It started out really pretty and fairly flat.
I'm not sure where this trail got its name as we are nowhere near the lake or its shore. In fact, after only about a half mile the trail wasn't pretty anymore at all. It was just a gravel trail that just went behind a whole bunch of peoples back yards. We couldn't see anything but the backs of houses. And it wasn't even all that flat so we decided to turn back.
In the PNW you can often hike places and go through bunches and bunches and dandelions. Well here we hiked through lots of sunflowers. They weren't very big but they were very colorful.
There was only one other trail and it went up the canyon. We decided to give it a try and hope it wasn't too steep. As it turned out, today was field trip day for the middle school kids. Fortunately they were all just coming back down and reaching the trailhead when we started up.
We began with all the dogs on leash but it soon became apparent that we were the only ones there so we let the girls and Boogie off leash. Once again, Boogie was perfect. He stayed right on the trail and always came when called.
After going just a short ways we turned around to see a pretty view of Utah Lake. One thing we've noticed is that pretty much every where we go now it is hazy. It sure wasn't like that 20 years ago.
The trail up the canyon was a steady incline and was fairly wide - about the width of a one lane road although no motorized vehicles were allowed. On one side of the trail was a fairly steep drop off. The other side of the trail was a steep incline so the dogs weren't going to stray far at all - but Slugger was kept on leash nonetheless.
The leaves on the trees were turning colors and that made for some very pretty views.
While it was fairly well treed we did get some nice views of the canyon as we climbed.
Speaking of climbing, Boogie seems to think he is a little mountain goat as he would go up and down the steep banks without a thought.
At one point when we looked back we could just see Utah Lake in the distance.
Mike really enjoyed the different rock formations. There were some that were layers of rock that had been totally put on their side due to the forces that built the mountain.
I think Mike's favorite rocks were the swirly ones. I must say they were very interesting.
Since I'm not a geologist, I more enjoyed looking at the scenery as a whole. To me it was so pretty to see the huge rock formations in the distance with the colorful trees in the foreground.
I thought this was very interesting with the clouds all along the tops of the rocks.
There must be something to this as there were clouds just behind the tops of these rocks as well.
Even though the trail was just a steady incline, it still was an incline. So after a while we had to turn around and go back down.
It was a perfect day. The temperature was very comfortable in just a t-shirt, it was sunny out, the views were pretty, and the trail was empty so the dogs could run around free. And since Boogie could be off leash that meant I could take pictures that weren't blurry. (When he's on leash it seems he yanks just at the very moment I go to snap a picture.)
Mike and I both enjoyed the colorful leaves as somehow we missed that season last year. We were always in the wrong place for that.
The canyon here really reminded us both a lot of Las Cruces, NM. The rock formations seemed to be the same. The only difference is that in Las Cruces there is a big bowl in the canyon which makes for a nice and fairly flat hike.
When we were about 3/4 the way back we bumped into (not literally) another bunch of school kids on a field trip. The only bad thing was that meant we needed to get the dogs back on leash - too bad as they were having so much fun. We actually let Wazzu stay off leash as she is very gentle with kids and will usually ignore them unless they approach her.
The kids were supposed to be learning about rock formations, fossils, salt water, etc. But it seemed they were all much more interested in the four dogs that were hiking. The kids were in groups of 15 and there were lots of groups spread out on the trail. Each time we got to another group the kids would stop listening to the instructor and they would all start petting the dogs and asking questions about the dogs. I sure hope their test includes questions on the dogs as the kids were very intrigued by the dogs. Wazzu loves kids and thought this was a lot of fun....until the kids would notice the puppy. Suddenly then Wazzu was forgotten and the puppy got all the attention. Poor Wazzu - but it was good socialization for Boogie.
As we neared the bottom we came across a Stellar jay. I chased him around for quite a bit trying to get a clear shot. This was the best I could do.
While I was able to get a number of pictures today, this one is my favorite. It looked even better in person as you could see the sunbeams coming over the side of the mountain. But nonetheless, I like this picture.
Hopefully the weather will stay nice and we'll have more opportunities to explore the area while we're here.
Debbie
9/27/07
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