and incredibly mucky. This was the most difficult hiking of the day – a 700’ climb with nothing firm to put my feet on. In due time, however, the trail reached the high point and instantly changed to a bone dry trek through sun washed oak scrub. The evidence was everywhere on the trail that it had recently been just as mucky up there as on the northern slope. And, not enough traffic to pound down the ruts and dried footprints had yet passed through. It was easier than the muck, but it was rough on the feet. From this point I had great views of Provo and the southern part of Utah Valley. After turning back onto the Dry Canyon Trail, I was treated again to that dramatic gateway into this canyon. By time I got back to the trailhead, I was really wishing that I had not parked 0.7 mi away, but at least the last bit was not hard. |
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