I had wanted to go up Mt. Timpanogos on my birthday, which is in the middle of November, but didn’t trust conditions to hold. So l I hit the trail on a perfect day at the end of October.
My hike started at the Timpooneke Trailhead around 5:15 am on a Thursday. There was one car in the parking lot and the sky was filled with stars and a half moon.
At around 3-1/2 miles into the hike I got into enough packed snow and ice to put spikes on. The moon was bright and first light was just behind me.
It was about this time that the first light of dawn started to show up. As I got higher up the trail the sky turned the gorgeous color it usually does. When I have hiked Timpanogos in the past I have tried to time things to see the sun rise around half a mile below the Timpanogos basin. I did the same thing in this hike!
Timp and all the peaks around it came into view quickly as I hiked a traverse approaching the Basin. They were snow-capped and breathtaking in the morning light. As the sun came up I took my jacket off and enjoyed the warmth from the bright, orange orb and made it to the place where I would start climbing the saddle. This was a good time for a snack and hydration break.
Just as I started hiking to the saddle I saw a tiny spec on the summit of Timp. I zoomed in with my camera and sure enough, it was a fellow hiker. He was the first person to the summit that morning. I got a pretty good series of images and wondered if I would see the hiker on the way up. I met the guy I saw on the summit around half way to the saddle and air dropped the photos to him.
Gunnar, the hiker from the summit, told me it was very windy at and above the saddle. I was ready for this and to changed into winter gear just a few feet below the saddle. As expected, the wind blasted me and I pressed on.
Up to this point the trail had been packed snow and ice with a few small drifts, but the trail soon became a bit more challenging. The usually flat trail took on the slope of the mountain and getting good foot placement became a little more fun in a lot of places.
The chimney was fun as usual. The trail was mostly covered with snow and ice, but was easy enough to get up. Above this the snow had blown a lot and the trail was hard to follow at times.
The last half mile was pretty interesting because I made my own trail most of the way. Most footprints had been partially or completely filled in with snow. The wind was blowing, the sky was blue and the view was amazing!
I arrived at the Timpanogos summit after around 5-1/4 hours of hiking. This was a good 45 minutes slower than I had done it without snow, but I was fine with that. I got up safely and that was what counted.
The famous shack on top of Timp was amazing to look at. There were awesome rime ice formations all over it. The red triangular roof looked like a huge Santa hat!
I hung out at the summit taking photos and videos and enjoyed a cold slice of homemade pizza and my own electrolyte concoction before starting back down. On the way down I passed half a dozen hikers, some of whom were clearly not prepared with the right clothing and gear. I hope they made it back down without too much trouble.
Getting back toward the basin I found a place I had spotted on the way up. There was a great place where people had dropped for a glissade and I knew this was something I had to do! I found another place to do the same a bit lower and both butt-slides were amazing!
The trip back down was much quicker than the hike up, but the melting snow and recent rain made the trail extremely muddy and slipper in places. My shoes and pant legs were soaked and covered with mud, but I didn’t care at all. My hike was a great success, I got loads of photos and videos and felt amazing!
The hike was just over 14.5 miles and had about 4,600 feet of vertical gain. My time on the trail, including breaks, was just over 9 hours.
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