The Fearsome Foursome – Wolverine, Tuscarora, Sunset, and Pioneer

Well, this was a great one. Paul, John, Patrick, Georges, and Nils started at a leisurely 9:40 am on Sunday, July 30, 2006. We parked at the Silver Lake visitors center, and within minutes were propositioned by two blondes on the boardwalk with “Hi guys, would you like a Red Bull?” After further burdening our packs with the 8.3 ounce beverage, we continued past the far side of Silver Lake, then up the trail to Twin Lakes for spectacular views of the full reservoir and Wolverine Cirque. We continued upwards on the SolBright trail, passing near the top of Solitude’s Summit chair, then on to the ridge between Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons. From this point, it was up, then along the crumbled rock ridge of Wolverine Cirque to Mount Wolverine. Along the Wolverine Cirque ridge, one could see the drops where Jamie Pierre and other skiing crazies hurl themselves. Cheeseburgers were consumed on the top of Wolverine Peak by John and Patrick; Georges feigned superiority while gumming a brie sandwich. We forgive Georges; he made some tough choices to stay in the boys choir for an extra three years.

We continued on the ridge to Mount Tuscarora where additional Cheeseburgers were consumed and an additional peak was claimed by John, Patrick and Paul; the rest of us enjoyed beautiful views of lakes Mary and Catherine. A discussion ensued whether a minimum time period must elapse before an individual is eligible to gain credit for an additional Cheeseburger peak; negotiations are planned for this Tuesday. At this point, it was down to Catherine Pass, then an aerobic blast up the very sandy south trail to Sunset Peak where a Cheeseburger was consumed by Nils. We dropped down the north side of Sunset Peak, continuing our counter clockwise circumnavigation of Lake Mary, then back up to Pioneer Peak where the final Cheeseburgers were consumed by John and Patrick. Once the disgusting gluttony concluded, we continued to the Brighton ski resort, down to the parking lot, and were back to the car at about 2:10 PM. A thoroughly good time was had by all.

Wolverine (10,735 ft.) / John, Patrick

Tuscarora (10,486 ft.) / John, Patrick, Paul

Sunset (10,522 ft.) / Nils

Pioneer (10,354 ft.) / John, Patrick

-Nils

Murdoch, we’re coming to get you!

Our second ascent of a peak named Murdoch took place in Millcreek Canyon, Utah. The Uinta Mountains of Utah were the setting for the first Cheeseburger summit of Murdoch Mountain (see post). How come when I hear ‘Murdoch’ I can’t help but think of Rambo:First Blood (Murdoch, I’m coming to get you). Maybe I watch too many bad movies on TNT or Spike. But who can forget some of Colonel Trautman’s (played by Richard Crenna) great lines in the movie, such as Bring more body bags or God didn’t make Rambo, I made him. Sorry, but I couldn’t find the .wav file for “He could eat things that would make a billygoat puke.” We’ll come back to that.

A 5:30 am start brought out John, Patrick and Paul’s cheery faces for a drive up to the top of Millcreek canyon. It was refreshingly cool – quite a relief from the 100^O+ temperatures of the past week or so. The route starts up the canyon eventually joining up with the Great Western Trail. Continue up to the overlook bordering the Canyons Ski Resort. From here turn left to go up the sage-covered slopes. Head toward a small building housing weather gear which marks the summit of Murdoch Peak (9,602 ft). At the summit, Patrick provided a commercially-available Cheeseburger but customized it with a dose of after market bacon (Mmm, bacon). A small sip of Guiness made it all go down easier. After the required 7:30 am Cheeseburger (reminds me of “He could eat things that make a billygoat puke”), we headed down by continuing further along the Millcreek/Parley’s ridge, eventually heading down through a large grove of aspen trees. By the time we hit the trail back to the truck several early morning mountain bikers had appeared on the Great Western Trail.

A great hike in the early morning. It has beautiful views, large, lush meadows, deep conifer forest, and serene aspen groves – a little bit of everything. And because it starts at the top of Millcreek canyon, it’s always cool, even in the middle of summer. Two thumbs up.

Bacon Cheeseburgers / John, Patrick, Paul / July 26, 2006

Click on any of the photos below to get to a short slide show with scenes from the hike. Thanks to WavCentral for the Rambo snippets.

