Winter Hiking, December 26, 2009

I have joined the Davis County Hiking Group that I learned about on Meetup.com.

This was my second hike with the group, but first one in the snow. Here we are about to depart up the mountain above North Salt Lake. I am at the far right of the picture, in the aqua blue jacket. It was very cold at the start of the hike, about 12 degrees F. Brrrrrr!

At the start of the trail a snowman greeted us. The snow around him didn't seem to be disturbed, so I supposed he came to the trail on his own. Oops! Is it not a snowman but a SnowLady?

Someone on the hike knew his geology. These are ridges of the shoreline of the prehistoric Lake Bonneville. They are not manmade. Pretty interesting!

Deer were spied below the trail several times.

After two hours of hiking we reached the top which looked to the south and Salt Lake City. The cloud cover is really smog, but it made for a pretty picture. Most of the other hikers stopped here at this spot overlooking Salt Lake City.

Conversing at the top. I hiked up the steepest part of the mountain with no trouble at all because Ed had given me a set of Micro-spikes for Christmas to put over my hiking boots so my feet can grip icy trails. I love them. They provide me with a whole new world of hiking--winter hiking. I also love my beanie, it has a visor on it

A little ways further, and the lookout showed the eastern mountains and valley.

I said I wasn't coming all this way just to stop short, so I plunged on ahead and a few people followed me.

It was much warmer going down, and I began shedding layers.

The snowman, err, I mean snow lady said goodbye as we reached the bottom of the trail. She looks a little brighter now that the sun has come out. The entire hike took three hours.