The first part of the hike is familiar to those who have hiked the Y. You follow a series of grueling switchbacks up the mountain that end at the famous, white, concrete monolith. From there the trail continues into the canyon just south of the Y.
The trail snakes up away from the grass and bushes so prevalent at lower altitudes into a beautiful wooded area filled with large pines and aspens.
Sometimes butterflies land on your arm. Apparently Danny is "favored of God." I had a bird poop on me. What does that mean?
On the back side of the mountain, the trail opens up to a large forest of mostly aspens, with wide, shallow meadows along the way. Because it's still relatively early in the year - and due to the late winter storms we've had this year - the last third of the hike up was through 8-14 inches of snow.
Scrambling in snow is like running in sand. Or... uphill, anyway. It was brutal. Still fun. Just very much a workout.
Near the top, you're greeted by two solitary pines.
The West side of the mountain (that which faces Utah Valley) was dry, but muddy. From here you can perch on a fallen tree and enjoy expansive vistas. If you look close, you can see salt on my face. Once again, I remind you that hiking in the snow is BRUTAL!
Looking triumphant on the top! (Danny, Me, Scott)
The reflection of the sunlight on the snow lit the back side of this pine perfectly! It made for an excellent picture.
-Barry
P.S. On the way down the mountain we were able to run/slide through the snow in a semi-controlled manner. It was SO much fun. I decided to capture a little bit of it on my iPhone. I warn you, though... running down a mountain in the snow makes you act goofy. It's like a drug, man. ;)
ok so i had no idea there was a continuation of the Y hike. I hate the first part which is why I refuse to hike it, but if the latter part is worth it then I might reconsider...
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