October 2016 - Local hike & Trump
October is a great month to enjoy Utah. It's not that hot anymore and you get treated with the most vibrant fall colours you'll ever see! Perfect hiking time!
I'm not going to harass you with all the hikes that we did during that month, because we do a lot of hiking around here whenever the weather permits.
I'll just harass you with my favourite one of that month 😬, Lake Blanche Trail.
I highly recommend this hike when you're in the Salt Lake area, although with its 2746ft (837m) elevation gain over 3,4 miles (5,5km) it might be hard for those out of shape ... an out of shape reviewer on 'Alltrails', the app I mentioned in my previous post (Dead horse point SP & Canyonlands NP), stated "... to say that this trail was hard doesn't begin to hint the hell unleashed on me the day I hiked it." 😂
The trail climbs through beautiful canyon scenery to a photogenic alpine basin, dug out by a glacier during the last ice age, at 8920ft.
At some parts you're within the shade of the quaking aspen (Utah state tree),
but there are also plenty of open areas which makes the trail not recommendable for summer afternoons!
You could go for a backcountry overnight camping option to enjoy all this beauty with some solitude (during the day you will never be alone up there) and catch the sunset (and sunrise)! However campfires are not allowed and remember that you're in bear country!
It's located in Big Cottonwood canyon, 30 minutes South-East of the centre of Salt Lake City, in the middle of the 'Twin Peaks Wilderness Area'.
Thanks to the 'Wilderness Act' of 1964, 110 million acres of wilderness areas are protected from coast to coast. This Act created a way for Congress to designate 'wilderness areas', which represent the nation's highest form of land protection ... no vehicles, roads or permanent structures are allowed. It also prohibits activities like logging (cutting trees) or mining.
Another similar important Act is the 'Antiquities Act' from 1906, signed by Theodore Roosevelt into law, which gives the president the authority to create national monuments (without congressional approval!) from federal lands to protect significant natural, cultural, or scientific features. The first one was 'Devils Tower' in Wyoming, and today there are 129 national monuments, of which 7 are located in Utah. National monuments are not national parks! If you want to know the difference, I refer to Google 😬
Anyway, why am I elaborating on these Acts? Well, while I was writing this post, our dear president Trump 😏, signed an executive order (seems to be his favourite pass time) to, and I quote him, 'end another egregious abuse of federal power and to give that power back to the states and to the people where it belongs. Today, we are putting the states back in charge. It's a big thing.'
Agreed,the effort could free up vast swaths of public lands, but it probably will not be for the people, but for (clean 😔) coal mining and oil and gas drilling.
'Bears Ears' in Utah, is the first monument that will go under review. Maybe because it was
previously approved for drilling by Texas-based EOG resources? But no worries, 'Tremendously positive things are going to happen on that incredible land' the president said. 😢
I'm not going to harass you with all the hikes that we did during that month, because we do a lot of hiking around here whenever the weather permits.
I'll just harass you with my favourite one of that month 😬, Lake Blanche Trail.
I highly recommend this hike when you're in the Salt Lake area, although with its 2746ft (837m) elevation gain over 3,4 miles (5,5km) it might be hard for those out of shape ... an out of shape reviewer on 'Alltrails', the app I mentioned in my previous post (Dead horse point SP & Canyonlands NP), stated "... to say that this trail was hard doesn't begin to hint the hell unleashed on me the day I hiked it." 😂
The trail climbs through beautiful canyon scenery to a photogenic alpine basin, dug out by a glacier during the last ice age, at 8920ft.
At some parts you're within the shade of the quaking aspen (Utah state tree),
but there are also plenty of open areas which makes the trail not recommendable for summer afternoons!
You could go for a backcountry overnight camping option to enjoy all this beauty with some solitude (during the day you will never be alone up there) and catch the sunset (and sunrise)! However campfires are not allowed and remember that you're in bear country!
It's located in Big Cottonwood canyon, 30 minutes South-East of the centre of Salt Lake City, in the middle of the 'Twin Peaks Wilderness Area'.
Thanks to the 'Wilderness Act' of 1964, 110 million acres of wilderness areas are protected from coast to coast. This Act created a way for Congress to designate 'wilderness areas', which represent the nation's highest form of land protection ... no vehicles, roads or permanent structures are allowed. It also prohibits activities like logging (cutting trees) or mining.
Another similar important Act is the 'Antiquities Act' from 1906, signed by Theodore Roosevelt into law, which gives the president the authority to create national monuments (without congressional approval!) from federal lands to protect significant natural, cultural, or scientific features. The first one was 'Devils Tower' in Wyoming, and today there are 129 national monuments, of which 7 are located in Utah. National monuments are not national parks! If you want to know the difference, I refer to Google 😬
Anyway, why am I elaborating on these Acts? Well, while I was writing this post, our dear president Trump 😏, signed an executive order (seems to be his favourite pass time) to, and I quote him, 'end another egregious abuse of federal power and to give that power back to the states and to the people where it belongs. Today, we are putting the states back in charge. It's a big thing.'
Agreed,the effort could free up vast swaths of public lands, but it probably will not be for the people, but for (clean 😔) coal mining and oil and gas drilling.
'Bears Ears' in Utah, is the first monument that will go under review. Maybe because it was
previously approved for drilling by Texas-based EOG resources? But no worries, 'Tremendously positive things are going to happen on that incredible land' the president said. 😢
Nice reading !
ReplyDeleteLet us know how the boys are doing and of course, how you are getting 'round the daily life !
big kiss
xxx