Blog: Trail Adventure Stories

End of my Rope at Midnight In college I had a calculus class that was BRUTAL! My high school never got to pre calculus so this math class was insane. I needed it to apply to my major so I had to take it. The first day of class the teacher confused me to no end. The two students on either side of me were catching on. I asked them for help and soon we had a regular study group where both of them coached me along.One night we had a two-hour study session and we were spent. The Aaron leaned over and said, "let's go rappelling!"The girl in our group reminded him that it was 11:30pm and she was pretty sure it was dark outside. "Pick up your stuff, let's go!" he responded. We looked at each other and followed his enthusiastic order.30 minutes later we found ourselves staring off into the abyss. He had driven to the top of a rim and had the truck lights shining on our entry point. He had anchored to the top of cliff. When I looked over, I could see NOTHING!He said, "I've got to stay here to make sure you guys get str... Read More

Polar Bear Plunge In college we lived in Provo, UT. There is a large mountain called Mount Timpanogos located on the Wasatch Front that you can see for miles. It has a trail system with one of the routes leading to the highest peak of the mountain which is just shy of 12,000 feet above sea level. The hike is 14 miles long round trip and has 5,300 feet of elevation gain. It's a considerable challenge.One summer, a bunch of us decided to take on the challenge. We set out early in the morning with day packs and a lot of enthusiasm. The scenery is beautiful and there is plenty of wildlife. We saw a moose munching in the willows along the stream. The trail has a lot of switchbacks because of the significant elevation gain: 5,300 feet over a 7 mile distance. We strongly recommend being in great shape to make the ascent.Around mid day we summitted the mountain and looked out over the Utah valley. It was a stunning sight! As we looked around the other direction we noticed the well traveled glacier on the oth... Read More

Flasher at the Hot Pots In college, we lived in Provo, UT. Near neighboring Spanish Fork there is a trailhead that takes you to a hotsprings destination we used to call the hot pots. I think they call it Fifth Water Hot Springs now. You park at a trailhead and hike in 2 and a half miles or so. The hike is along the Fifth Water Creek. When you get there you see some large (wide) pools where the hot water pours into the creek.We had gone to the springs a few times over the years. We would hike in during the winter in the snow. We only ever went in the dark but I hear the surrounding scenery is fantastic. One evening my roommates and a few other guys set out on a group date. All of us invited first dates who we thought could brave the cold and be OK swimming in the winter. We reached the trailhead and started the hike. We goofed around and tried to impress our dates as we got to know them. We arrived at the hot pots in the dark with a near-full moon. We started to shed layers in the cold to get to our swim su... Read More