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- Dec 23, 2013
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In honor of my 56th birthday yesterday, I celebrated by hiking to the top of Broads Fork Twin Peaks with my daughter, and a former coworker and friend Jon, who recently retired. This was my daughter's third attempt to reach the top after the first two fell just short, while Jon has summited a couple of times before taking the standard route, he had never done the Robinson's Variation and was interested in seeing what it was like. Hopefully for my daughter's sake the third time will be the charm.
The weather was perfect for the hike, with cool temps in the morning and some intermittent cloud cover during the day to help keep the sun off of us at least part of the time.

Entering the Twin Peaks Wilderness

Broads Fork

The trail runs through a beautiful stand of Aspen

First view (early morning) of the Broads Fork Basin

A good look at the route ahead - climb the couloir in the middle of the frame, scramble south across the ridge, then summit the
eastern Twin Peak, located in the upper left of the shot.

Hillside full of False Sunflowers

Stonecrop was common in the steep gully

Penstemons too

Making our way up the gully

Slab country

Heading for the saddle directly ahead

More Penstemons

Jon, accessing his situation. The snow at the head of the drainage caused us to have to
use the slabs more than we wanted to.

Jon, holding onto a slab near the top of the couloir

A look across Big Cottonwood Canyon towards Mount Raymond an Gobblers Knob

Once at the saddle, one gets a good view of the Twin Peaks

Heading south across the ridge towards the eastern summit

Making our way along the ridge

Entering the crack of doom.

Beginning our final push to the summit of the eastern peak

Some phlox up high

A look down into Deaf Smith Canyon

Parry's Primrose

Some stair stepping left to get to the top

A look over at the western summit, from just below the eastern summit

Lone Peak across Little Cottonwood Canyon

Heading over to the western summit

The Pfeifferhorn with Mount Timpanogos in the distance

On the western summit

Back on the eastern summit, with Jon practicing good social distancing. It look like the third
time was the charm for my daughter.

A look east along the Cottonwood Ridge with Sunrise and Dromedary Peaks

A closer look at Sunrise

The view, across the canyon, from the gully east of Twin Peaks that we were making our way down

I didn't expect there to be snow in the gully. This caused us to be a little more careful
as we descended it.

This was hilarious. The balloons were next to the gully and the clearish one behind the branches actually said "Happy Birthday" on it.
What are the chances that I'd run into this, in the sticks, on my birthday.

Out of the gully, and making our way towards the saddle between Twin Peaks and Sunrise

A look back up at the eastern summit

A look down into Broads Fork Basin

Clematis holding on

Broads Fork

Broads Fork, winding through the basin

Blooming Horsemint was everywhere along the trail. There was an overwhelming smell of mint in the air. It was likes being wrapped
in spearmint chewing gum.

Broads Fork Trail, on our way out, near the trailhead
The weather was perfect for the hike, with cool temps in the morning and some intermittent cloud cover during the day to help keep the sun off of us at least part of the time.

Entering the Twin Peaks Wilderness

Broads Fork

The trail runs through a beautiful stand of Aspen

First view (early morning) of the Broads Fork Basin

A good look at the route ahead - climb the couloir in the middle of the frame, scramble south across the ridge, then summit the
eastern Twin Peak, located in the upper left of the shot.

Hillside full of False Sunflowers

Stonecrop was common in the steep gully

Penstemons too

Making our way up the gully

Slab country

Heading for the saddle directly ahead

More Penstemons

Jon, accessing his situation. The snow at the head of the drainage caused us to have to
use the slabs more than we wanted to.

Jon, holding onto a slab near the top of the couloir

A look across Big Cottonwood Canyon towards Mount Raymond an Gobblers Knob

Once at the saddle, one gets a good view of the Twin Peaks

Heading south across the ridge towards the eastern summit

Making our way along the ridge

Entering the crack of doom.

Beginning our final push to the summit of the eastern peak

Some phlox up high

A look down into Deaf Smith Canyon

Parry's Primrose

Some stair stepping left to get to the top

A look over at the western summit, from just below the eastern summit

Lone Peak across Little Cottonwood Canyon

Heading over to the western summit

The Pfeifferhorn with Mount Timpanogos in the distance

On the western summit

Back on the eastern summit, with Jon practicing good social distancing. It look like the third
time was the charm for my daughter.

A look east along the Cottonwood Ridge with Sunrise and Dromedary Peaks

A closer look at Sunrise

The view, across the canyon, from the gully east of Twin Peaks that we were making our way down

I didn't expect there to be snow in the gully. This caused us to be a little more careful
as we descended it.

This was hilarious. The balloons were next to the gully and the clearish one behind the branches actually said "Happy Birthday" on it.
What are the chances that I'd run into this, in the sticks, on my birthday.

Out of the gully, and making our way towards the saddle between Twin Peaks and Sunrise

A look back up at the eastern summit

A look down into Broads Fork Basin

Clematis holding on

Broads Fork

Broads Fork, winding through the basin

Blooming Horsemint was everywhere along the trail. There was an overwhelming smell of mint in the air. It was likes being wrapped
in spearmint chewing gum.

Broads Fork Trail, on our way out, near the trailhead