The First California Peak, Mount Tamalpais – July 22nd

Located just north of the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County, Mount Tamalpais at 2,571 feet above sea level provides a panoramic view of the bay area. Our ascent party began the assault in the parking lot just below the east peak. The temperatures were in the high nineties and the enthusiasm of the ascent party (Adam, Conner, Nicole and John) was sorely flagging. However, the thought of delicious ‘IN-N-OUT Burger’ Cheeseburgers kept us moving. After several hundred feet of a nicely constructed trail, things changed to a brutal path of broken rock and dirt. This normally wouldn’t be a big deal except that half our ascent party was wearing flip flops. Once again the thought of delicious ‘IN-N-OUT Burger’ Cheeseburgers pulled us forward and upwards. Finally, after almost a third of a mile we reached the summit and the ranger’s station. We each enjoyed a fine repast of ‘IN-N-OUT Burger’ Cheeseburgers and sodas with Conner taking the prize for rapid consumption of a double Cheeseburger. Nicole adroitly exploited a loophoole in the official Summit Cheeseburger rules by eating almost her entire cheeseburger but then feeding the final scrap of bun to Tessa ‘The Summit Dog’, thus meeting the requirement that the entire Cheeseburger be consumed on the summit. This loophole will be fixed. Congratulations to new Summiteer’s Adam, Conner and Nicole! Photos to follow. John

Pioneering a Way up Mount Millicent and Wolverine

Utah is a beautiful state and a wonderful place to live. For example, in Utah, July 24th is Pioneer Day – it commemorates the arrival of Brigham Young and the first group of Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley. The upshot is that many people have the day off from work. Where else in the country do you get a bonus holiday smack in the middle of summer?

Today’s hike required two Cheeseburgers because both Mount Millicent (10,452 ft.) and Mount Wolverine (10,795 ft.) were on the menu. This route starts at Silver Lake; take in the browsing moose in the swampy waters just off the boardwalk. Proceed uphill towards Twin Lakes and at the Evergreen ski lift (Brighton Ski Resort) follow the jeep trail to the top of the Millicent ski lift. At this point, the route changes from jeep trail to talus. Chirping marmots beckon – follow them past some strange-looking plumbing (what is this?) to the raspberry-covered summit of Millicent. Stop to enjoy the scenery and a Cheeseburger. From the summit head down to the saddle between Millicent and Wolverine. The hike up Wolverine is straightforward – just wander towards the small knob – the one on the right – at the top of a field of alpine flowers. Again, enjoy the view and a Cheeseburger. Continue along the ridge running between Wolverine Cirque and Little Cottonwood Canyon. The views are phenomenal and include Alta Ski resort, Mount Raymond, Gobbler’s Knob, Monte Cristo, etc. Finally, complete the minty-fresh descent from Twin Lakes Pass all the way back down to Silver Lake.

Hiking by myself, I appeared to be the only bait for the deerflies; but continuing higher they gave up and I had a little peace. The climb up Millicent was entirely on talus and took some getting used to – I think I need to get off trail more often. The ridge around Wolverine Cirque is great and I’d like to connect this to Mount Tuscarora with a descent to Lake Catherine some time. But two Cheeseburgers in the morning – ouch. A&W cheeseburgers. Paul.

Q. What comes after “Let’s all go to A&W, food’s more fun at A&W?”

A. Plop, plop, fizz, fizz.

Well, maybe it would go better with root beer (I doubt it).

Sam, we need your help in Pennsylvania!

Sam,

How are things going? I hope this letter finds you and Brenda doing well. Has married life put a few pounds on your frame? It sure did for me.

We (John, Lisa, Marion, I and others) have begun the not-so-onerous task of eating a tasty Cheeseburger on the summit of every hill, mountain, knob, etc. in the world. For obvious reasons, we started in Utah and have completed a dozen or so (see Table) of the nearly 2,200 summits in our home state. We’ll need more condiments to make a decent dent in the summits of Utah and we just plain need help in other states. I’m not going to ask you for condiments but instead to make a tremendous sacrifice and eat a Cheeseburger or two on summits in Pennsylvania. In addition we ask that you share your experiences with everyone else through pictures and a short post to the site. We’ll award you a Cheeseburger on our Standings listing.

