Chris Barksdale and I climbed most of the way up North Timpanogos last Saturday. Based on all the recent sunshine and the winds we saw whipping up spindrift the day before, we were hoping for more crust, but ended up sinking into some fairly deep powder (up to our waist in the worst spots) on the steepest parts of the ridge. So when we ran out of time with 1,000′ left to go, we didn’t complain about turning around.
Climbing on skis/skins would have been easier, and the snow on the way down would have been awesome skiing! Ah, well, some other day. Continue Reading »
As always, the Banff Mountain Film Festival looks like a MUST SEE!
Order tickets for February 10th & 11th, 7pm, Utah Valley University Student Center Ragan Theater at Outdoor Adventure Centeroac@uvsc.edu | 801.863.7052 | Room: SC103h | Fall Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30am-6:00pm, closed Saturday & Sunday
You can order by phone. Gary says there are still quite a few tickets left, but hurry! Don’t risk missing out!
Our little burst of spring weather was short-lived. Four or more feet of snow has fallen in the mountains over the last few days. It began as heavy (for Utah, that is) 15-20% water (smokey powder starts below 7%) above 6,000′, but I bet it’s getting lighter now as the cold front arrives.
So I promise to take my friends’ advice, stop working so much, and head up to Sundance tomorrow to make the most of winter and hope for sunny warmth to return soon.
I’ll post a report here if there’s anything worth saying about it.
REPORT: I enjoyed a WAY better day than expected with a lot of pretty good powder, good skiing, and a few good wipe outs. Here’s a little ski movie for your enjoyment: “When Life Gives You Snow…“
Nutty Putty is what cavers call a “sacrificial cave.” No animals are ritually killed or anything – it’s the cave itself that’s sacrificed by hordes of novice spelunkers (about 40,000 per year, I think I heard) who don’t know anything (or don’t care) about cave etiquette (like not touching sensitive crystals and other features, not leaving any trash, etc.).
So while the cave takes a beating, at least it draws attention away from other caves. Not only does this protect other caves from abuse, but Nutty Putty is one of the safer caves around, with only one or two spots where a serious accident seems possible.
About three years ago, search and rescue was called to Nutty Putty three times within a few weeks. The cavers didn’t have serious accidents, they just got stuck. And stuck good! One got wedged in a tiny tube near a room called “The Scout Trap.” Only the smallest scouts can even fit in. I squeezed as far down as possible last weekend and barely got my ankles in before my shoulders wouldn’t slide any farther.
JUNE 2011 UPDATE: Nutty Putty Cave was permanently closed less than a year following this trip report due to a stuck caver’s death. Read the details about this failed rescue in the brand-new book 75 Search and Rescue Stories. Continue Reading »
2009 began, for me and a few friends, standing around a fire in the snow behind Mt Timpanogos.
We had planned to hike up the road a ways from the Primrose Cirque trailhead and dig some caves, but when we arrived at the parking lot and saw how empty it was (I was expecting a bunch of scouts to be camping in the nearby ampitheater area), we looked at the piles of snow that the plows had pushed up against the sides of the lot and said, “That looks good enough.” Continue Reading »
My trip to the Andes with dad last week went, overall, very well. I got to the top of a 17,795′ mountain (barely), and dad tore some tendons on the way down.
After the whole climb and exit, I’m still tired of even thinking much about it, so go to http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/472598/cerro-el-plomo.html for photos and details. Click the top/right photo to get into the photo album, then click “Next” over to the right to walk through all the photos with explanation in order.
I’ve always loved Moab. Such fun things to do there. From camping to climbing Wall Street to jeeping to mountain biking to motorcycling.
Okay, I admit, motorcycling is the only reason I go there anymore. It’s SO fun that it’s hard to justify taking time out for all the other great options.
Flying up steep hills at 30-40 mph, jumping bumps, dropping off ledges, riding wheelies, and feeling the powerful surge forward with just a twist of the wrist is hard to compare to pedaling slowly up endless ridges in first gear, sweating, breathing hard, then taking the downhills carefully and feeling every bump; even though the workout is nice.
I wouldn’t mind camping (since I can’t ride all night anyway) but my riding buddies are mostly wimps who need hotels, soft beds, hot showers, etc. Continue Reading »
I may have said this a time or two already, but I LOVE autumn! This year, I hear it’s one of the warmest on record. I want to enjoy all I can before it’s gone and the cold sets in for months and months.
When my brain can’t take any more grading or programming, I take a short hike up a nearby trail to relax. Today, I stood in the back yard and watched yellow leaves fall 80′ from my tall trees while on the phone. Last Thursday afternoon, I kayaked a mile or so out on Utah Lake.
The weather was perfectly comfortable, the water calm and glassy, and the company good. I went with an old friend with two boats. She’s smart, insightful, kind, speaks several languages, has lived interesting places around the world, my dad and step mom adore her, and my dad even threatened to cut me out of his will if I didn’t go out with her. Which, I must add, was not why I went, but it’s funny and worth mentioning. Continue Reading »
The weather has been perfect again. Warm and sunny. Better use it up while it lasts! This afternoon was a perfect chance to take advantage of living right up against such a beautiful mountain as Timpanogos.
CJ, Curtis and I hopped on our bikes and spent the afternoon riding the Ridge, Tibble Fork, Mill Hollow, Little Deer Creek & Horse Flats Trails from the Alpine Loop summit. Continue Reading »
Above Rock Canyon, between Cascade Mountain (10,908′) and Provo Peak (11,068′) sits Lightning Pass. A year and a half ago, after riding motorcycles for 8 hours behind Timpanogos and then up Provo Canyon’s Left Fork and Big Springs, Darin Vandecar and I attempted to ride over the top of the mountain, but didn’t make it. We got stuck behind two other bikes spinning their wheels up a few hundred feet of steep, loose switchbacks. By the time they reached the top, my time was up (had to go float the Provo with a bunch of friends) and we had to turn back.
I’ve craved another shot at the pass ever since. This time I planned to try from the front (west) side. Whenever I mentioned it, I heard stories of a steep, difficult, and possibly impassible scree field near the top and few of my riding buddies seemed very enthused about it. Continue Reading »
Chris Barksdale and I climbed most of the way up North Timpanogos last Saturday. Based on all the recent sunshine and the winds we saw whipping up spindrift the day before, we were hoping for more crust, but ended up sinking into some fairly deep powder (up to our waist in the worst spots) on the steepest parts of the ridge. So when we ran out of time with 1,000′ left to go, we didn’t complain about turning around.
Nutty Putty
at the plows had pushed up against the sides of the lot and said, “That looks good enough.” 
My trip to the Andes with dad last week went, overall, very well. I got to the top of a 17,795′ mountain (barely), and dad tore some tendons on the way down.
