Here is a quick hike / turkey hunt. Got off work at 16:00 and headed to Woods Cross to pick up Nate. Yes, Nate is on a 2 week leave from the military so he spent some time with his bro's in the outdoors. It was like good 'ol times with the three of us out hiking. The main purpose of the hike was to search for the stinkin turkey's. As we headed up the canyon out of Grantsville and in the Stansbury Range, the snow looked to be high towards the peak. As we drove up to the trailhead it was evident the snow level was not as high as expected, but rather low. Lets just say we were mostly hiking in snow!
We hiked in about a mile and a half. Not very far at all. We did some calling to see if anything presented. And of course, NOTHING! If you have been hunting with me you know the story! You will see everything but what I am actually after!!
So we were off the mountain by dusk. No turkey sign was seen. It was probably due to the snow. Someone told me they were high in elevation, must not be that high! So we drove out and on the way out what did we see roosting in the big cottonwoods towards the mouth of the canyon? Yup, stinkin turkeys, what the.......At least they were only hens.
It was good to get out again and do a small little hike. It was even better to get out and hike with my favorite hiking buddies. I plan to go out again hunting on Friday morning before work. We'll see how that goes. Long and short though.....WELCOME HOME NATE!!!!!
I don't know if you can click on the pic to make it bigger or not. Long and short the trail follows the ridge strait up for 2.5 miles. Elevation gain of 3,040 feet. The pictures will not do it justice but the trail at first is VERY steep and slippery. Then it levels out, if you call it leveling out. Then towards the end it became VERY steep again. It reminded me very much of Mt. Olympus' trail.
As I climbed higher and higher into the foothills the trail characteristics didn't change much. Strait and up! Every couple hundred feet I would come to a little patch of scrub oak which offered very little shade. Oh, did I forget to mention the trail is VERY exposed and I forgot the sunblock? No I am not blushing as I type this!!
As the trail climbed higher and higher it came across several large rock outcroppings. It is weird to look up at the mountains on a daily basis and not really see the detail of the landscape. Hiking up close really shows the detail. These outcroppings were gigantic and really interesting. 
Once I got up into the mountains the trail became small and overgrown. A lot of little sticks jumped out and scratched my legs. About every 5 feet there was a lizard that went running off. Scared me because if the lizards are out the rattlers would be out as well. Good thing I had NOTHING to protect myself!! But if something did happen I had my SPOT TRACKER!!!! I never leave home without it. So anyways, up and up I went. It almost felt like the trail was never ending. I had no idea where the ending spot was. I soon was getting close to the snow level. I was not prepared for that type of terrain and thought I would have to turn around. Not to mention my knees were on fire due to the elevation gain.
So I hit the snow level on the mountain. Since it was about 3 in the afternoon the snow was really soft. The slope was not too much of an incline, say about 25 degrees. It was right at a ridge. So I thought I would cross the small snow field and have a look at the top. See how much further it could be. So I crossed the field, topped out on the ridge, and saw the trail continued DOWN back into the canyon. That was a little discouraging because I wanted to go up, not down. So what the hell, I headed down the trail and to my surprise, there was the cabin!!
I walked up to the door, knocked to make sure nobody was inside and I was going to surprise them, and with no answer walked in. I was not expecting to see what was inside.
Seeing how the fire was still warm, the entry date on the notepad was today, I decided to kindly excuse myself from the residence. Somebody was living there it was evident. I did not want to be walked up on and questioned. Call me old fashion. So I headed back out and walked up on the ridge behind the cabin to have lunch. It was then I saw all the .40 caliber shell casings laying around. Now for those who know me, my mind started to wonder. It kicked into high gear when I heard someone or something rustling in the bushes a bit down the hill. So I guess it was time to pull it out. Yes, I did actually bring protection. It came in the form of a 9mm!!! I had it in the pack for comfort but when I started to add things up i took it out and placed it on the hip. When I go hiking I usually take it not for the snakes or bears, but for the rednecks you find squatting in the hills. And here is a prime example. So I ate my trail mix, downed some tuna and crackers, and took in the views. I was right close to the top of the range and had thoughts about continuing. But the pain in the knees told me otherwise. I took a few pictures and begun the trek down. Did I mention my knee's hurt worse going down then up? Let it begin!
