Adventures with Wrong Wheel Drive

"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678) 09/10/2018 at 17:58 • Filed to: None

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Shameless ripoff of title from another oppo and leading with a picture of a Mountain goat from an epic hike... Its like we had the same minds lol.

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This weekend though I had A BIT more planning than the aforementioned adventurer. Somehow I actually managed to stick almost entirely to my plan for the weekend and was very happy with all of my choices. Here is a quick rundown of my adventure followed by a bunch of photos:

Drive to Solitude Ski Resort via Guardsman pass from Park City.

Hike around 5 miles round trip up the mountain.

Epic round of disc golf at Solitude.

Set up camp at Spruces campground.

Hike 9 miles round trip to Desolation Lake from the North Fork Trailhead.

Make it back to camp just after sunset and cook up a nice camp meal.

Drive in the morning to Alpine Scenic Loop.

Hike 14.5 miles round trip to Mt Timpanogos from the Timpooneke Trailhead.

Drive the rest of Alpine Scenic Loop in the dark.

Make it back to my hotel after 2 hours of backroads in the dark.

It surely was an epic weekend and aside from the hike on Sunday taking a bit longer than I expected, everything was pretty much on schedule and went as planned. Pretty much all of my goals were met: See fall leaves, Hike past 11,000 feet, and build a campfire under some stars. The only thing that could have made the adventure sweeter was having my Miata for the journey, but hey the STi certainly did not disappoint!

Now, my photo collection in some semblance of order:

I woke up Saturday around 8am to a herd of Antelope outside of my hotel window

My course for the weekend was set and I was on the road around 9am

Around 11am I made it to the base area of Solitude. It was a beautiful drive getting there and maybe I will pull some dash cam footage. Colorful leaves up in the hills, epic mountain passes, and beautiful landscapes everywhere. But I was just driving instead of photo taking.

A pretty relaxed hike up the mountain for the start of my day; only about 2 miles and 1000 feet elevation gain for this hike.

Fall leaves were only patchy, it being early September. But hey, I dont really get any of that in Southern California!

Around noon, I started an amazing round of disc golf and my hike across the mountain for all 18 holes. I had the whole place to myself aside from a few hikers and bikers.

It was truly a BEAUTIFUL day. Perfect weather, nice mountain air, and a great course layout

I lost a driver on Hole 18, but otherwise it was the best round of disc golf I have ever played. At least replacement discs are cheap and I was actually able to get one down at the base area shop. Funny part was that I found the disc but it was stuck 50 feet up in a tree. Maybe it will still be there when I come back during ski season...

Made it back down to the car around 2pm, ready to head over to the campground and get a campsite. The STi performed beautifully all weekend and was super practical for all of my gear while still being supremely fun in the twisty parts. Plus with the AC on and some light music playing, I can drive comfortably forever.

First order of business at my campsite was LUNCH. I had a pastrami and pepper jack cheese sandwich along with a protein shake (homemade in a milk carton and some whey chocolate powder. Also some much needed gatorade and a side of fritos.

Next order of business was taking sweet car photos for r/subaru and oppo

Finally after collecting some firewood, setting up camp, and packing my daypack, I was off on another hike for the day. This time headed to Desolation Lake for a 9 mile round trip hike with about 2,000 feet of elevation gain. The goal was to make it up and back before sunset, but I brought along my headlamp and flashlight anyways. I left camp around 4pm.

Reached the top/lake at around 630pm! It was truly beautiful up there and well worth hike.

Was loving the fall colors and cooler air up there at around 9,200 feet.

When I got back to camp around 815pm I built a nice big fire and cooked a couple hot dogs over the open fire. While that was going, I cooked up a can of corn and a can of baked beans on my camp stove and then mixed it all together for a hearty camp meal. This was supplemented by more hot dogs as I sat around the fire along with some dark chocolate reeses and more fritos. That along with the reeses and protein bars along the trail earlier kept me well fed for the day’s activities. I eventually ran out of wood to burn around 1030pm and settled in for bed by 11pm.

I woke up around 8am and cooked up a breakfast consisting of a can of Chunky Mushroom and Swiss Burger Soup and a banana. Then I packed up camp and headed out towards the Alpine Scenic Loop a bit South of where I was on Big Cottonwood Canyon. Eventually, I arrived at the Timpooneke Trailhead for my next epic hike. At the trailhead, I fixed up a peanut butter sandwich to eat real quick and packed up the rest of my kit for the day.

