Unfortunately I didn't make it out hiking very much last year. Maybe two or three trips, and they were all to places I'd been before so there was no need to post about them.
This year I want to be sure to do more hiking so I figured it would be best to start early. But, since it's already a couple months too late to start early I figured I'd just start now.
And where to start? How about at the beginning of the alphabet. I've always wanted to climb Mount Aire but have never had the available time coincide with the proper motivation. It's a little farther away than most of the hikes I've done, and involves paying a fee to get into (well, out of) the canyon. Plus there are dogs. Dogs are supposed to be leased on even days, but I've never once seen a dog on a leash in the whole canyon regardless of the day.
The hike to Mount Aire is steep. It climbs nearly 2000 vertical feet in about 1.8 miles (2 if you believe the sign), giving it an average slope of about 20%. With an average stride length of 2.5 feet that means you're climbing 6 inches with every step. It's a tough hike.
I was able to get up the canyon by about 4:30, took a few minutes to change my shoes and change into my kilt (which is easy to do even just standing next to your car). But I failed to realize that it's still winter; maybe the 90 degree days were throwing me off. Apparently the top half of the canyon stays closed till July 1st, so I encountered a gate across the road about a mile and a half short of the trailhead.
So I started walking up the road the mile and a half to the trailhead, then started on the trail about 5:05pm. The trail was very well-maintained and easy to follow. It was steep with an occasional steeper section, but it wasn't too bad.
I'd tell you exactly how far things were and how steep and all that, but I neglected to recharge my GPS batteries the night before and it died within a few minutes.
After a quarter mile or so the trail splits with the right fork going to Lamb's Pass and the other continuing up to Mount Aire. Shortly after the junction (or possibly before, I can't remember) there was a bit of a meadow area. Everywhere else the trees were thick and the trail was shady.
After some amount of hiking (I'd say about 2/3 the distance) I made it to the pass. From there the trail to the peak branches off to the right (shown above). It didn't appear that Spring had quite hit that far up, and the big leafy trees from the lower half of the trail gave way to short scrub brush. The trail also became much more overgrown with small branches clawing at my bare legs. On the plus side, the trail didn't seem as steep between the pass and the peak.
The trail even had a few switchbacks, making the ascent a bit easier. And, unlike many other peaks in the Wasatch, the trail was distinguishable right up to the peak. There were also great views along this section looking South to the mountains between Millcreek and Big Cottonwood Canyons. There was still quite a bit of snow on the North-facing slopes.
At around 6:45 I finally made it to the peak, which was a ridiculously slow pace for me. But considering how out of shape I've become and that this was my first hike this year, and throwing in the fact that the trail was unnaturally steep, I think I did okay.
I left the peak at 7:05pm and descended uneventfully. On the way up I only saw two other people (and two dogs). On the way down I saw 4 groups of people. There was a group of 33 college-aged guys carrying packs with at least a week's worth of stuff in them, which seemed odd for a 2-mile hike. There was a family of 4 (plus 2 dogs) setting up camp at the top end of the meadow, and 2 college-aged women carrying appropriately-sized packs. There was also a couple (with 2 dogs) right at the trailhead reading the sign. I was going to try to talk them out of doing the hike since it's so steep, but figured they'd learn that on their own soon enough.
From the trailhead I decided to take the Pipeline Trail back down to the car, mostly so I didn't have to walk on the road. I wasn't sure where the trail reconnected with the road, but I knew that it met up with the trail that goes up to Grandeur Peak. That trail was only a couple miles below where I parked so even if I had to go clear down there and walk (or hitchhike) back up I knew I'd be fine. My legs still felt pretty good and I knew the road wasn't very steep.
About 1.5 miles into the trail, though, I started panicking a bit. I had expected the trail to mostly follow the road, so I assumed it would be about the same distance. I also expected the trail to descend at the same slope as the road, but for a mile and a half the trail seemed to stay completely level, even going up a bit in a few places. I knew that I was at least 700 vertical feet above the parking lot and wondered how steep the descent would have to be when the trail finally started descending.
I've not done much hiking in Millcreek Canyon, mostly because of the dogs and because the bottom half of the canyon, where I've hiked before, are pretty ugly. This hike gave me a new appreciation for the canyon and I'm excited to return and test out some other trails.
In all, I hiked about 9 miles, climbing at least 2700 feet. When the gate is open you could expect to hike 4 miles, climbing just under 2000 feet. Keep in mind that they charge a fee of $3 per vehicle as you EXIT the canyon,
