Road Trip, Part Six: Timpanogos and Stewart Falls

Let me just preface this post by saying that the Park Rangers who manage the Timpanogos Trail head parking lot would do well to put up a couple extra signs. It's been seven years since I've hiked this mountain... and one generally assumes that if there is more than one trail head in a parking lot, that they will be clearly marked and defined.

In our excitement to get hiking, we started up the wrong trail head. It was NOT marked, until you were about a mile into it. Even still, we couldn't figure out what the signs meant, since it was all abbreviated.

In it's defense, the hike up to Stewart Falls was gorgeous!

I just wish I appreciated the falls a bit more. They were amazing.... but this is when the realization comes crashing down that we'd hiked the wrong trail. For almost 2 miles... which meant 3.5 miles hiking round trip on the wrong trail.

I'm not going to lie... I was PEEVED. How did we blow this? Months of training and we went up the wrong trail? Now, even with optimal trail and weather conditions, we were sure not to make it to the top. I hiked back to the parking lot with a speed that even surprised Eric. I needed to vent and I didn't want to take out my frustration on anyone in our group.
Back in the parking lot, we regrouped, went potty and found the right trail head. Turns out a big 15 passenger van was parked right in front of the trail head, blocking it from our view in the parking lot. We got started on the right trail and then met the TERT crew (emergency crew) who informed us that we were NOT going to make it to the top. There was too much snow and ice for it to be safe.

As crazy as that sounds, having them tell us we couldn't make it to the top melted away all my frustration. Even if we had started out on the right trail, we wouldn't have made it to the top anyway. Now it was out of my control and I could just enjoy the hike for what it was.

Soon after we began the hike, we discovered these little guys on the trail. There were everywhere. In a few weeks the mountain would be swarming with beautiful butterflies, I'm sure!

I loved this tree and had to snap a photo... It reminded me of the Banyan Tree in Lahaina, Maui. Lots of the foliage reminded me of Maui... odd, huh?

Due to the heavy and recent snows on the mountain, all the streams and waterfalls were huge! We walked at least a half mile on the trail in an inch or two deep running water.

More cute caterpillars... we counted at least a dozen on this leaf alone!

View of the trail with hikers...

This is where we turned around. Partly because it was getting late in the day and they were forecasting thunderstorms, and party because no one had snow gear and shoes with good traction. We talked to a couple who had just crossed this first part of snow and they said turning around was a good idea. They'd crossed a dozen or so spots like this before they gave up, but the girl said that coming back down the snow fields was no picnic. Her nerves were shot.

So, once again Timp defeated us. I'm not sure when we'll get another opportunity to try again. The ideal hiking time is late August, which is bad for us because our kids are already in school during the whole month of August. Maybe someday we'll do it again. Maybe someday we'll succeed.