Mt Grandeur with Brother Wesemann
So Scott called me late in the day yesterday to see if I was interested in getting out on a mountain this week. Yes, I am always willing to get up early to hike some Wasatch front mountain. We decided on Grandeur peak above Millcreek and the eastern stretch of I-215. During these short winter days I either must get up exceptionally early or go late and in the dark after work to hike on weekdays. Scott and I agreed to meet at 4:30AM this morning at the parking lot under Mt. Grandeur. The trailhead area is at the dead end of a residential street, overlooking the interchange of I-215 and I-80. The Bonneville Shoreline trail passes through this area and in fact the first part of our hike is a short section of the BS trail. We left the lot at 4:50AM and were hiking on snow the entire way.
The ascent to Mt. Grandeur summit from the West ridge is a hearty workout. The route offers 3200 feet of vert in just over 2 miles, so it is steep most of the way. With all the snow I began to doubt I would reach the summit before I had to turn around in time to get home. High on the mountain's shoulder we observed a bright star hanging just over the summit ridge. Then as we climbed alittle higher the smiling sliver moon made an appearance. The two bright heavenly bodies guided the way to the summit as dawn began to break. Near the top the snow became more deep, and I was losing time. About 15 minutes from the summit I was about to turn around and go back, but Scott gave a short pep talk and encouraged me to push it to the summit. We did reach the summit a short time later and I spent no time there as I went to the high point and made a u-turn, stopped for a quick photo taken by Scott, then headed down.
We ran virtually the entire way down the steep west slope of the mountain, and I got back to the car with enough tome to get home, showered, and ready for work. | 