- Joined
- Dec 23, 2013
- Messages
- 3,981
Well after being worked by @Bob in the big Jelly last week, I really had no business attempting the Dragon Tail today. It was a long, steep slog, and my knees and feet are now sore after descending the West Slope Trail off the summit of Grandeur. The West Slope Trail just happens to be my least favorite trail in the Wasatch.
Most of my shots in this report will be wildflowers. The mule ears and the Wasatch beardtongue were the most prevalent today along our route.
My cameras were as follows:
- Canon EOS 30D
- Canon PowerShot SX730 HS
- Olympus Tough TG-6
I bought the 30D used off of Ebay for a whopping 43 dollars, and the pictures that I took with it today turned out a little darker than I like, particularly when I zoomed in on a flower, or group of flowers. I'll have to compensate for that in the future. The Tough TG-6 made the trip to Yellowstone last week, but never took a picture with it. Feeling guilty about that, I used it a bit today.
Oh, and I lost my sunglasses while bushwhacking along the ridge through some scrub oak.
I tried to retrace my footsteps through the scrub, but I couldn't find them. Oh well, an offering to the Grandeur gods I guess.

We got to the trailhead about 7:15 this morning

The sun is starting to come up over Grandeur. The Dragon Tail can be seen on the far right ridge.

My partner in crime for the day

Spider milkweed

REI down below

The ever present Mount Olympus to the south

Hookers onion

The climbing wall, which is the first rock formation you pass on the way to the bottom of the Dragon Tail

On the other side, and the east end of the climbing wall

Perkins Peak on Parley's Ridge, where we were about three weeks ago now.

Sweetvetch

Passing some Juniper trees, with the 215 Belt Route below.

The Dragon Tail ahead

Katie, taking a picture

Toadflax

Almost to the top of the Dragon Tail

Paintbrush

A parasailer passed right over the top of us. We would see three more as we made our way up the mountain.

Posing for a shot. REI down below

Evening primrose. There were a lot of these at the upper end of the Dragon Tail

Katie is making me walk the plank.

A small arch at the east end of the Dragon Tail

Penstemons

A lizard


Knife's edge between Mount Olympus and Triangle Peak

Wasatch beardtongue and bee

Bee?

Geranium


Got it mid chirp

A mosquito hawk

The summit comes into view. A lot of scrub oak to get through before then though. this is the section where I lost my sun
glasses

Looking down on Rattlesnake Gulch

Death Kamas

Sun glasses lost some where along this section

Ninebark on the ridge

Western wallflower too

Butterfly

One more hill to climb

On the ridge

I liked the look of the lichens and the rock

Utah serviceberry

American vetch

Another parasailer, with Desert Peak in the far distance

Gobblers Knob and Mount Raymond to the southeast

A swallowtail on the summit

Church Fork Peak and Mount Aire beyond

Summit shot

Lady bug on the summit

Canary violet

Heading down the West Slope Trail

Larkspur

Wasp, Bee or Hornet?

Mountain Mahogany

More death camas - sorry, kind of a dark shot

Another swallowtail

The ridge to the south of the West Slope Trail, which is the ridge we came up.

Wishing that I was off the West Slope Trail.

Mule ears

Parley's Ridge

Daisies

A butterfly

More paintbrush

Lupine and mule ears


Bumblebee

More vetch

Afternoon shot of Grandeur taken near the trailhead

Back at the Sube

View of Grandeur and the Dragon Tail from the REI parking lot. We had to exchange a flex-lite camp chair that broke while we
were at camp on Rescue Creek in Yellowstone.
The End.
Most of my shots in this report will be wildflowers. The mule ears and the Wasatch beardtongue were the most prevalent today along our route.
My cameras were as follows:
- Canon EOS 30D
- Canon PowerShot SX730 HS
- Olympus Tough TG-6
I bought the 30D used off of Ebay for a whopping 43 dollars, and the pictures that I took with it today turned out a little darker than I like, particularly when I zoomed in on a flower, or group of flowers. I'll have to compensate for that in the future. The Tough TG-6 made the trip to Yellowstone last week, but never took a picture with it. Feeling guilty about that, I used it a bit today.
Oh, and I lost my sunglasses while bushwhacking along the ridge through some scrub oak.

We got to the trailhead about 7:15 this morning

The sun is starting to come up over Grandeur. The Dragon Tail can be seen on the far right ridge.

My partner in crime for the day

Spider milkweed

REI down below

The ever present Mount Olympus to the south

Hookers onion

The climbing wall, which is the first rock formation you pass on the way to the bottom of the Dragon Tail

On the other side, and the east end of the climbing wall

Perkins Peak on Parley's Ridge, where we were about three weeks ago now.

Sweetvetch

Passing some Juniper trees, with the 215 Belt Route below.

The Dragon Tail ahead

Katie, taking a picture

Toadflax

Almost to the top of the Dragon Tail

Paintbrush

A parasailer passed right over the top of us. We would see three more as we made our way up the mountain.

Posing for a shot. REI down below

Evening primrose. There were a lot of these at the upper end of the Dragon Tail

Katie is making me walk the plank.

A small arch at the east end of the Dragon Tail

Penstemons

A lizard


Knife's edge between Mount Olympus and Triangle Peak

Wasatch beardtongue and bee

Bee?

Geranium


Got it mid chirp

A mosquito hawk

The summit comes into view. A lot of scrub oak to get through before then though. this is the section where I lost my sun
glasses

Looking down on Rattlesnake Gulch

Death Kamas

Sun glasses lost some where along this section

Ninebark on the ridge

Western wallflower too

Butterfly

One more hill to climb

On the ridge

I liked the look of the lichens and the rock

Utah serviceberry

American vetch

Another parasailer, with Desert Peak in the far distance

Gobblers Knob and Mount Raymond to the southeast

A swallowtail on the summit

Church Fork Peak and Mount Aire beyond

Summit shot

Lady bug on the summit

Canary violet

Heading down the West Slope Trail

Larkspur

Wasp, Bee or Hornet?

Mountain Mahogany

More death camas - sorry, kind of a dark shot

Another swallowtail

The ridge to the south of the West Slope Trail, which is the ridge we came up.

Wishing that I was off the West Slope Trail.

Mule ears

Parley's Ridge

Daisies

A butterfly

More paintbrush

Lupine and mule ears


Bumblebee

More vetch

Afternoon shot of Grandeur taken near the trailhead

Back at the Sube

View of Grandeur and the Dragon Tail from the REI parking lot. We had to exchange a flex-lite camp chair that broke while we
were at camp on Rescue Creek in Yellowstone.
The End.