Wednesday I was able to get myself out of bed by 5am and out the door before 6am to go hiking. First stop was my local Beans & Brews for a coffee refill in my infamous green mug and a muffin; second to get gas and away I went. My only plan was to go up Big Cottonwood Canyon (BCC).
I had been reading about short hikes close to the Salt Lake valley. I figured this would be a nice reprieve from my mornings walks I have been doing to rehab from back surgery. I need to get back in better conditioning so I figured a short mountain walk would kick things up a notch.
My new Lowepro Photo Sport 200 AW was packed with the essentials: iPhone 4s, Nikon D7000, 10-24mm UW, 70-300mm, 35mm, monopod, filters, snacks, H2O, Rain jacket, fingerless gloves and a beanie. With back brace on I put on my pack buckled up and grabbed my Leki Wanderfreund hiking staff (I have been using this as a cane off and on for the last nine months to aid walking, anyway that's another story, lets just say back problems are no fun).
I had been reading about short hikes close to the Salt Lake valley. I figured this would be a nice reprieve from my mornings walks I have been doing to rehab from back surgery. I need to get back in better conditioning so I figured a short mountain walk would kick things up a notch.
My new Lowepro Photo Sport 200 AW was packed with the essentials: iPhone 4s, Nikon D7000, 10-24mm UW, 70-300mm, 35mm, monopod, filters, snacks, H2O, Rain jacket, fingerless gloves and a beanie. With back brace on I put on my pack buckled up and grabbed my Leki Wanderfreund hiking staff (I have been using this as a cane off and on for the last nine months to aid walking, anyway that's another story, lets just say back problems are no fun).
As I moved up the paved walkway that parallels the creek I ran into the trailhead for Lake Blanche. After a short review of the map I decided, "What the heck, as long as I don't do anything foolish I should be okay".
Moving up the trail seemed to be okay. Over the bridge and up past the switchback I found a place to take a few shots and proceeded to pull out my camera and look for some composition.
The available light wasn't bad, not what I was hoping for but it was what I had. I snapped a few shots with my D7000 packed up and pulled out my point and shoot, the iPhone 4s. The new iOS for iPhone has a really cool feature for the camera, Panorama, with an 8mp sensor it actually takes worthwhile images IMO.
Moving up the trail seemed to be okay. Over the bridge and up past the switchback I found a place to take a few shots and proceeded to pull out my camera and look for some composition.
The available light wasn't bad, not what I was hoping for but it was what I had. I snapped a few shots with my D7000 packed up and pulled out my point and shoot, the iPhone 4s. The new iOS for iPhone has a really cool feature for the camera, Panorama, with an 8mp sensor it actually takes worthwhile images IMO.
A partial panorama from my iPhone 4s.
I continued up the trail stopping at every other level spot in hopes I would see some sort of mammal on slopes to my left or right. There were no fur bearing animals giving me the opportunity to capture them on my SD card. So, I decided to put the camera back into my pack and for the next hour I just hiked and enjoyed the fresh cool morning air.
I finally hit snow on the trail with what I estimated to be less than a mile to go. I continued up the snow covered path for another 20 or 30 minutes contemplating if it was a good idea for me to continue. For that 300-400 meters with songs from my feathered friends nearby I struggled to maintain pace. Pausing, I listened to them making themselves known to my presence with their song. I was done. I didn’t want to risk the return trip. The possibility of breaking through the melting snow and jarring my back with the pain that would result weighed heavily on my mind. Turning, I stopped for a moment to listen to a knocking woodpecker coming from the middle of the aspen grove. The staccato rhythm that it made on some tree escaping my gaze was enough. I decided to turn around and find a spot off the trail to relax, grab a snack and hopefully capture something on my SD card.
After a short break I pulled out the camera and monopod and started looking for Mr. Knock-Knock. He didn’t want to be found and wasn’t willing to pose for long when I finally spotted it. I managed to get two shots before it flew, that was it.
I walked back to my pack and just above me was a Robin. This one was more cooperative. He even flew to the ground within maybe 10m and stayed for several minutes. I snapped a couple shots then packed up for the return trip.
I walked back to my pack and just above me was a Robin. This one was more cooperative. He even flew to the ground within maybe 10m and stayed for several minutes. I snapped a couple shots then packed up for the return trip.
Going down was nice. My back was cooperating, the water from the bladder in my pack was still cold and my energy was still good. I ran into two groups on the way down and warned them about the snow. One group, some older gentlemen, played it smart, they carried snowshoes. While talking to them I was thinking "I could of used those". Anyway, hopefully they had a safe hike and successful journey; I know I did.