Lone Peak

I haven’t been blogging since my return because life is now much more boring, but I had an eventful Saturday that I thought I would share. Last Saturday Tyson somehow convinced me to hike Lone Peak with him and some of his friends. I warned him that I’m not really a hiker and I don’t really ever do these sorts of things. I was really nervous about being able to do it and being the slow poke holding everyone up (which I was at some points).

We were supposed to start hiking at 6, but people slept in (not me), and it took a while to find the trail. We didn’t start until about 7:20. We got there and the trail had been closed due to water damage from floods, but it had also been closed since June 18^th, so being as hard core as they all were everyone still wanted to do it, which just added to my nervousness. The trail started out with steep switchbacks. I do not do well with switchbacks … or steepness. I have officially decided that I have exercise induced asthma. I couldn’t breath and had to stop a lot to catch my breath. I seriously doubted whether or not I should have come. Once we got pass that part it eased up quite a bit and I was able to keep up.

Basically we just hiked forever and ever (with a lot of rests) until we came to a little cabin. After the cabin the trail disappears and you kind of just climb. We were high enough that there was snow on the ground. Tyson slipped on some wet rock and hurt his knee pretty bad so he decided not to climb to the summit with us. Once you are at the top it is literally just slabs of rock that you have to wiggle around. It was a little scary being so high. I guess it is a “class 4” if any of you have any idea what that means … I don’t, rock climbing lingo. We finally made it to the top at around 3:30 and then it was time to come down. We stopped and ate lunch/dinner at the little camp Tyson had set up for himself and then started our journey down. By then my left knee and hip flexor hurt pretty bad and coming down with no trail made it worse. My quads started shaking with every step. That was probably the grumpiest I got on the whole trip.

Us at the top

My feet at the summit point. 11,251 feet!

The beautiful view from the top. Higher than an airplane.

Once we got to the trail it was better. The way down kind of became a “get me off of this mountain as soon as possible” minus stopping for the gimp or water. We were going down the mountain (two of the five left us because we were to slow) and I was in the back when I heard “Stop!” I froze. Tyson and Steve let me know that there was a rattle snake and I should stay back until it left. Tyson had almost stepped on it. We watched it slither away. It was probably 4 feet long. We continued with the journey, me in front, I was a little worried but figured we wouldn’t run into another one. Later I was walking pretty fast when all of a sudden I heard rattling on my left. I jump off the trail (into a steep hillside of bushes) as quick as I could. I didn’t really know what to do, but Tyson told me to stay still. As I stood in the bushes I could see the snake all coiled up probably a foot off of the trail. It wasn’t slithering away and none of us could move. Luckily Steve had brought a gun. They ended up shooting it. Yes, it was a little sad to have to destroy a life, but at the same time ok seeing as it was endangering ours.

Steve, his gun, the headless rattle snake that almost got me, and Tyson.

The rest of the trip down was uneventful and took forever. We finally made it back to our car at 8:40pm, tired and sweaty and filthy. The hike was supposedly only 13 miles total, but I don’t know if I believe it. We started at 5,000 feet and the summit is 11,200 feet (only 500 feet shorter than Timpanogos). It took us 13 hours, I got 4 blisters and a bruised toenail, Tyson and I almost got bitten by rattle snakes, and I still can’t walk down stairs normally, but it was pretty cool to be on the top of a mountain and I am very proud of my self for sticking it out. Although, I don’t know how many more adventures I will agree to go on with Tyson.

This picture is gross, but you can witness my dirt "tan lines." Please ignore my messy room.