Devils Castle - June 23, 2018

scatman

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I had the opportunity on Saturday to hike with two BCP icons, @Artemus and @Jammer, as we hiked up Devils Castle above Albion Basin in Little Cottonwood Canyon. We began our hike at the parking lot at Alta, due to the fact that the dirt road to the Forest Service Campground and the official trailhead had yet to open for the season. We began by hiking up the Forest Service road, then leaving the road when we arrived at the campground. At this point, we made our way up a steep grade to the west side of the ridge. After stopping for a snack once on the ridge, we traversed the ridge to the east, then made our way down a gully and the rest of the mountain; cut across the ski resort and back to our vehicle. Essentially, it was a figure eight loop hike. The traverse across the ridge had some exposure in a couple of places and I think I may have had a butt pucker moment somewhere up top too. :) It was a perfect day for a hike, along with great company to boot. The route took us six hours and nineteen minutes to complete. I might add that the wildflowers are starting to come into their own in the basin. Forget-me-nots, Bluebells, Paintbrush, Western Wallflower and Alpine Buttercups were showing off their colors along our route. We also spotted a moose, a deer, a couple of marmots, ground squirrels and a lot of birds, which made the hike that much better. Here are some images:


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A look along the Cottonwood Ridge

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Devils Castle

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Sugarloaf Mountain

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Western Wallflower

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Desretparsley

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Hiking up the Forest Service Road

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Field of Forget-me-nots

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Artemus, eyeballing Devils Castle

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Jammer and Artemus off-trailing for a bit

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Alpine Buttercups

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Cecret Lake

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Some snow still left - looking west.

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Getting closer to Devils Castle

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The views are getting better the higher we go - Cottonwood Ridge in the distance.

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Parry Primrose

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First view of Mount Timpanogos to the south

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Snack time!

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Graylocks four-nerve daisy, on the ridge

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Two legends and one want-to-be. :)

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Pittsburg Lake

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Beginning our traverse to the east, along the ridge

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Atremus, giving us the thumbs up :thumbsup:

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Slightly out of focus Jammer making his way along the ridge

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Artemus in his element

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I love this shot! Artemus - thinking "Piece of cake!" :cool:

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Now we are starting to get into the thick of it.

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Jammer, with Albion Basin below

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Artemus with Cecret Lake below

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Looking at what lies ahead of us.

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Jammer on one of the high points along the ridge

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Atremus and Jammer discussing route options with a lady who was doing our route in reverse.

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Still some butt puckering ahead. :eek:

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This way.

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Jammer and Artemus contemplating our next move.

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Another shot of Pittsburg Lake with Timpanogos in the distance

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A steep section along the ridge

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Looking back the way we had come.

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More looking back on our route

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Jammer and Artemus approaching the top

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On top!
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On top of Devils Castle


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Scatman, still alive at this point, on top

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Beginning our descent.


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Tricky part here

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View to the east

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A look back at the east side of Devils Castle

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Artemus, heading down the gully

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Showing us how it is done. I fell and slid on this stretch and got a ton of snow up my kilt. :cold:

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Artemus amid the Alpine Buttercups

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Devils Castle form the east and a sea of Alpine Buttercups.

The End.
 

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Great. Love this!

What a wonderful hike with two of my heroes. Thanks for the excellent report on a most excellent hike. It was right in my wheelhouse for personal interest and truly fun to hike it again with you two, @scatman and @Jammer. I'll post up a couple of pics too. It was great fun although a bit frustrating since the forest service still had the road closed adding 5 miles to our adventure or more. I really like the young couple and that young soloist woman we met on the ridge. Great to see people out on the mountain.
 
The aforementioned young woman as we came upon her, crossing "paths", as it were:

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Don't let Hugh mislead you, he is a mountain man for certain - complete with kilt, knee brace and pink racing hat. Timp-of-my-Nose-Gus in the background, @Jammer's next required objective even if we have to drag him up it.

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So glad I got to extend my stay in SLC and join in on this hike with these two guys. Thanks @Artemus for making it happen!

Excellent report already, but here are a few more pics...

Honored to join these two outdoor Legends:

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The Trio at the ridge -- our destination is behind us.
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Awesome flowers:
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Nearing the first scramble:

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Our approximate path along the ridge. Watching Mary* make her way toward us kinda freaked me out as it looked like she was on an impossible path with nerves of steel. As frequently the case, it looked much worse from afar (though I still wouldn't take anyone with a fear of exposure on this route!)
* Yep, Art -- she wrote me for the pics. :)
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Going up a chute:IMG_20180623_132820.jpg

The descent. I chickened out from doing the glissade and was rightfully ridiculed as I walked around the side:

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The final bit through the flowers:
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Some 360-degree photos for fun from on/near the summit:

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So glad I got to extend my stay in SLC and join in on this hike with these two guys. Thanks @Artemus for making it happen!

Excellent report already, but here are a few more pics...

Honored to join these two outdoor Legends:

View attachment 65895

The Trio at the ridge -- our destination is behind us.
View attachment 65896

Awesome flowers:
img_20180623_122323-effects-jpg.65894


Nearing the first scramble:

View attachment 65897

Our approximate path along the ridge. Watching Mary* make her way toward us kinda freaked me out as it looked like she was on an impossible path with nerves of steel. As frequently the case, it looked much worse from afar (though I still wouldn't take anyone with a fear of exposure on this route!)
* Yep, Art -- she wrote me for the pics. :)
View attachment 65898

Going up a chute:View attachment 65899

The descent. I chickened out from doing the glissade and was rightfully ridiculed as I walked around the side:

View attachment 65900

The final bit through the flowers:
View attachment 65901

Some 360-degree photos for fun from on/near the summit:

View attachment 65902
View attachment 65903
View attachment 65904
w00t! Great fun. Love the 360's too. I think I count a total of 7 legends on this trip! Glad you got a hold of Mary!
 
The media and sheriff's offices posted a BCP Infamous Trio Alert and were telling people to stay out of the area that day - they even had it on the news over here in Colorado. ;)
 
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The media and sheriff's offices posted a BCP Infamous Trio Alert and was telling people to stay out of the area that day - they even had it on the news over here in Colorado. ;)

Infamous Trio Alert in only two states? And here I thought we were nationwide. Does infamous equate to outlaws? Because I like the sound of Outlaw. :) Well, back to Waylon and Willie and the boys - Outlaws for those too young to remember. :scatman:
 
It was probably nationwide, but my BCP Infamous Trio Alert Beacon is set only for Colorado right now. I switch it for whatever state I happen to be in.

But how can you be an outlaw and a deputy sheriff at the same time? Can you self-arrest?
 
It was probably nationwide, but my BCP Infamous Trio Alert Beacon is set only for Colorado right now. I switch it for whatever state I happen to be in.

But how can you be an outlaw and a deputy sheriff at the same time? Can you self-arrest?

Where does one come by a BCP Infamous Alert Beacon? And what would one such beacon cost?

Your question has put me in a quandary. Would I let the deputy arrest the outlaw in me, or would my inner outlaw prevail over my law abiding deputy nature.
 
Cognitive dissonance can be a bear sometimes, but my vote goes to the inner outlaw.

I'm sure @Nick will offer the beacons on the BCP swag page soon, but as a member of the BCP Infamous Trio, why would you need an alert? Wouldn't you already know where you are?
 
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