Trip reports, GPX tracks, maps, and photography from the mountains.
After Mount Peale, I traded extra highway miles towards Pikes Peak for a half-day in Arches. Four hours became a fast circuit of roadside viewpoints, short walks, 43°C heat, dark thunderclouds, Balanced Rock and the Windows Section.
Mount Nebo drew me as an ultra-prominence peak, but the day became memorable for a well-kept wildflower trail, deer at close range, distant thunder along the summit ridge, and a parking permit system that only made sense after I found a ticket on the car.
A brutally hot hike to Frary Peak, the 2,010 m high point of Antelope Island, with broad Great Salt Lake views, an accidental rocky-ridge scramble, a narrow eroded descent trail and post-hike encounters with bison and bighorn sheep.
HikeAfter snow closed Pikes Peak Highway on my first attempt in 2019, I returned years later and finally drove to the summit. The day brought bighorn sheep, a crowded visitor centre, brake checks, a $16 magnet I did not buy, and a distinctly mixed verdict.
HikeAfter an unsuccessful Mount Ellen attempt and a night at Green River, I drove into Utah's La Sal Mountains for Mount Peale. The hike was straightforward until loose scree and a building thunderstorm turned the final ridge into a sprint to the summit and an even faster retreat.
