The 2021 Utah Adventure

Partly sunny day with highs near 60 degrees today. Taking off work early (after reaching my 40 hours of course) and heading out to hike Grandeur Peak; a hike I've been thinking about for 3 weeks now. I think I've hiked it every Spring except last season. I've only ever made it to the top once; the 2nd saddle twice. For the most part I stop at what I call the 1st saddle with it's awesome view of the Salt Lake Valley. I stop there because there is too much mud/snow ahead (yes, only with about 700 feet of elevation to go). The trail starts at 5,888 feet but you don't park at the trail. You park on the road which add another 10-200ft of elevation to the hike. (The hike is 5.4 miles round-trip from the TH; the peak is around 8300 ft). I start somewhere around 8am. There are around 10 cars along the road already. It's 39 degrees as I start and I'm in the shade as I start my trek to the TH. There is some green vegetation on the forest floor but nothing that looks l...

 Sunny day with the high near 50 degrees. Heading up to Lambs Canyon for a walk to see what has changed in just over a week. Boy has the snow melted despite the lower than normal temps and snow & rain. Give it another week I should be able to make it without stepping in snow (but there will still be snow on the road). On the way up, I see a squirrel and a few Mourning Cloaks. Oh, and the starts of 2 species of Spring flowers (yea)! I reach the trail and take peak. There have been a few folks that crossed the bridge, but doesn't look like they've gone far. I'll give it another week before I venture across. On the way down, I see several 4 more Mourning Cloaks, a few CA Tortoiseshell and a Hoary Comma. Good day!

 Sunny day but just over 50 degrees. Heading to Lambs Canyon to walk the road (as the gate is closed). I arrive w/ YakTrak in toe because I'm not sure what to expect for snow. Well, I definitely don't need them at the start as the road is clear. As I just start my walk, I see butterfly! It's either a CA Tortoiseshell or Milbert's but I'd bet on CA since I see more of them here. After a bit, I reach patchy snow, than it's larger patches of snow and finally all snow. The creek is running but since too early for the water to be "really" flowing. Along the way to the trailhead, I see my 1st identifiable butterfly of the year; a Mourning Cloak. (Note this sighting is a couple before my 1st one last season.) I see another far down the road. And at the trail head, I scare up 2 Mourning Cloak and a Comma. None of them are being cooperative. I check out the trail and there are no fresh footprints so I'll wait until another day. During that time, the Comma c...

 Mostly sunny day with the highs near 80 degrees again - another record setting day. Heading up to Antelope Island for perhaps the last time for several months because of biting gnats; they're coming soon. And I'm not even thinking about the Sentry Trail today; I'm heading directly to White Rock - hoping to beat the masses. As I cross the causeway, it's cloudy and in the low 50s.  I see a few Willets on the Salt Lake side - I should stop, but I'm on a mission. When I reach the island, I head directly to the west side and the White Rock trail.  Plenty of bison behind the Visitor's Center (near the road) and Bison Point this morning. And thankfully, there are none near the White Rock trail. Yea! I'd be the 1st in the lots just after 8am if I didn't stop for a potty break. But I do get the head start on the trail. I make it up the switchbacks and head clockwise around the loop. I see 4 bison along the fence. If they stay, they are not an issue for me but as...

 Sunny day with highs near 70 degrees today. Heading up to Antelope Island today as the clock is ticking before those biting gnats are out. Yuk! I reach the causeway around 8am. Not far out of the gate, I slam on my brakes for 2 Sandhill Cranes just south of the causeway. They are grazing. Nice! Continuing on, boy, it's so dry out. And the shorebirds, you definitely need binocs to see them. Sad, that we waste so much water for green grass in the middle of a desert. And the houses are still going up. The day of reckoning is coming. :( I reach the island and head south towards the Ranch. I'm feeling good about hiking the Sentry Trail again as there were no bison insight on Sunday; other than the one I almost ran into. There are scattered small herds of bison before the gate and all the way to the Ranch. A group of 5 here, 10 there, 2 over there... Not sure why they are scattered. Perhaps it the drought, maybe it's because they're about to give birth.  We'll see how th...

 Sunny day with highs in the mid-60s. Perfect Spring day. But when I leave it's barely 40 degrees and the sun has not yet risen above the mountains. The moon is huge to the west; I'm mean huge!! As I'm driving north on I-15, I see a lone White Pelican flying south! Love it! I arrive at the gate just before 8am. Unlike the last time I was here, there are no cars waiting (and no gatekeeper either). As I cross the causeway, the water is extremely low on both sides. Not surprising as we're in an Extreme/Exceptional Drought situation that will not get better with our below normal snowmelt. But the migration is here; tons of shorebirds along the Farmington Bay side. Wish I brought my binocs. I reach the island and south towards the Ranch. Still hoping the bison move from the Sentry Trail. There's a lone bison laying on the lakebed and other north of the fence. The rest of the drive is quiet except for a lone Porcupine in it's normal spot.  Oh, and a male Pheasant that...

 Sunny day with highs near 70 degrees. Heading up to Antelope Island to hike the Frary Peak trail. I'm not going to Frary Peak; I'm afraid of that last connection so I'm only going to Stringham Peak. The peak is at 6345 ft and it's 240 ft lower than Frary Peak and a 1/2 mile short. It's always my stop. As I roll thru the Antelope Island entry gate, I see 4 White Pelicans flying overhead - way cool!! I've only ever seen them once before several years ago. When I get to the island, I head south towards Frary Peak. As I drive south, I decide to drive the island and check out the bison situation at the Sentry Trail. (I so want to hike that trail; someday the bison will move.) Surprise, the bison that have been hanging around the rocks, have moved to the north side of the fence. The bison that have hanging around the 1st water bin (4 of them) are still in the same area but today, are in the sagebrush near the one. In fact, one is right at the road sticking out his to...