I've been very busy with church stuff and I'm working 70+ hours per week. Outdoor time is a distant third priority right now.
I need to slow down and get outside. Fortunately, it's the perfect time of year for that. The trips aren't long, but they're worth so much more than the time I put into them.
Micro-adventure #1: The White 'n Bossy Route.
Like all my good ideas, and most of my bad ones too, this route was concieved while noodling around on Caltopo. White Pine Lake (the one up near the Idaho border, not the one near Salt Lake) is a popular lazyman's backpacking destination. But the ridge behind it was what really fascinated me. We tramped overland from the lake and up the head of an alpine basin.
The climb up to the ridge proved to be a bit of a lungbuster, but once up there, we encountered rolling terrain along the crest of the Bear River Range.
We encountered just enough snow to do a little glissading.
And oh my, the views.
Micro-adventure #2: Catherine Pass
Can fun be fun-sized? With many members of the Fast 'n Dangerous Hiking Crew working late on a Friday night, it was time to turn to Plan B. Plan A had involved 3 miles and 2,000 vertical feet of hiking, which is a tad ambitious if you don't get to the trailhead until 8:00PM. Plan B turned out to be lovely though.
About a mile from the road in the upper part of Little Cottonwood Canyon, there's a wonderful little meadow that offers camping in a picturesque spot. With such a short hike planned, luxuries like a stove (gasp!) and a couple of refreshing beverages wormed their way into my backpack.
Plan B continued to impress the next morning.
It was just a hop, skip, and a jump up to Catherine Pass.
A side trip up Mt Tuscarora yielded some outstanding views.
Two weeks. Two quick trips. Two quick bursts of reality in an otherwise chaotic world.