The summitcheese web site is intended to promote, enable, and document the consumption of Cheeseburgers on summits of mountains, hills, knobs, etc. For your convenience, our web site provides a listing of all summits (as determined by the USGS) within Pennsylvania on a county-by-county basis. Your home county of Allegheny has only one named summit but nearby counties, such as Fayette, Washington, and Westmoreland counties contain 30, 10, and 26 named summits, respectively. Each summit is linked to both Google and Topozone maps (see maps for Mount Davis; GOOGLE / TOPOZONE). Maybe this all helps.

I hope you can help us out in the all important mission. Ideally, I would like to do some of these summits with you – when can you pay us another visit in Utah? We’ll save some peaks for you and Brenda.

Paul

July 18, 2006, Mt. Aire… how heavy have I gotten?

It was the best of times … !&*+#&% A, it was the worst of times!

It was a beautiful morning for hike, but clearly the biorhythms were in phase and in a rut. The trail started out of Elbow Fork in Millcreek Canyon. Like most of the trails in Wasatch it went up.. mostly straight-up. But for whatever reason, the hike up to the ridge was more torturous and brutal than usual.

The morning was very pleasant. We started out of Starbucks on time; it was open, we had our coffee; we arrived at the trail-head by 6:30 am and the first few steps (maybe 2) didn’t feel too bad. Within a half a mile it seemed that we were both having to work WAY to hard to keep going. We have all had those hikes; it was not pretty. Think 200 lb sack of potatoes with legs … then you are half way there .. at least for me.

After surving the ascent and enjoying our breakfast. We had a few minutes to inspect the morning views. The haze created by fires in Nevada, presumably, was still very present; it coated the the horizon in all directions. It was most noticeable to East as it sort of lapped up against the Unitas in the distance. Neither of us had a camera so we have no pictures, but the scene actually resembled something oceanic. Mountain swells could been seen rising and falling off into the distant East through the “mist”. The Sun was rising above the water, which is where I am accustom to seeing it rise. It a quite nice. Worth the suffer-age!

The hike down as actually very easy and very quick — the virtual antithesis of the journey up. It had warmed some, so it was no longer cool for the decent, but it was a world easier. In the end, it was nice way to start a Tuesday.

The cheeseburger, provided by Paul, was a a slightly modified version of the the burger we had on the 14th (also provided by Paul); the only major modification was a whole wheat bun. It is becoming clear that several cheeseburger characteristics are important to a pleasant cheeseburger eating experience (imo) .. if that is what you are after. A fresh bun, a patty that is at least at room temperature, and some form of moisture associated with the patty (i.e. condiments). This is not a long list of requirements, but seem to be a minimal list.

Happy hiking and happy eating! – Paul and Patrick

Summitini

12 drinks (best served as part of a dozen .. or so).

Juice of 2 lemons, squeezed; juice of limes, up to 12 oz, squeezed; 12 oz Absolute Citron; 6 oz Absolute Mandarin; 8 oz club soda, 10 tbsp powered sugar, chill to ice cold.

Dilute 1:1 in glass with ice cold club soda. Enjoy!

Millvue Peak, .. to love, honor and eat cheeseburgers together!

“How many?”

“Six”

“Booth? …. or a table with a view?”

“View, .. please. Oh …. no need for a menus we brought our own cheeseburgers and cocktails.”…..

…..our host, Paul, at least he looked like Paul, led the way!

It could not have been a nicer meal out. Of course the climb to our table was not without a little sweat and dirt, some huffing and puffing and a couple superficial flesh wounds; but what a great time and a great view!

The peak was Millvue. We took off from Elbow Fork in Millcreek and followed a well maintained trail, up, about 1700 feet to the saddle between Millcreek and Lambs Canyon. Trail was clear and steep (typical Wasatch); the early afternoon sun was tough. After reaching the saddle, things got a lot more interesting and little controversial. There were a few moments of uncertainty as we bushwhacked (how does this keep happening?) our way upward. There were signs of trail toward to the (a) peak, but it was not wholly convincing. Had we had a GPS …. oh never mind. The last 1000 feet upward, however, were the most beautiful. We passed through fields of wild flowers and wild mint. The stalks of mint were useful for swatting away flies and provided the journey with a fragrant air. Views to the south included Alexander’s Basin, Gobbler’s Knob and substantial portions of Big and Little Cottonwood canyons. The last 1000 feet were, by no means, easy. It was pretty tough going at times and flies were relentless, but breeze at the summit kept the flies at bay and allowed us to enjoy the moment.

