Quick

Gazing at the view a head I glanced at the time stamp on my camera, I realized I'd been hiking for an hour and a half, winded, yes, tired, no.  I'd already reached my destination, of the beaver pond of Broads Fork of Big Cottonwood Canyon outside of SLC.  I hung out for a while using my snowshoes as a place to set my knapsack.
Three others on skis were grabbing a snack before they headed up a skin track to one of the chutes above.  Three others were nearing the top.
Years ago I chose not to get into backcountry skiing.  This area is wealthy to opportunity of terrain.  I'll add, too, avalanches.  From where I stood, I counted three recent slides.  Two of which are naturals coming off rock faces above, not from where someone would ski though.  The third was a wet sluff from a few warm days ago.  My route to this spot never crossing a run out path.  Broads Fork is nice in that regard.
On my way down I crossed paths with someone I've met several times before.  He's into mountaineering which will take him and his friends up through avalanche zones up to the peaks high above.  Later I crossed paths with another friend about a mile up the trail.
Arriving at the parking lot I glanced at the time, 11:20.  I'd been on the trail three hours, about five miles and 2700 feet elevation gain.  That was quick considering I had actual hiking boots on if I need to use the snowshoes and simply for being on semi punchy snow. Quick and well worth it this morning.

Spring update

For those who've expressed interest in my blog from work, thank you.  I know work is slow and it was while at work that I did most of my planning for the Appalachian Trail.

I will admitt over the winter I slowed down my hiking considerably.  I did get out, just not as often.  My most hiked trail was Dog Lake in Big Cottonwood Canyon.  It's quick and easy without a lot of avalanch danger.  Another hiked trail is the upper Millcreek road.  I do like Millcreek however it does get over run by doggie poo bags.  Please when you walk you pup remember to take the waste with you.  There are some things I will pack out, like campfire trash and candy wrappers.

My plans for the up coming hiking season is to thru-hike the Tahoe Rim Trail [TRT].  I'll get back up to Anderson Pass, this time with cool weather gear to finish King's Peak.  There are a few lakes in the Uinta's I want to get back to including Four Lakes Basin (south slope), Naturalist Basin (south slope), and Red Castle (north slope).  I'm not much of a fisherman, though I grew up fishing.  These lakes are remarkably stunning and will be worth the nine plus mile hike in.

The TRT is a quick 2 week hike with 3 resupply points wrapping around the mountains surrounding Lake Tahoe CA/NV.  At 165 miles some of it shares tread with the Pacific Crest Trail on the western side.  I first read about the TRT in Backpacker Magazine a few years back.  For it's short length it makes a nice, don't quit the job thru-hike.

I wanted to hike the TRT last year however, the temporary position I took at work made me hang the plans up for a season.  I'll say cyber-hiking isn't like tread on treadway, I managed.  I'll also say the position stretched me in ways of interacting in a training environment pushed this flip flopping intor/extrovert around in good ways.

I'll be digging up some links for the side bar, updating the photo slideshows too.  I may not do a GPS tracker except for a select few for saftey.  My tab pages are also getting a work over too.

As for now, look at the weather, toss on another layer, and hike on.