Obviously, I was a bit annoyed at my situation. Once it became clear that Dairyland was not an option, I had to figure out what to do with myself for the next two weeks that I had off from work. This week started off with beautiful weather so I went back over to Corner Canyon to clear my mind and get in some saddle time. I started from the Draper Equestrian Center and climbed the canyon as usual, then opted to ride some different trails. I dropped down the southern side of the trail system, heading over to the Potato Hill area before crossing Traverse Ridge Rd into another network of trails I didn't even know existed. I found a skills park area where several levels of downhill trails brought many smiles.
It was then back up Potato Hill and through another connector trail that I had never ridden to get back over to Corner Canyon. I climbed halfway up the canyon again to get onto the Rattler Trail, which I really love to descend. It is fast and flowy with a large variety of corner types along the way. There are bermed corners, flat corners with little gravels sprinkled around, dips in the apex of some turns and a few blind turns as well. You can hit a fairly high speed if you push it and those corners keep you on your toes the entire way down. The grasses along the bottom half were still tinted red just like when I rode down last week. They were waving in the wind as I zoomed by.
I finished up the ride with another climb up the canyon so I could finish with some air time on the Rush downhill trail. This trail is full of jumps and berms. It's one-way so you can let it rip. Most of the jumps are really well built with a smooth landing. The trail has been extended a little at the bottom with even more jumps added. Some of the lower jumps are really big, bigger than I had the guts to hit on an Epic.
My ride was over, but I wasn't done with time in the woods just yet. I have always wanted to hike up Bells Canyon to the waterfall there that is supposed to be one of the larger in the area. The trailhead is not too far from Corner Canyon so it was a short drive before I was lacing up my boots. My feet were still a little sore from Saturday's hike up Grandeur Peak, but that went away after a few minutes of walking.
This trail has two starting points. I chose the more southern route, which began with a short, steep climb out in the blazing sun. Once at the top of the small climb, the trail flattens out as it reaches the Lower Bell Canyon Reservoir. I took a side trail around the lake so I could enjoy the view before continuing the climb. The two initial routes converge at the reservoir, taking a dirt road further up the canyon before the trail splits off to the left.
The trail is always climbing, but it's fairly gradual at the bottom as you cross mountain meadows to get to a rushing stream. The trail crosses the stream, which is Bells Canyon Creek, the source of the waterfall.
The climb becomes more serious after the creek crossing. It moves under the cover of the tree canpy which was nice. The creek gets further away, but you can still hear the rushing water as you climb. The trail becomes covered in rocks which gradually get bigger as you ascend. The posted distance up to the falls was 2.2 miles. The legs were burning as the rocks transitioned to boulders. The climb went from hiking to bouldering. It was like doing lunges up the mountain. I passed very few people on this climb. Not because the trail was empty, but because everybody in Utah can hike. I know I was a little tired from the mountain bike ride, but I got whipped by some teenagers that looked like they were dressed to go to the mall. They were carrying their shiny little water bottles and chap-stick as they crushed my soul into the boulders. The 2.2 mile mark went by with no waterfall in sight. I knew I added on a little when I went around the reservoir, but I was getting discouraged when I got to 2.5 miles and still no waterfall.
The last few minutes felt like an hour. I was tired and had sweat dripping off every feature of my face. Finally, I saw a sign. It said turn left for the waterfall. The trail descended a little and then the waterfall came into view. After an hour and 35 minutes of climbing, I could see it! Bells Canyon Waterfall is another powerful one like Horsetail Falls. There is plenty of water volume coming through the canyon with force. The water cascades most of the way down, curving right at the bottom of the main dropping, narrowing up, then curving left as it continues to fall. The upper portion had a lot of spray coming off of it that glistened in the sun with the occasional rainbow band shining out. I climbed down the rocks for a better view. From the bottom, you can see out of the canyon. It's another typical view from the Wasatch as you look over the populated valley.
I enjoyed the view from the waterfall. It was hard work getting up there. It turns out there is another waterfall further up the mountain, up an even more challenging section of trail. I was too beat to go on so that will have to wait for another day. But it will happen. I got my feelings hurt a few more times as groups of people smoked on past me as I worked my way down the boulders. If you think you are in good shape and a decent hiker, go to Utah and find out if it's true. When I got back down to the reservoir, I climbed up a pile off rocks for a better view. It was the best view of the reservoir. On my way down, I saw a guy meditating on top of one of the giant boulders. He was definitely enjoying the sunshine. What a tiring, yet very enjoyable day. It was just what I needed. Mind clear.
No comments:
Post a Comment