Impromptu Squaw Peak Trail Hike

It was Saturday afternoon and I was getting restless. I had no plans for the day. I had plenty that I probably should be doing but lately I feel the need to get out of the house. And with fall fast approaching I want to spend my time out and about while the weather is nice. So around 3:30 pm I thought I would go on a little hike and take my camera.

A few weeks ago I had explored a bit up Rock Canyon and wanted to go back. I thought this time I might just go up to the Rock Canyon Campground which I think is about 5.6 miles round trip. I knew that there are a few drinking fountains along he trail so I opted to just carry my camera. Plus the weather was overcast and a little cooler than it has been lately.

I started hiking and when I got to the Squaw Peak trail I decided to explore it a bit not really knowing how long the trail was or how far up it I would go. But the further I got up the trail the more I was determined to summit. Despite the weather being pretty nice, I was sweating like crazy and had no water to replenish. (Not a smart idea, I know.) But I was determined. About one mile from he summit I finally ran into some other hikers. That was a little comforting. They said I was about 30 minutes from the top and they were right. 

As I was right before the summit, I ran into a several guys from the Utah County Search and Rescue. One of them asked where my backpack was. Oops! :( I told him I didn't need the extra weight to haul up the hill. He said he hoped that they didn't need to come looking for me. 

Once I hit the summit, I had the place to myself. I can't believe that I had never done this hike. Okay, really I can believe that I never did the hike. I just can't believe that I had never really heard of it until a few weeks ago. And I didn't understand that Squaw Peak is not the same as Squaw Peak Overlook.

After enjoying the view and taking several selfies, I could hear the search and rescue guys coming up behind me yelling, "Bailey!" It was the same guy that chastised me for not having a backpack. Soon he was getting a response from several girls yelling. He asked me to help try and spot them. I was able to zero in on them with my camera. Then I showed him my photo to help him see where the girls were. You can see the girls in the last photo. I zoomed in a little more for the inset to show you them. The girls had gotten off trail and into an area that they no longer felt safe. They called one of their dads and search and rescue was sent out after them. Last I had heard, the search and rescue guys had gotten to the girls and next was just helping them get down. Anyway, it was nice that I got to be a little help.

The round trip took me 3:40 round trip. The total hike was 7.4 miles with an elevation gain of 2,700 feet. Click here to see the route and other data on Nike+.

Stewart Falls Hike

It's another weekend and another hike. It had been a few years since I had done the Stewart Falls hike up past Sundance. The debate was between Rock Canyon and Stewart Falls. Since I was bringing my friend Mike and I had never done the whole Rock Canyon hike I thought I better stick to one I knew what to expect. Not that Mike thought I knew what I was doing because when it was time to find the trail head I couldn't exactly remember where it was. Oops! I quickly regained his confidence after we spotted a sign on the trail.The weather was beautiful and the scenery was great. It was evident along the way though that fall is just around the corner. The trail is a lot of up and down hill both going and coming. I had kind of forgotten that. But it was pretty and there was lots of good conversation.

Rock Canyon Trail

After a weekend of being sick and pretty much stuck at home, I was super stir crazy. I got in my car and went for a drive. I ended up at Rock Canyon Trailhead. I had never done any hiking from there but I knew it was a popular spot. I got out of my car with my headphones and my sunglasses not sure what I would do. At first I wondered up the Bonneville Shoreline about a half mile which had an awesome view of the valley. After a while I got bored the trail and decided to head back to my car. When I got close to my car I decided instead to follow the trail up the canyon a bit instead. I only went up to where there was a water fountain which I believe is just over a mile. Then I decided o head back since I really hadn't planned on hiking. Next time I'm going to go up to the campground at least. It looked like a pretty interesting trail. And after doing a little research online I think I'd like to hike from Rock Canyon up to Squaw Peak.

Kimball Arts Festival - Park City

When my good friend, Andrea, asked if I'd like to go to the Kimball Park City Arts Festival I said, "Sure!" I had never been to the one in Park City and this year I missed the Salt Lake City Arts Festival because I was out of town. 

We made sure to get up there a little early and that paid off because for quite a while there were no crowds. We enjoyed the various booths and art. Oh and maybe a few dogs. Andrea got tired of me joking, "Oh Andrea, look, there's dog!" But of course that didn't stop me. She does love dogs! ;)

For lunch we stopped at one of my favorite Park City restaurants, Main Street Pizza & Noodle where we ordered way too much pizza. At least it was yummy!

After lunch is when the crowds really started to pour in. And that is also when we ran into my old high school classmate, Willie Holdman. He is this awesome landscape photographer and one day I hope to be like him. Well, I would settle for a lot less actually. Anyway, he has his studio n Park City also. So we spent a little time checking it out as well. 

Some of my favorites booths were: Willie Holdman (obviously!), Yardbirds, and Rewind Jewlery (see the image below.) There were lots of other interest booths and some that were well just kind of awkward. But hey its art and art is subjective. 

I bought nothing as always. Andrea on the other hand always limits herself to one purchase. She did good! :)