Kit for the day:

3L of water in my water pack

0.5L of gatorade in a water bottle

2 protein bars

1 banana

4 dark chocolate reeses

1 pouch of tuna

Another p astrami and p epper Jack sandwich

Wool hat for the summit/emergencies in my bag

Wool Darn Tough socks on my feet

“Safari” wide brim hat on my head

Sun glasses on my face

Short sleeve shirt and shorts (breathable materials)

Sun block

Bug spray

No headlamp or flashlight (foreshadowing)

Just took a picture of the sign at the trailhead for my map. I was also using the AllTrails app which is great since it will show the trail, elevation at all points of the trail, and a GPS marker of where you are at. This was handy for the times that I went off the trail and had to find my way back.

My hike started at about 1145am and was immediately beautiful. It was going to be a long 7.2 miles and 4,600 feet of elevation change to the summit. So I just took lots of pictures to distract myself from that daunting fact and hoped that I would have the supplies to make it there and back.

The views increased as I climbed further in altitude. I was finally able to see the peak impossibly far away around 2 miles into the hike. With over 5 miles and 3500 feet to go, the reality of my endeavor began to settle in.

A couple more miles and another 1000 feet of elevation gain later, I felt so close yet still so far away from the summit. I had drank a bunch of water and ate my banana and the tuna at this point.

One of my unintentional detours led me to a truly epic area. I had to scale a rocky hill to get back on the trail but it was worth it for the amazing views

Once back on the trail, I had my first run in with a mountain goat!

I was finally getting somewhere, only now 1500 feet from the summit and another 2 miles to go. My knees were still feeling good, I still had some energy, and the 10,000+ feet of elevation was feeling not that bad. Every step uphill was another step closer to victory.

Another mile up and almost 1000 feet gained, I had reached the saddle. It became very windy up there and it was getting late. I was surely low on water and still had much more to climb. Due to the high altitude, I was feeling quite more tired than expected and was really struggling at this point. I was very near the verge of quitting and heading back down. The views here were amazing and I already had a great weekend. But after a protein bar and some rest, I pushed myself to make it that last grueling mile and to keep going. I knew it would be a struggle and I contemplated quitting the entire way up.

That spec at the top was the final destination. The scrambling sketchy looking trail is the wild way up there. Every step was pain, exhaustion, and a fight to make it just one step further.

I finally fucking made it! I literally teared as I made it to the top. Not usually do I have an emotional reaction to completing a hike but just due to the mental/physical turmoil in making it there really overwhelmed me to make it. It was truly beautiful up there. Although it was also fucking cold in shorts and a short sleeved shirt!! I was so thankful I brought the wool hat.

My photos just do not do this hike justice. It was purely magical. I ate my pastrami sandwich and some reeses at the top along with half of my gatorade. It was now 5pm and I had 0.5L of water, 0.25L of gatorade, 2 reeses, and a protein bar for my 7.2 mile hike to the bottom. I had about 3 hours before it would be dark so I figured I could just make it.

Right after I began my descent, I ran into this guy again! I will just assume it is the same goat because then that means he followed me up to the summit and we hiked down together. What a friend on my solo hike!

Found the last remnants of the previous winter. This must have been some DEEP snow on a North facing slope at the bottom of a cliff. It was September and I cant imagine it had snowed since April.

It became darker as I made my way down the hill but that led to some great views as well.

Chasing the sunset down the hill, with water running lower and my tiredness increasing. Slowly but surely I would make it....

As darkness settled in on my last mile of the hike and I ran completely out of water, gatorade, and food, i took my last picture before switching over to using my phone with dwindling battery life as my flashlight. I guess it was only a mile downhill so I would have eventually stumbled my way out of there alive. But it was surely a harrowing bit of hiking due to those conditions. I was finally almost there!

In pitch blackness around 845pm I made it down to the car and chugged some water, ate more reeses, made myself another protein shake, and munched on some more fritos. I had made it! Full success was had and my day and weekend was complete.

I survived my 14.3 mile hike and had an epic story to tell at the end of it all. My weekend was a great success and everything was exactly what I could have wished for. The drive home from there were 2 hours of pretty uneventful trekking home. It was a pretty interesting drive in the dark to complete the rest of the Alpine Loop, being that it was super narrow and pitch black out. The oncoming cars were scary but it was not too long before I was on the highway cruising back to my hotel.

I now sit here trying to rest up for work to begin again tonight and reveling in the glory of an epic adventure. Till next weekend for the next one!

myear23 > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/10/2018 at 18:29

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Views at the top truly look marvelous. Interesting that the mountains are not tree-topped over there. Allows you to gaze out in the scenery while you hike and I think the gray color looks very cool.

Also what makes you still prefer that old beat up Miata to the STI? Haha

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/10/2018 at 18:30

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This is awesome! I love Utah. My brothers and a group of friends used to stay in a cabin right by Solitude/Brighton for our annual ski trip. The mountains are majestic in the winter, but they seem even more when you are exploring them with no snow. That is quite the epic weekend of hiking!

