Today, I heading to Maybird Lakes in Little Cottonwood Canyon. This will be the first time I hiked this trail so I'm excited.
The trail starts at the White Pine Trailhead (along with the trail to Red Pine Lake and White Pine Lake trails). They all share the same trail for about 0.8mile before White Pine branches off to the left; Red and Maybird continue on. At about 2.5 miles (and 1400ft of elevation), Maybird Lakes branches off for another 1.25 miles (and 500ft of elevation gain) ending at 9650 ft.
I get to the trailhead at around 9am and all 35 parking spots are full and there are plenty of cars already in the road. Hmmm, early Sunday is usually a great time to hike but today it very popular (darn). I find my spot behind a police car -- hopefully this is a good omen -- and start the hike.
Its a bit cool this morning but I'm sure I will warm up quickly. I cross the first creek and it still has a good flow to it even this late in the season.
There's lots of green foliage around but the purple & white asters are still blooming as well as yellow composites. I come across this plant with little white flower balls. Since they were with the White Asters I thought they might be buds but that's isn't the case; instead they are Pearly Everlasting.
Nothing too exciting on the 1st 0.8 miles as I get to the next little creek, cross the footbridge and continue through a small wet forest. There are ferns and monkshood blooming here.
Further up the trail, I find orange berries (I think they might be Mt Ash.) and Rose Hips.
I love the Purple Asters! They are so vibrant even in the shade!
I actually meet the cop at the viewpoint - he went up in his uniform. Not sure if he just got off or just taking a break but we wished each other a good day.
At the 2.5 mile mark before crossing the footbridge over the Red Pine creek, I check out the little wet area that was filled with Bog Orchid, ElephantHead and Shooting Star about a month ago. It's all dry now, only a few yellow Monkeyflowers left.
I cross the footbridge and am in new territory. I thought (and hoped) this would be easy 500ft in 1.25 miles but most of the climb was right at the start. It a pretty trail; I'm sure it was prettier at few weeks back when all the flowers were in bloom but there are still spots with lots of blooming flowers. Lots of pine trees and rocky sections but there are little meadows.
It pretty quiet, no birds chirping, no squirrel or chipmunks just an occasional noisy grasshopper.
There's Thistle blooming and hillsides of yellow flowers.
After a 1/2 mile or so, there's a little creek flowing which I step over. There's still pink Lewis's Monkeyflower blooming here.
Finally, I'm at the beginning of the gulch as there's a large mountian in front of me with huge talus fields.
I stop here because I hear something moving on the hill above me and moving in my direction. Maybe its a deer, elk...nope, just another hiker off-trail. I continue on just a bit further I see a lake (yea!!!). I also meet the other hiker. He's the ridge of the mountain - good luck to him!
A little further and there is Pfeifferhorn's Peak (11,326 ft tall) as I peer through the trees. She still has some snow on her! A 2nd lake in front - little island with some trees. She towers above the surrounding mountains.
The ridgeline is pretty cool, all craggy and rough.
I'm tempted to follow the other hiker into the gulch to try to get to the 2nd lake (closer to Pfeifferhorn) but I stay on the trail. But soon the trail comes to a dead-end in the forest. There's a little meadow at the stopping point filled with flowers and some bflies zipping around. There are Frits; they're darker so perhaps Northwesterns (??) and some blues - at least one was a Northern Blue and the other, a Blue Copper.
The trail ending means the only way I can get to the 2nd lake is over the talus fields. Not too excited about this (I'm not a mt goat) but I'll give it a shot. I head down into the gulch and follow the 1st lake around to a section of talus that maybe easy to get across.
Big boulders, little boulders all stacked up with some big gaps in between some of them. Wouldn't be too pleasant to slip and fall here -- be lucky to just break a leg. I didn't get too far when I decided it time to turn around and find a nice spot along lake #1 for lunch.
On the way out I see so Baneberry with its red berries in between some of the rocks.
I find myself a nice shady spot along the lake. It's got great views
After lunch I decide to give the trail one more shot, perhaps I can find a way to bushwhack down to the 2nd lake but that didn't work out too good. So its time to head back.
I hear a pika call and find him on the rocks.
I try to find the hiker on the slopes but can't see him - hopefully that means he's found a way up.
As I leave, there are 3 hikers coming in. They say I'm the first person they've ever seen here and they've been here several times. (Red and White Pine Lake are more popular --- I don't know why because this is pretty spectacular.)
One the way down, I see more Frits, a Northern and Melissa Blue and a Sulpher (I believe Western) in some of the meadows.
I find this really neat orange fungus.
I merge back with the Red Pine trail. Lots of folks heading up. Glad I'm not at Red Pine Lake, it definitely wouldn't be very peaceful with all these people.
I get back to the viewpoint and oh my is it a stunning view. I've never seen it so clear, the view down the canyon to the city, the Orriquhs Mts, the near mountains... the colors are so sharp and clear. It's pretty amazing!
A little further down, I see my first fall colors of the year - red leaves.
I also find another deep forest beauty, the Pinedrops - another one of those non-chlorophyll, parasitic plants.
No comments:
Post a Comment