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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
