Pim and I have been together for over six months now, and we decided to get out and do something special this weekend. No, not going out for a nice dinner… heading out and summiting a bunch of mountains! Pim is your typical Utah hiking nerd in that he wants to summit the highest peak in each of the state’s 29 counties. We planned to hike a few mountains this weekend, but at the last minute, we made an impromptu plan to summit even more… the five highest peaks in six nearby counties (one peak is on the border between two counties). Of course, the dogs joined us, but it didn’t take long for me to realize maybe they shouldn’t have! It was a weekend of hilarious misadventures, but we ended up summiting three of our five intended peaks (blame crappy driving directions for missing out on the other two). And as annoyed as the dogs may have made me, we also created some great memories. One thing is for certain, my dogs got personality!
First up on our adventure was Andy Nelson Peak, elevation 10,027, which is not the highest point in Kane County, but it is the highest peak. We did the five-mile hike and it got our blood pumping for more. Unfortunately, at the end of the hike, my dogs became incredibly naughty and I have never been more mad at them. This put a bit of a damper on the next leg of the trip, exploring the wildflowers at Cedar Breaks, but by the end of our hike there (yes, they actually allow dogs on one beautiful, albeit short, trail) I had forgiven them and we were a happy family again. And yes, I am intentionally not telling you what they did and why I was so mad.
Just down the road, Brian Head Peak was calling our names. The road led us all the way up to the top, elevation 11,307 (hey, I didn’t say we had to hike to all of the peaks!). The evening sun was beautiful, and after a nice little break, we hit the road to try and find a campsite for the night. We headed down Parowan Canyon and turned onto a mysterious road which seemed promising. A sign warned that we’d probably be shot if we attempted to stop on the private property for the first 2.5 miles, but we figured some public land couldn’t be far past. But after those first 2.5 miles, another sign warned of someone else’s private property, and then again, and then again. Finally, we found about 10 feet worth of possibly public land, and set up camp next to a dilapidated, ancient school bus that had been abandoned on the mountain, rusting and full of bullet holes, surrounded by dozens of aspens carved with the initials of innumerable teenagers in love.
It wasn’t the greatest campsite in the world… we worried we might get yelled at, and there were sheep grazing on the private property about five feet to the east, but it was getting dark, we were tired, and there was a magic school bus. It would do just fine! The dogs went to sleep in their tent, and we went to sleep in ours… that is, until the critters came out. We still aren’t sure what it was, but something came stomping around in the middle of the night. Twigs broke with each step, and the dogs freaked out. Was it the sheep? Was it deer? Was it a bear? We may never know, but the dogs would not pipe down and had to come join us in our tent… something I thought we were done with. We all fell asleep and slept soundly until ATVs roared by at 5 am. Welcome to Utah!
We broke camp early and headed north to the Tushar Mountains. There was a wildfire nearby, so first we had to make sure we’d be safe. All was clear, and Delano Peak loomed even higher than the smoke. I first hiked Delano, elevation 12,173, almost two years ago to the day. I had met a dog named Haley and took her home for a trial period. Before I could sign the adoption papers, I had to make sure she could hike. She obviously passed the test, because she was along for the adventure this time around too. The dogs were amazingly well-behaved on this hike, and I couldn’t have been happier!
Next up we headed east to Fish Lake, where we were maaaaybe going to summit Fish Lake Hightop. We re-read the directions that we had quickly printed off before leaving and weren’t sure my car would make it. When we got over there, we couldn’t even find the right road, so we abandoned ship and looked around for a campsite instead. It took a long time to find a decent spot up some side canyon, but eventually we did and it seemed like a beautiful night was awaiting us. Then…. drunken teenagers blast their music. Then… ATV’ers attempt to drive up our path. Then… gunshots. Then… stark raving mad mutant cows who were apparently birthing babies all night long (at least it sounded like it). Then… a chorus of coyotes laughing maniacally. Then… the dogs freak out again and have to come back in the tent. Another wonderful night’s sleep!
Ready to get home, and back to a nice quiet bed, we again broke camp early and headed out. Our last summit, if we got there, would be Bluebell Knoll on top of Boulder Mountain (elevation 11,327). Our printed directions had actually cut off all the directions, so unless there was some sort of signage, we would have to abandon this peak as well…. which we did. We ended up driving straight over Boulder Mountain to Hell’s Backbone Grill for a gourmet breakfast before heading home.
While waiting for the food, I see a dog in the corner of my eye. Automatically tuning my attention to the cute dog, I realized it was actually Jemma. She had managed to escape the car, despite the windows not being open far enough for her chubby body to fit through (or so I thought). I went out to get her, and when I called her name, a soaking wet dog emerged from the pond next to the patio, where a dozen people watched her skinny dip. I laughed, almost uncontrollably. Back she went into the car (fully wet, thanks Jemma!) and I rolled up the windows a little bit more, and headed back to eat my scrumptious meal. But within 15 minutes, she got out again. THREE INCHES! IT WAS ONLY OPEN THREE INCHES! She’s magic, that one. I had to close the windows almost entirely (don’t worry, it was not hot out), and when I finished my meal, she was still in the car. Of course, it wasn’t until about five minutes later that I realized she was actually quite sick and was most likely escaping the car to try to relieve herself (she proceeded to have a lot of diarrhea and puked rocks and other non-goodies… don’t worry, it passed and she’s fine now).
We got home and lazed around for the next day, doing nothing but relaxing, cleaning house, and having our own little Earth 2 marathon. Nothing beats crappy 90′s sci-fi! Pim left this morning, but in two weeks we depart on our next epic trip… California and Oregon!
by Sarah
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