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I’ve found myself longing for the apocalypse a lot lately…and realized we hadn’t been up Millcreek to splash around in about as long. It was cloudy and hot in the valley but rainy and deliciously cool at the top of the canyon, plus all the wildflowers were in bloom.
Maybe I need to apply a dose of Nature mid week? It’s a pretty powerful prescription.
or, “Messing About In Boats/Stand-Up Paddleboards”:
I’ve decided it’s “fake summer vacation week” for me, by which I mean I took Monday and Friday off and we’re doing things with our nephew. (Matt has the whole week off; we were going to go on an actual summer vacation but that was before Toby needed insulin every 12 hours.)
Yesterday’s vacation adventure included a rented inflatable stand-up paddleboard and a trip to Lily Lake in the Uintas. I’ve wanted to go see the lilies at close range for about forever, and this time we DID–along with big fish, schools of tiny fish, and a bald eagle looking for fish (!). The SUP was a lot of fun to try out and Skyler was a natural at it–highly recommend it as a water craft in which to mess about.
Now I just have to get through three days of work until Friday’s adventure: The amusement park!
In classic Utah fashion, in about two days we went from 55 degrees and rainy to 85 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. But that meant we could revisit the trail we hit a couple weeks ago and turn it into a whole loop (along with just about everyone else in the valley).
But I’m glad everyone was out enjoying the green foothills and the sun–it really feels like it’s FINALLY not going to snow again for the season.
I have a hard time voluntarily going back into snow when it’s melted in the valley, so our last trip to Millcreek was at the end of February. But we scoped it out yesterday and the first few trailheads are all the way clear! I’d forgotten what a mood lift being in the mountains is.
These pics are from a new route on the Rattlesnake Gulch trail, with switchbacks and a grade of 8% (vs the 18% from the old trail). A good way to get back into it.
So far the first week of 2022 has seen my car battery dying, my dad getting eye surgery (planned; he’s doing great), and Doc and I waiting two hours for a covid test (he got exposed at work; we’re both negative). Like I said Thursday, it feels like a lot–but that’s why there’s nature. The winter sun was out in Millcreek and it was really nice to just let my body walk while my brain stopped THINKING so much.
I find that I get outside in the day less now that I’m working from home, so I’m going to try to change that this year. Even if I can’t get out in nature, I can get out in the neighborhood.
I think the upper canyons are at peak color right now–and a lot of the valley agreed with me, based on how many cars were on the road. But the trails themselves weren’t any busier than normal so we were able to get some Nature Rx (when we couldn’t hear the sound of traffic).
These were all from Willow Heights, our favorite short trail for fall. Or summer. Or moose-viewing.
The fall colors, that is. We went up Millcreek for a bit yesterday and it’s almost at Peak Color.
That water is colder than ever, too (I still went wading).
We did our traditional July “go up to the lake at 10,000 feet and cool off” day trip yesterday. Doc is on more meds (but we finally know what’s wrong, whew) so we took it easy and just did 0.7 miles to Scout Lake.
We caught the end of wildflower season…
…but we were also out in the smoke from wildfire season (which is kind of all summer now in the West).
But it was a cool 70 degrees and it was good to get out and see the world a bit.
Doc and I went to the arboretum that Mom liked so much to try to start a new tradition (holidays are so hard since she died and this holiday in particular always feels so empty). It was unseasonably warm and surprisingly uncrowded and just a nice balm for a hard day.
…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.