- Joined
- Dec 23, 2013
- Messages
- 3,686
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. 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.