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/10/2018 at 19:00

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I usually budget 1 to 2 mph on foot for pace to know how car I can go in one day. That 14 miler looked epic. I know I would have been questioning my existence at the end.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 09/10/2018 at 19:56

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I was questioning my existence before I even made it to the summit lol. But yeah I assumed 2mph average for the hike and nearly made that happen. A little slower going up and a bit faster going down. I need to find an easy way to carry more than 3L, its just not enough water. 

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > myear23 09/10/2018 at 20:01

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Haha yeah at that altitude the trees don’t have enough oxygen to grow. Which is kind of metal to hike in then, since humans need oxygen too.

The Miata just has more "character" and of course the top down just makes everything better. 

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/10/2018 at 20:39

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If you need more than 100 oz I would recommend using a water filter and filling up during the day. I think that 100oz is the largest bladder that is made. 

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/10/2018 at 20:51

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Super jealous you saw a mountain goat

The Dummy Gummy > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/10/2018 at 21:21

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I’m not going to lie, I thought that goat was a cloud that looked like a goat haha

AestheticsInMotion > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/11/2018 at 00:52

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Wow. We really did mirror each-other’s Sunday. So you met a goat on a solo hike above the treeline and it followed you? Okay... That’s too big of a coincidence. They must have some sort of long-range goat communication going on.

I started running downhill when it got super dark. I wanted to cover as much ground as possible before it was completely b lack. Might have to try that alltrails app. I had to backtrack a few times after loosing the path once I entered the clouds haha

JMKarstetter > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/11/2018 at 01:00

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What disc golf course was this? I’d love to go play there! Also nice to see a fellow disc golfer on here.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > AestheticsInMotion 09/11/2018 at 04:33

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Haha shit I would have never made it if it wasn’t for that app. I only checked because the “trail” I was following became rather sketch and less traveled and then I saw on the app I was nowhere near the actual trail. Otherwise I would have just pushed on and said nahhh I’ll get to the real trail eventually on my own. It’s a free app but it gives nag screens to upgrade for some ridiculous monthly fee. Maybe it’s worth it? But it works acceptably as free.

I'm going to just start hiking with my headlamp always. It doesn't take up much space/weight anyways. Starting as late as you did in a place where it's that cold with no light. You sir are a bit crazier lol

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > JMKarstetter 09/11/2018 at 04:40

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At solitude the ski resort. I play casually since I only carry a driver, a mid range, and a couple of putters. But whenever I get the chance to check out a cool course I definitely make it happen. It’s a pretty easy thing to combine with my love of hiking and enjoying being outdoors. 

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 09/11/2018 at 04:44

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I'd be thoroughly impressed to find a water source at all on most hikes I could do. Much less one that is clean enough to even consider filtering. But yeah that probably is the best bet other than trying to carry more than one bladder I guess. 

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > SPAMBot - Horse Doctor 09/11/2018 at 04:46

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It seemed eerie without snow lol. It definitely looked like snow belonged there in most places. I feel like that area has to be nuts to get to in actual winter conditions. I suppose if I put snow tires on my Subaru like I plan, I could actually put it to good use there for sure. Just need a roof rack and then I'm set for that sort of trip. 

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 09/11/2018 at 04:48

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I was surprised as hell. At first I thought it was a frigging wolf or something. I just came across a white furry thing wandering around like he owned the fucking place. And then I realized it was a goat and knew I had to get closer for a picture. That goat climbed way better than I could. 

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > The Dummy Gummy 09/11/2018 at 04:48

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I sure thought I was imagining it at first. 

pip bip - choose Corrour > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/11/2018 at 07:32

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well done

awesome scenery too!

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/11/2018 at 11:19

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For sure! I was at Brighton during a powder day. One of those bowls had un touched chest deep powder. That was my best day of skiing to date haha

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/11/2018 at 15:19

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Well he does own the fucking place! 

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > SPAMBot - Horse Doctor 09/11/2018 at 16:26

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I like can’t even imagine what that is like. It was apparently a crappy week when I was at Alta by their standards and it was still my best skiing ever every single day. 

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/11/2018 at 17:00

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I’m not claiming to be an amazing skier or even well traveled, but Utah is in a completely different level when it comes to snow quality. East coast, northern Midwest, CO, CA, and Whistler, are no comparison. Granted, a lot of those places have higher drops and more terrain but I still prefer UT. I need to go to the Alps one of these days, for science.

JMKarstetter > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 09/12/2018 at 00:01

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I love to play, I actually play semi-competitively, I enjoy it a lot though, they have a lot in some very cool areas.