Yesterday was the first completely clear and sunny day we’ve had since we moved here. Last week we received over a foot of snow which glistened brightly in the snow and made the sky seem ten times bluer. What a beautiful day! Kris had arrived home from a business trip the night before, actually that morning at 4:30 a.m. But lack of sleep has never been a reason for keeping Kris from outdoor activities. So we packed and bundled Jennika up and headed for Big Cottonwood Canyon and a hike up Mill D North Fork Trail. There were lots of people in the canyon, but our trail wasn’t crowded. Kris explained that this is because there are so many cool places in the canyon that even with all the people out there, they are plenty spread out.
We hiked for quite a while with beautiful surroundings. We passed a couple picknicking at a fork in the trail. They asked us which trail to take. We didn’t know but took a guess and passed them. A little further on we encountered three backcountry snowboarders. They informed us that we weren’t on the right trail, weren’t really on any trail expect one made by people like them. So we continued on for a little bit and decided to try to find a way to connect into the right trail. The trails we chose quickly became just fresh ski tracks and then old tracks and then nothing really at all. Each step we took meant sinking knee-deep in the snow, sometimes all the way up to our thighs. I kept wishing we had snowshoes or even gators, but we hadn’t anticipated this. Finally, just when my legs were starting to sting from the cold and my pants were soaked, we found the trail we started out on. It was more packed down and a lot easier hiking. We made it back to the car and got dried out (something that happens a LOT faster here than in Oregon). On our way back homewe made another stop and a short hike to Hidden Falls. It was partially frozen over and just beautiful nestled among the rocks.