father's day and big baldy

My choice for Father's Day was to retry Big Baldy. We tried previously in November 2008, but only made it a little way up the mountain before dark [pictures from that attempt].

This time we made it *much* further--probably about 2/3 the way up--but still turned around at about 7 pm because of the high winds. We've been taking the southwest ridge's virtually nonexistent trail which is extremely steep. I'm very proud of our five- and six-year olds who would've kept going if we had let them!

Amy and I will be back to conquer this mountain on our own. Same trail. I refuse to try the easier shoulder route now (at least until we've made it up this route once).

Here are all the photos from this excursion on Flickr.


with my M&M bowtie Bella made me at church

Here's the little peak while driving to the trailhead. It really doesn't look very big, but it's almost 9,000 feet with the scraggliest excuse for a trail you've ever seen.

starting off

through the woods

coming out of Dry Canyon

Everything in such beauty around us. So green due to our incessant June rains.



okay, this picture is nearly identical to a picture we took from the last try (below)

see--cutest little trio of troopers I know (from November)

notice Oey gripping his sword of the moment

a Sego Lily! Utah's state flower. Very beautiful, we're lucky to got to see one.

in the thick of it now

looking at Cascade

there's Utah Valley way out below us, up against Utah Lake



see that wind? at this point Amy and I decided to turn around. The kids were doing amazing and easily would've kept going. I had told Jarom that if they made it to the top, I'd call the newspapers and tell them a five- and six-year old hiked a 9,000-foot mountain on their own. He really wanted this to happen. On the way down he asked me, "Dad, can you still call the newspaper?" I told him I couldn't, and he said, "You can just tell them we made it halfway up."



can you tell how steep it is? this was fun barreling down, but we had to be careful to keep our footing. At one point I slipped, then Bella slipped, then Jarom slipped, all in a row. Dangerous stuff.

Amy gave Bella a piggyback much of the way. It was actually quicker this way. She's got a tough momma.

Jarom taking off

The kids found this teepee on the way down, and they both demanded to be photographed in it. #1

#2

Oey once again holding the sword of the minute, now it's a frail grass stem.

Another teepee to explore. They saw this on the way up across the meadow and we said they could go to it on the way down.

leaving Dry Canyon