Timp

Ready to go! From left to right: Joseph, Jacob, David, Matthew (4 of our nephews), Paul (Mike's brother), me, Mike, and behind the camera, Mike C (brother-in-law).
There are two waterfalls less than a mile and a half into the hike. Unfortunately, Mike was struggling with altitude sickness. He was struggling to breathe, his heart was racing, and he felt sick. I took the heavy backpack full of food, and he started to feel a little better.

Part way up the trail turns to the right, but there is also a trail to the left. The one to the left looked much more like at trail, so we all went that way. After hiking a ways up a rock slide we noticed there was no longer a trail. Mike C his boys (Joseph and Jacob), and Matthew and David decided to try to make it work continuing on. Mike, Paul, and I turned back. We got back on the trail, but kept stopping to try and let Mike feel better and then to wait for Mike C and boys when they decided to head back our direction. Matthew and David continued where the trail had stopped and ended up finding a shorter way. We were relieved to meet up with them because Mike and Paul and been worried that they would start free climbing the rock wall if they couldn't find a path.

So, we were all back together again, and a few in the group started discussing how we might not make it to the top. Now, my goal to climb Timp was what initiated this whole Utah trip, so I wasn't about to not go to the top, and I expressed that. :) Mike C also said he didn't want to come this far up and not go all the way to the top. My Mike asked David if he would climb to the top with me in case he (Mike) wasn't able to make it. David agreed, and I was ready to pick up the pace (it seemed like all the rests made it harder for me to keep going).

When we got to Emerald Lake (by the glacier and about 2 hours from the top), Mike decided he was going to stay there. Paul stayed back with him, and the rest of us continued.

This is from partway up--notice the snow?

We took this picture when we stopped at Emerald Lake. On the left side you can see the glacier and the top of the mountain. To get to the top you hike to the right of this peak, and then climb up the side of it. Many people then hike down the left side and slide down the glacier to make the descent faster. We hiked the last stretch with a guy who was carrying skis up on his back--he didn't even stop to look at the view--he was only interested in skiing down.

Shortly after Emerald lake we ran into some mountain goats. They were really close at first, but quickly got their babies away from us.

The last stretch of the hike is the most challenging. We hiked along a lot of loose rocks from rock slides, big stretches of snow, and a very steep hill (apparently about 80 degrees) that was covered in loose dirt and gravel. This got us to the "saddle" (the flat part between two peaks). At this point David and I were together, but everyone else was back behind us. Everyone coming down the mountain kept saying we were close, but the observation shack at the top still looked tiny. The last 30-45 min of the hike is climbing the rocky side of the mountain. I started to get discouraged. As David put it, "I know I have enough energy to get to the top, but I don't know if I'll be able to make it back down." I kept thinking that the further I went the further I had to go back.

But, we made it! Here are some pictures from the top:

See Emerald Lake and the glacier?

David at the top. I am so glad David was willing to go all the way up and even go at my pace! I would not have wanted to go by myself!

Quite the view--when I look up at Timp now I can't believe I was all the way up there!

From the top we could see Mike C, his boys, and Matthew on the saddle. We assumed they weren't going to make it up (the boys are only 6 and 11), so we started down.

The climb off the peak wasn't as bad as I though it would be. Sitting on top, I was afraid my legs would be too shaky to hike down the cliff without falling, but I was fine. During this descent we ran into Mike C and his boys who had decided to go all the way up. Matthew left their group and came back down with me and David. The hardest part of the trip down, for me, was the really steep hill. I went at a painfully slow pace, but David was nice enough to wait at the bottom for me and then continue to wait as I slowly made my way across the rock slide and snow fields. Matthew headed back to the lake to let Mike and Paul know he was okay because they had been expecting him back awhile before.

While Mike C and boys were headed to the peak, the rest of us met at the lake and headed down. We all wanted to be done hiking, and Mike was feeling much better, so we decided to hurry down. I was definitely the slowest downhill hiker, but we went as fast as I could go. The last mile and a half or so is pretty unobstructed and/or paved, so we jogged most of that.

Part of the path down:

14.5 miles and almost 9 hours later, we had made it. I accomplished both of my goals for the day: (1) make it all the way to the top and (2) go the whole time without having to go to the bathroom so that I didn't have to use the forest. :)


Mike C and his boys did make it to the top and had to travel much of the way down in the dark. Fortunately, they had a flashlight. I am totally impressed that they made it!

Thanks everyone who went--it was a fun day and I feel very accomplished! :)

In case you aren't sick of reading yet, here are some highlights about "Timp" that do a pretty good job of summing up this hike:

Mount Timpanogos - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Mount Timpanogos is the second highest mountain in Utah's Wasatch Range (second to Mount Nebo). Timpanogos rises to an elevation of 11,749 feet (3,582 m) above sea level in the Uinta National Forest (now part of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest). With 5,269 feet of topographic prominence, Timpanogos is the 47th-most prominent mountain in the contiguous United States.[1]
The mountain towers over Utah Valley, including the cities of Lehi, Provo, Orem, Pleasant Grove, American Fork, Lindon and others. The exposed portion of the mountain is made up entirely of limestone and dolomite from the Pennsylvanian period, and is about 300 million years old. Heavy winter snowfall is characteristic of this portion of the Wasatch Range, and avalanche activity is common in winter and spring.

The word Timpanogos comes from the Timpanogots Ute tribe who lived in the surrounding valleys from A.D. 1400. The name translates as rock (tumpi-), and water mouth or canyon (panogos).[2]"

Although it is a 14-mile round-trip hike, with almost a mile of elevation gain, Timp's summit is one of the most-visited in the Rocky Mountains. There are two main trails to the top: the first starts at Aspen Grove with a trailhead elevation of 6,910 feet (2,106 meters), and the second starts at the Timpooneke campground in American Fork Canyon at 7,370 feet (2,185 meters).

Aspen Grove- The Aspen Grove trail starts on the south-east side of the mountain. For about the first mile and a half, the trail is paved, going by various waterfalls, sometimes with water running on the trail itself, making the trail underwater. The trail eventually becomes rocky, and starts up many switchbacks, or zig-zags, to gain elevation. These switchbacks eventually reach the top of a ridge, and the trail becomes more flat, therefore meaning that it's nearly on top of the mountain. It leads past a large basin, and eventually, the shack on the summit comes into view, but still on top of a high ridge, about 700 feet up. The trail eventually leads to a large hill. Emerald Lake is at the top of this hill. Right by the lake is the larger shelter. Past this building, the trail goes near the edge of a ridge, on rock and snow fields, and eventually reaches a very large and difficult hill. This hill goes on a slanted grade, staying flatter, not slanted. However, the slope continues on th eother side of the trail, therefore making the hill on the edge of a cliff. It slowly gets more steep for about a half-mile, and eventually it is almost an 80 degree angle for the last few feet. After this, the trail meats with the Timpanookee trail and reaches the "saddle." This is a ridge near the top of the mountain, visible from the front, therefore making this a very popular spot. From there, the trail leads up the very narrow ridge. It leads around the edge of a ridge on the front, and steeply and curvy for about one-fifth of a mile, reaches the summit. Near the top, the trail becomes only about two yards wide, with cliffs on both ends, making it dangerous.