Delano Peak the even longer way (Tushar Mountains, UT)

[fossana]

Intro
My original Labor Day plan was to do a 3-day Sierra trip with my Bishop friend, but he decided he wanted to do a longer trip and I decided I wasn't motivated to deal with the drive, traffic, and crowded trails. Instead I made a plan to head back to the much closer Tushar Range and spend the remaining days putting a small dent in my never-ending home remodel. To mix things up from my last trip I followed most of the big loop on the Tushar Mountain Race 70k course.

Instead of doing Delano Peak (12,173') at the end, it was the first climb of the day. The course then drops into South Fork, over Alunite Ridge, then heads up South Edna Peak and Mt Brigham. Next it drops into Bullion Canyon, passing Miners Park (and associated relics) before the long climb up Bullion Canyon to Bullion Pasture (passing the rotting elk carcass along the way). I missed the course's switchback descent into Bullion Canyon because I was following a second switchbacked old mining road just slightly to the SW (also not on the USFS map). The road abruptly ended midslope, resulting in an annoying direct descent down a super steep, loose dirt slope, which I descended with (cramponless) French technique.

After Bullion Pasture there are a few more 11,000' saddles before dropping back down to the start. The only people I saw all day were on the more accessible 2-track sections. In retrospect, the marathon course I followed on the last trip was a lot more scenic and had less 2-track, but the point was to maintain my acclimatization and get in some endurance training, so overall it served its purpose. Plus the cats got souvenir ball of goat wool to add to their toy collection.

Logistics
Jurisdiction: Fishlake National Forest
Permits: none required
Dogs friendly: yes
Water: many streams along the way, possible snow fields
Start/end: Recommend Big John Flat. Some of the other trailheads have less reliable road access. Big John also has flattish camping at a reasonably high elevation.
Mileage: ~22
Elevation gain: ~7.2K ft
Navigation: For the most part the trail junctions were signed; however the dirt roads and cross-country portions were unmarked. Not all of the roads were shown on the topo map.

Approximate Route

Photos
Delano Peak




South Fork


Alunite Ridge




Into Bullion Canyon and Miners Park


Bullion Canyon Exit
.

 

[Titans]

Whoa! Your superpower is: Conquer Elevation Gain.
Good call to avoid sitting in all that traffic on Labor day week-end. Did you make any progress on your home re-model? I wrongly concluded you likely live in a new home, because of your frequent hiking adventures. In 2020 we want to do more hiking, less home projects. We have a long Western road trip coming up soon, but I like how you get out hiking frequently. Thanks for sharing.

 

[fossana]

I'd rather spend money on gear, so I found a fixer upper house in a quiet neighborhood with trails and great views. It doesn't feel like I made any progress. I stupidly decided to smooth coat all of the textured walls and ceilings, not realizing how tedious it was going to be. I'm trying to get the kitchen and pantry ready to paint, so I can tear out the old cabinets, then put in flooring and new cabinets/counters. I also have to move some electrical when it cools down in my attic, since I took out a (non-loadbearing) wall between the kitchen and living room. I told myself I wouldn't let the remodel significantly interfere with outdoor activities, plus I have a full-time job.

 

[Titans]

Time. Money. Energy. Never in life do we have all 3 simultaneously!
You are taking on a huge time consuming project, but it's awesome to have trails close by your house. House projects always take much longer than expected. But when it comes down to it, it's healthy (and more fun) to prioritize the outdoor activities like you are doing, good luck.

 

[fossana]

TBH, my main motivation right now is to get things in a rentable/sellable state to give me the option to move abroad depending on the outcome of the next presidential election.

 

[Titans]

TBH, my main motivation right now is to get things in a rentable/sellable state to give me the option to move abroad depending on the outcome of the next presidential election.

@fossana - Don't ever give up. I will shoot you a PM.

 

[WasatchWill]

You keep skipping the Pocket. The views hiking through there are among the best of the best up there, in my opinion. But maybe that's a good thing. Keep it on the down low and keep quiet about it. It was nice, peaceful, and quiet being the only one up there when I was up there and it'd be nice to have that solitude again whenever I return.

 

[Pianomover]

TBH, my main motivation right now is to get things in a rentable/sellable state to give me the option to move abroad depending on the outcome of the next presidential election.

I feel the same way but can’t decide where to go. 1st choice would be Japan from there I don’t know

 

[Udink]

I don't know how this awesome thread devolved into a political statement. Can any of you honestly elucidate how the presidency of the United States has in any way affected what you actually see on the ground in your travels? I mean, I spend a fair amount of time in the outdoors. I wasn't thrilled to see Obama gain a second term, and Trump is a total effing moron, but I'm still perfectly content to live in my same house (and country!) and will continue to pursue my outdoor interests because absolutely nothing has changed. Even with the passage of the Dingell Act, no actual changes on the ground have occurred (yet), and even if they did it would not be because of anything Trump did. I'd think y'all considering moving out of the country would celebrate the imminent road closures rather than consider moving! What am I missing?! Did an ATV almost run you over in the former boundaries of GSENM or Bears Ears? Seriously, what are the actual on-the-ground harms here?

 

[Carcass]

I don't know how this awesome thread devolved into a political statement. Can any of you honestly elucidate how the presidency of the United States has in any way affected what you actually see on the ground in your travels? I mean, I spend a fair amount of time in the outdoors. I wasn't thrilled to see Obama gain a second term, and Trump is a total effing moron, but I'm still perfectly content to live in my same house (and country!) and will continue to pursue my outdoor interests because absolutely nothing has changed. Even with the passage of the Dingell Act, no actual changes on the ground have occurred (yet), and even if they did it would not be because of anything Trump did. I'd think y'all considering moving out of the country would celebrate the imminent road closures rather than consider moving! What am I missing?! Did an ATV almost run you over in the former boundaries of GSENM or Bears Ears? Seriously, what are the actual on-the-ground harms here?

Maybe this topic would be better served on a dedicated thread.

But to answer your question: I've seen/experienced zero political crap on the trails, but I've seen/experienced a lot more people/garbage on the trails thanks to states/local communities advertising these special places.

 

[Nick]

Let's try a little harder to keep this more about the trip and less about the politics. Yeah, it's pretty much outdoors related, but if it's not staying on topic and very respectful, then it's not welcome here.

 

[fossana]

Most of the trash I see on Forest Service and BLM land isn't from visitors, but from locals. I know this b/c ~ every other month I do a trash run near my house. Yeah, there's an occasional dropped wrapper in Zion, but not a fire pit full of trash or an old mattress. Our county landfill lets people dump 1 ton of waste a month for free to help prevent people from ditching stuff in the desert.

 

[fossana]

@Udink Happy to discuss/debate public lands and politics with you on another thread.

 

[NorthwestWanderer]

Damn that first photo can be used for a Nat Geo magazine easily. Well done

 

[Absarokanaut]

Looks like a wonderful place. They're removing goats from the Tetons. I love 'em. Awesome summer sausage.

Thanks for sharing.