More Hikes!

The EMI/Symphony Hiking Challenge started in April and ran through the end of September. Here's a look at Hub's Hikes for August and September.  The first one was a doozy! Climbing Timpanogos in the dark, and waiting to watch the sunrise from the summit.  Landon went along with this hike too. 

With the work challenge, Grayson's been good at taking pictures and doing write-ups, which I've really appreciated! Here's the collage he created and his write-up below ...

Date - August 4th and 5th
Location - Timpooneke Trailhead to Mount Timpanogos Summit

First entry - 11:56 pm -
What the heck are we thinking?

Various take-aways from Mount Timpanogos -

1. I think one-and-done is just fine for this trail.
2. Sometimes bucket list items are for masochists.
3. Microspikes are the bomb-diggity for crossing ice fields.
4. "Sketchy" becomes a very common word.
5. As usual Zac's hiking outfit is on point. Very chic indeed.
6. Headlamps only last about 2-3 hours which is fine if your hike is 2-3 hours.
7. The last mile from saddle to summit is worse by far than the 6 or 7 that preceded it.
8. How in the living heck did people do this without GPS???
9. Shack graffiti includes some familiar first names. You were with us in spirit and Sharpie.
10. Space blankets save the day as body temps plummet waiting for the sunrise. We consider emergency hypothermia treatment.
11. Teens and 20-somethings arrive at the summit after a seemingly leisurely stroll to the top....sheesh...show-offs.
12. On the way down I count 321 hikers on their way up......Ha! suckerzzz....

And scene! Fade to black. Time to nap.

Grayson was in London/Paris for a couple weeks in August. He and Zach had debated an out-of-country hike, but had plenty of other sites to see. September started with SanDiego (which is where Gray and Landon did one of the first hikes back in April, this time with Coop and Keaton -no hike), then some final hikes to wrap up the challenge.

Monday, September 7, 2023 - Flag Rock

Grayson's write-up is below

My Symphony peeps, if you look yonder, directly east of our office, you see Deuel Creek Canyon. On the south side of the canyon is a flowy, beautiful hike that is ultra-popular - yes, I know you already know ;)  On the north side there is another hiking trail (or two or three). This trail is short, steep, cantankerous, inexplicably cruel and forsaken...kind of like a middle child (sorry if this is triggering). However, at the end of this trail, some dedicated soul or souls have hoisted a flag pole and of course an American Flag. No small effort here. My hats off to those who made this happen.

Now.... What if, just maybe, possibly a Symphony flag could accompany Old Glory, if only for a minute. Thanks to the ever-resourceful Caroline working with Zac to orchestrate (see what I did there) just one such flag. The pictures tell the tale....with one exception. The wind, which would normally accompany any morning in any canyon in the state, was completely silent. Like no wind. Our hope for flags unfurled and waving in the morning breeze was not to be. Alas.... Perhaps we return. Perhaps we don't. Either way, this one's in the books.

Thursday, September 14, 2023

No official write up of this hike, but Gray included a link to info about it. Click the link for a brief read - one of the cathartic benefits of the hike. 

Saturday, September 16

This new trail system is out by us, near Kennecott (err Rio Tinto).

I went and checked it out this last weekend. They've done a good job with it.

Saturday, September 16 was a big hiking day for Landon too. He hit Mount Olympus again, this time on his own - he didn't take pictures. These are a few photos from the first/June trip (Hikes~June/July) that I didn't have when I made the collage about that hike ... so I'm going to put them here anyway! 

Saturday - September 23 - Donut Falls

Wednesday, September 27 

When recapping his morning to me in an email the next day  Gray wrote "I'm dealing with some real residual fatigue from my hike. It wasn't particularly strenuous though Mueller is a bit longer than some of the usuals - 7 miles in total. It was a gorgeous day and the colors were well worth the jaunt." I love the shadow selfie ;) 

Friday, September 29

Lake Mary, Lake Martha, Lake Catherine ... Gray got off work a little early and Zach and Landon joined for a Friday afternoon hike.  The official Symphony Hiking challenge has ended ... much to the relief of Janet in the office, who had to handle the photos and write ups. It's a little hard to see in the photos, but Gray and Zach got matching "King of the Hill" sweatshirts for all their outdoor activities!

In the original post about the Symphony Hiking Challenge, there was a picture showing the progress. This timeline ended up taking over the room! A simple photo couldn't capture everything by the end (and Gray didn't even include several of his hikes). You can see it HERE. There were a few BIKE (not HIKE) alternate activities too!