nature
I Do This Every Year
…quote from Wallace Stevens, that is:
“A newly-fallen snow
At the end of winter when afternoons return.”
We hadn’t hiked in a few weeks and there was fresh snow and sun in Millcreek–always a mood booster, along with the lengthening days.
Inland Ocean
We went out to the Great Salt Lake yesterday to see the mirabilite mounds that had formed. The mounds were cool–I had no idea there were underground springs–but I was really taken by the lake (again).
Maybe it’s the pandemic and the fact we haven’t gotten out much, but the lake on a windy, unseasonably warm day was beautiful. It reminded me a lot of the southern Utah desert–that high-altitude, late winter light, the blue distances, the spaciousness.
I don’t think I’ve had enough coffee to keep pretending to be Terry Tempest Williams, but consider this your recommendation to visit the GSL in the winter.
It’s Happening
Looking September-ish
First Of August
The first weekend in August is also Lughnasa, halfway between the summer solstice and the autumnal equinox. I’m not really a Neo-Pagan but we did our own version of “visiting holy wells” to celebrate–i.e., we went back to hang around Millcreek for a couple hours, where it was hot enough even at altitude that the river felt really good (and kept the beer cold).
Bloom Time
Nature’s Air Conditioning
A Day At The Lake
As is tradition now (at least since 2017), we went up to the Uinta mountains for the Fourth of July. This time, we didn’t do the full Lofty Lakes Loop trail; we haven’t been on real hikes at all this year because of the rona so we didn’t want to attempt a thousand feet of elevation gain per mile, at altitude.
Instead, we hiked to the lowest lake and played around in it. This is Scout Lake, but it should really be called Bob Ross Lake:
Likewise, Bald Mountain should just really be called Mount Bob.
Back At It
We didn’t go up into the mountains for the three months of the first wave, both because the Forest Service had asked people to stay away and because there was no way to stay six feet apart on a narrow trail.
Which means we missed all of the snow melt and leafing out and jumped right into summer:
Which means….Moley’s back in the river!
We still avoided a real trail–this is all just off the road at the upper canyon in Millcreek, which is closed to cars until July. But wow, was it nice to get out (and get in the water):