2011-09-10 Lofty Lake Loop Hike (#13)

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Mirror Lake Recreation area is in the high Uinta mountain and offers breath-taking view of mountains and lakes. Our hiking group met at church at 10 am Saturday morning to carpool to the trailhead. We had to stop by Mirror Lake picnic area so that Lu Jia can pick up a fee envelop. Luckily Robert Bao has national park pass, so he didn't need to pay. We started the hike around 11:30 am. The weather was quite nice with fluffy clouds and gentle breeze. We stopped at Kamas Lake for lunch. The Lofty Lake was smaller, but incredibly beautiful. Stone-skipping at the lakes was fun for many grown-ups. For trail info, please visit http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1286267

2011-07-17 Great Western Trail Hike (#7)

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What a great way to escape the heat in the valley! It was 95 degrees and many of our regular hikers were hesitant to go hiking on Sunday afternoon. Those who made it to the summit were enjoying the gentle cool breeze along the trail leading to the top of Big Mountain. Randy, Kathy, Richard and Jane were mountain biking. Richard unfortunately popped his tire and missed the fun ride. Jane didn't have prior experience, so I rode the bike for her. The cloud formation was spectacular and the panoramic view on the top was terrific. It was around mid-70 on the trail. Wild flowers were just starting to bloom. We will come back for the fall color.

2011-06-08 Avenues Twin Peaks Trail Hike

I love those wild flower meadow scenes during our hike on the Emigration Canyon Ridgeline trail last Sunday (6/5). I remember that we've hiked the Avenues Twin Peaks trail on 4/24, which was a cloudy and a bit windy day. I thought maybe I can still catch some wild flower remnant on the trail. So I went on a short hike on this trail during my lunch hour. And guess what? There were still plenty of wild flower (arrowleaf balsamroot) on the meadows, though some had become dry and sapless. But once you reach higher elevation on the trail, the flowers are vibrant and lively.

2011-06-05 Emigration Canyon Ridgeline Trail Hike (#5)

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I went hiking with my church friends. We couldn't pick another perfect time to hike this spectacular trail. The view (wild flowers, rolling hills, valley, canyons, etc.) at the Emigration Canyon Ridgeline trail was breath-taking! The arrowleaf balsamroots are in full blossom (usually in early June, and we happened to come to this trail at the right time!).

Thanks the Lord for a wonderful warm and breezy afternoon and great fellowship on the trail. This trail (5.2 miles round trip, 1,100 feet elevation gain) was not exact an "easy" trail according to the trail info I handed out to many of you this afternoon. There were lots of up and down hills in this trail. It is actually a combination of easy, moderate and strenuous level of hike that tests the hikers' perseverance and determination. The final destination is a mountain top that greatly rewards those who made it view of Parley's Canyon (I-80), Emigration Canyon and Salt Lake valley (and Great Salt Lake too).

2011-05-22 Salt Lake Lookout via Pipeline Trail (#4)

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I went hiking with my church friends on Sunday (5/22) afternoon. The trailhead called Rattlesnake Gulch is 0.7 mile from the fee station at the Millcreek Canyon. The name sounds scary, but we didn't encounter any snakes on the trail. The first 0.6 mile on the trail gains the most elevation (around 700 feet). Then you will be at the trail junction. Take the left (going west) on the Pipeline trail. It is about a mile to the Salt Lake valley lookout. There were lots of wild flowers called arrowleaf balsamroot at the lookout. You get a awesome view of the valley (west) and snow-capped Mt. Olympus (southeast). Some indian paintbrushes were blooming on Pipeline trail as well at this time of year.

2011-05-15 Bells Canyon Hike (#3)

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I went hiking with church friends on Sunday (5/15) afternoon. There are at least 2 trailheads that I know of leads to the waterfall. We took the trailhead at Wasatch Blvd (10245 S.) We only made it to the first waterfall (which is around 1,400 feet elevation gain) due to snow on the trail. It was a windy day, but the wind was less felt in the canyon trail.

2010-10-17 Willow Lake Hike

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My church friends really want to do another hiking before the weather turns cold. We also want to see the fall foliage before the first snow falls. We went to a lesser known trail called Willow Lake (or beaver pond) in the Big Cottonwood Canyon. The trailhead is in a residential area. We parked the cars in the ski rental shop and walked through the neighborhood. It is a short 2-mile round trip hike with about 800 feet elevation gain. It was a pleasant day that Sunday (10/17) afternoon. The view of the lake was awesome! There were still plenty of golden aspen leaves for our eyes to enjoy! On the way back, I stopped by the Big Cottonwood creek and took a few photos.

2009-09-26 Provo Canyon Stewart Falls Hike

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Stewart Falls in the Provo Canyon area is an easy hike for family. My church friends went hiking on Saturday (9/26) when the entrance fee (usually $6) was waived. The leaves were in prime color, bright and shinny.