Sunday
Morning Hiking Series #2
Mt Wire
Here's the second hike of the the
series this summer. This time we'll be heading up Mt.
Wire. Mt. Wire is a one of the best places in the Salt Lake
Valley to hike and cache. There are many trails to the top and a
plethora of caches along each of them. One of those caches as
most of you probably know is The Furniture one of the oldest caches
in Utah. It will be the turning point for those who wish to
do the short hike.
We'll meet at the trailhead closest
to the Huntsman Eye Center. There are many ways up, but this
is the one with the most caches. The steepness is also generally a
little more mellow than the others. Please heed the no
parking signs.
From our meeting point up Red Butte
to The Furniture (the place, not the cache) the hike is pretty
mellow with an occasional steep. It's a steeper scramble from The
Furniture (the place) to The Furniture (the cache). Even
those who are looking for a short, mellow hike would probably be OK
with that then head back the way we came. Those returning from The
Furniture will be done in about three hours (estimate allows time
for caching). For those folks looking for the more ambitious hike,
we'll continue past The Furniture up and across the ridge to pick
up more caches then up to the summit of Mt Wire. For those who have
asked, it's for this scramble along the ridge I rated the hike a 4
terrain. Everything else is just a 3 for steepness. If you don't
mind steep but hate scrambles I can point out an alternate path so
you can meet us before we summit. We'll return to the road via a
different trail which will allow us to get some more caches.
Depending on how fast you move the whole loop can take any where
from 4-6 hours. Personally I'll be moving closer to the 6
hour pace.
Again we'll meet at 8am, sign the
log book, and be away from the cars by 8:05am. That's a 10 minute
change from when this was originally published. I learned on the
first hike in the series the early folks don't want to wait and
they were too nice to leave when I told them to go ahead. If you
arrive a little late, don't worry. Hike #1 also taught me that the
main group moves slowly enough due to socializing that you will
probably catch us with no problem.
There is little shade anywhere along
this route. Bring plenty of
water and sunscreen. It is hot and exposed up
there. Bring some food if you will be out there for the whole
hike. We'll be out over lunch. I'll provide refreshments at the end
of the hike. Aside from making it hot the lack of trees also
provides gorgeous views of the valley, Red Butte and Emigration
Canyons. Climbing the old fire tower, if you're brave enough,
gives a little different perspective of the view.
If you would like more information
about the whole series of hikes, check out the first in the series
here. Hike #1 was a roaring success. Everyone had a blast
despite the rain.
Come on out and have some fun
hiking and caching! Make a Sunday morning caching hike part
of your month! See you there!