Last week, I told Zach I wanted a more challenging hike. Well, the hike Mary and Cameron took us on yesterday (Sunday, July 19th, 2015) was a bit more than what I was asking for. There were at least three points on this hike I was slightly terrified, but we survived and have great stories to tell.
Our group started with a moderate hike up to Red Pine Lake in Little Cottonwood Canyon. It was a beautiful hike, and it was shady and pleasant. The hike to Red Pine Lake was only around four miles. The lake is gorgeous and made for a good lunch spot. After enjoying this view, Dave (henceforth known as "Boulder Dave") decided to stay and rest on a large boulder while the rest of us dared the trail to Pfeifferhorn Peak. Dave was wearing Toms and he did not bring much water, so his move to stay behind was smart.
When Mary told me this hike was about a ten-mile hike, I was prepared for it to take a while and for it to be exhausting. However, I did not expect to be rock climbing and I did not expect this hike to take almost nine hours. None of us had done Pfeifferhorn before, so I do not think any of us knew exactly what we were getting into.
We had a difficult time finding the trail at first. Once we did, we had to stop and ask the few strangers we came across if we were heading in the right direction, because it is not a clearly marked trail. We hiked above Red Pine Lake and saw some spectacular views of many small bodies of water. The first part of the hike from Red Pine Lake to Pfeifferhorn was not bad, but the last half was a killer. There were multiple steep slopes full of rocks we had to scramble (and basically climb) up. One of the scariest parts, however, was what was named (I think I have this correct) "the knife ridge" (or maybe it was "the knife edge"). I will just call it "death ridge" because that was the point where I thought to myself, "If I mess up trying to scale this ridge, I will seriously injure myself or possibly die." It is a ridge that sticks up a few hundred feet and requires navigation around huge boulders. Luckily, there was a man in neon green who was going the opposite direction on the ridge, and he seemed to be professional at this. He gave us a few pointers. We named him "green man" and came to a group consensus that he must have superpowers, because he traveled across the ridge with grace and speed. There were also two other men we caught up with at the start of the ridge, and we all worked as a team to get across it. I thought I was terrified, but one of these men was having a slight panic attack as he was trying to climb across. Needless to say, it was terrifying. However, we all made it just fine.
The last part of the hike was an incredibly steep slope filled with boulders and loose rocks, which we had to scramble/climb up to reach to the very top of the peak. I still cannot decide which was scarier: the ridge or this slope. Either way, both are dangerous, but exhilarating.
When we finally reached the top, it felt amazing. Pfeifferhorn Peak is the fifth-tallest peak in Utah, with the elevation being 11,326 feet. Talk about breathtaking! We had a small victory party at the top, before we braved the travel back to Red Pine Lake (which involved a lot of butt-sliding for me, since I was scared of falling down the side of the mountain). Four hours later, we met up with Boulder Dave, who was patiently meditating on the large boulder by the lake.
I am sore and sunburned today. I have cuts and bruises everywhere. However, I am still on a high from yesterday's adventure. I had a fabulous time with the crew.
Shout-out time! Thank you Mary and Cameron for leading us on this journey. Thank you Rob (aka "Hoodie Rob") for being the hero of the people. Thank you "Green Man" (whoever you are) for being an expert and for helping us not die. Thank you Zach for being Zach, and for waiting for me as I slowly crab-crawled/butt-slid down the mountain. I love you all!
Our group started with a moderate hike up to Red Pine Lake in Little Cottonwood Canyon. It was a beautiful hike, and it was shady and pleasant. The hike to Red Pine Lake was only around four miles. The lake is gorgeous and made for a good lunch spot. After enjoying this view, Dave (henceforth known as "Boulder Dave") decided to stay and rest on a large boulder while the rest of us dared the trail to Pfeifferhorn Peak. Dave was wearing Toms and he did not bring much water, so his move to stay behind was smart.
When Mary told me this hike was about a ten-mile hike, I was prepared for it to take a while and for it to be exhausting. However, I did not expect to be rock climbing and I did not expect this hike to take almost nine hours. None of us had done Pfeifferhorn before, so I do not think any of us knew exactly what we were getting into.
We had a difficult time finding the trail at first. Once we did, we had to stop and ask the few strangers we came across if we were heading in the right direction, because it is not a clearly marked trail. We hiked above Red Pine Lake and saw some spectacular views of many small bodies of water. The first part of the hike from Red Pine Lake to Pfeifferhorn was not bad, but the last half was a killer. There were multiple steep slopes full of rocks we had to scramble (and basically climb) up. One of the scariest parts, however, was what was named (I think I have this correct) "the knife ridge" (or maybe it was "the knife edge"). I will just call it "death ridge" because that was the point where I thought to myself, "If I mess up trying to scale this ridge, I will seriously injure myself or possibly die." It is a ridge that sticks up a few hundred feet and requires navigation around huge boulders. Luckily, there was a man in neon green who was going the opposite direction on the ridge, and he seemed to be professional at this. He gave us a few pointers. We named him "green man" and came to a group consensus that he must have superpowers, because he traveled across the ridge with grace and speed. There were also two other men we caught up with at the start of the ridge, and we all worked as a team to get across it. I thought I was terrified, but one of these men was having a slight panic attack as he was trying to climb across. Needless to say, it was terrifying. However, we all made it just fine.
The last part of the hike was an incredibly steep slope filled with boulders and loose rocks, which we had to scramble/climb up to reach to the very top of the peak. I still cannot decide which was scarier: the ridge or this slope. Either way, both are dangerous, but exhilarating.
When we finally reached the top, it felt amazing. Pfeifferhorn Peak is the fifth-tallest peak in Utah, with the elevation being 11,326 feet. Talk about breathtaking! We had a small victory party at the top, before we braved the travel back to Red Pine Lake (which involved a lot of butt-sliding for me, since I was scared of falling down the side of the mountain). Four hours later, we met up with Boulder Dave, who was patiently meditating on the large boulder by the lake.
I am sore and sunburned today. I have cuts and bruises everywhere. However, I am still on a high from yesterday's adventure. I had a fabulous time with the crew.
Shout-out time! Thank you Mary and Cameron for leading us on this journey. Thank you Rob (aka "Hoodie Rob") for being the hero of the people. Thank you "Green Man" (whoever you are) for being an expert and for helping us not die. Thank you Zach for being Zach, and for waiting for me as I slowly crab-crawled/butt-slid down the mountain. I love you all!
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