Well, I still haven't finished writing about the summer trip, but I'm going to just go out of order here and talk about my hike yesterday because I've learned that, if I don't write about it immediately, it will take 6 months. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother trying to keep up with this... I don't want to be a writer, and I'm not trying to be famous. But it's for me. Like, when I went to Yosemite last month, I was able to look back at my blog and see which hikes I'd done so I wouldn't accidentally repeat one. So, I will keep writing!
My canyoneering plans for yesterday fell through. I was so tempted to just sit on my couch and watch college football and read a book, but it was a beautiful day and I thought, "This is the perfect opportunity to go somewhere I've been wanting to go!" I decided to drive 4 hours (each way!) to the Ruby Mountains. My reasoning was that I can't do a super long hike right now with this bad hip, so it would be okay to spend most of the day in the car.
To get to the trailhead, you drive 12 miles up Lamoille Canyon.
There were several unmarked trailheads leaving from the same parking lot. I consulted my GPS and chose the one I thought was correct. I ended up being incorrect. It was no big deal; I could see the other trail from where I was. There were just a bunch of bushes in the way. But there was a huge group of people just starting out on the trail. When they came into view, I crouched down in the bushes to hide. First of all, I didn't want them to see me stumbling around in the bushes like an insane person. Second, I hate getting stuck hiking near a group like this. Either you're just behind them the whole time, and you have to listen to them instead of enjoying the quiet of nature, or you pass them (which is always awkward) and then you feel like you need to rush to stay ahead of them. So, I wanted to give them a head start. But then I realized that I was wearing a magenta fleece, so I probably wasn't very well camouflaged, and it probably just looked like I was peeing. And my efforts were all for nothing because they were right by me for the whole hike. The kids were yelling back and forth at each other up and down the switchbacks, and it was just so obnoxious. There were a lot of other groups besides this big one, so I didn't have any solitude all the way up to Lamoille Lake.
On top of that, the trail was all snow and slush, so my feet were cold and wet the whole way. And on the way down (which I thought would be easier), I was slipping and sliding and could only take little shuffle steps. My hip was agonizing; my leg gave out on me a few times and I realized that I can no longer even do these easier hikes until I have my surgery. (This hike was a little over 3 miles round trip with 850 feet of elevation gain.)
But despite all this, I loved this hike! From my description, it probably sounds miserable. But look at these views! This is Lamoille Lake. You can keep taking this trail to Liberty Lake, which I would have liked to do. I think this trail might also be the beginning of the long Ruby Crest Trail. It's hard to believe you're in Nevada!
It is absolutely worth it to drive out from SLC to
My canyoneering plans for yesterday fell through. I was so tempted to just sit on my couch and watch college football and read a book, but it was a beautiful day and I thought, "This is the perfect opportunity to go somewhere I've been wanting to go!" I decided to drive 4 hours (each way!) to the Ruby Mountains. My reasoning was that I can't do a super long hike right now with this bad hip, so it would be okay to spend most of the day in the car.
To get to the trailhead, you drive 12 miles up Lamoille Canyon.
There were several unmarked trailheads leaving from the same parking lot. I consulted my GPS and chose the one I thought was correct. I ended up being incorrect. It was no big deal; I could see the other trail from where I was. There were just a bunch of bushes in the way. But there was a huge group of people just starting out on the trail. When they came into view, I crouched down in the bushes to hide. First of all, I didn't want them to see me stumbling around in the bushes like an insane person. Second, I hate getting stuck hiking near a group like this. Either you're just behind them the whole time, and you have to listen to them instead of enjoying the quiet of nature, or you pass them (which is always awkward) and then you feel like you need to rush to stay ahead of them. So, I wanted to give them a head start. But then I realized that I was wearing a magenta fleece, so I probably wasn't very well camouflaged, and it probably just looked like I was peeing. And my efforts were all for nothing because they were right by me for the whole hike. The kids were yelling back and forth at each other up and down the switchbacks, and it was just so obnoxious. There were a lot of other groups besides this big one, so I didn't have any solitude all the way up to Lamoille Lake.
On top of that, the trail was all snow and slush, so my feet were cold and wet the whole way. And on the way down (which I thought would be easier), I was slipping and sliding and could only take little shuffle steps. My hip was agonizing; my leg gave out on me a few times and I realized that I can no longer even do these easier hikes until I have my surgery. (This hike was a little over 3 miles round trip with 850 feet of elevation gain.)
hike, even if it's just for a day. If you can’t hike, you can still get views like this just from the parking lot!
I'm so glad I got to see something that's been on my list forever, AND it lived up to my expectations! But next time, I will be looking for a trail marked "lightly trafficked!"
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