The cheeserburgers, courtesy of Paul and Marion, were uncharacteristically fresh, or at least they tasted uncharacteristically fresh. Paul will have to post the recipe; perhaps cooking the mustard and catsup into the patty was the key. The rolls were catered, ah … well, then “donated” by a local company who were sponsoring a summer BBQ event. Thanks
Preston!

Drinks were provided by Patrick and Renee. We celebrated a toast with the first, official Summit Cheeseburger, “Summitini” (see recipe). It was an ice-cold (at least for a second!) Vodka martini, citrus-based. A special concoction brewed specifically for the hike. We washed down the burgers with the second round, and left the peak behind to return to our kids.

It was a great day out and great day to share with our spouses. Sure, we have had children together, big deal, really … lots of people of done THAT …. Now, MORE importantly, we can say were shared in something bigger than ourselves …. Summit Cheeseburger!

We welcomed two new members to the Summit Cheeseburger team, Lisa and Renee. Great hike gals! Marion, Lisa, Renee, Paul, John and Patrick

Deseret Peak (11,031 ft.)

Deseret Peak is the 2^nd highest peak of the Stansbury Range at 11,031 ft in height. Deseret Peak can be climbed as part of a picturesque 8.4 mile loop with just over 3600 ft of vertical gain. In 1984 Deseret Peak, along with 25,500 acres, of the Stansbury Range, was selected for the creation of the Deseret Peak Wilderness Area.

We decided upon an alpine start to avoid the possibility of thunderstorms on the ridgeline. Thus we left Salt Lake City at just after 5 AM (Ouch!). However, my day became much brighter upon discovering that Paul had remembered to bring me coffee. After a leisurely commute, including the sighting of multitudes of deer and jackrabbits, we departed from the Loop Campground at ~6:30 AM. From the Loop Campground, we set off up the South Willow Canyon Trail. When the well marked trail splits, we took the left fork signed for Deseret Peak. After meandering through lush forest and open meadows you eventually gain the ridge line. At a saddle in the ridge you will encounter a sign with Deseret Peak being one of several destinations. The trail steepens for a bit and then you will gain a conglomeration of ridge lines terminating in Deseret Peak. For unknown reasons, it was at this point, that Paul decided to undertake a new hobby of high altitude jogging. His new hobby was going rather swimmingly until he pulled a hamstring after about 5 feet. Thus the last 200 yards to the peak took about 30 minutes. At the summit we both enjoyed a fine Buffalo Cheeseburger. From the peak of Deseret, you have an 360 degree unobstructed view of many of Utah’s finest landmarks and destinations. To the East, you can see the Great Salt Lake, oddly beautiful patterns of buried ordinance near Tooele, the Western slopes of the Oquirrh Mountain Range and the tips of several of the highest mountains of the Wasatch Range. To the West is visible the Deep Creek Mountains and lots and lots of desert.

Instead of retracing your steps we highly recommend that you complete the loop by continuing along the well marked trail tracing the northern ridge line of Deseret. After a series of stretches, complicated Tai Chi moves and manly whimpers Paul was able to gain his feet and slowly shuffle along the descent trail. As you hike along the ridge there will be several opportunities to sneak down scree fields. However, if you choose to continue along the ridgeline you will be rewarded with new unique views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. After a continuous but mild descent, you will discover the eastern descent trail completing the Deseret Peak Loop. The eastern descent trail is impossible to miss, because if you continue along the ridge line you will be forced to start a sharp ascent to one of the northern peaks. The well marked descent trail switchbacks down a steep incline, ending in a lush valley. You work your way across the valley, crossing a stream until you hookup with the main trail back to the loop campground. If anyone finds a nice pair of Serengeti Sunglasses in this area, I would greatly appreciate their return. Amazingly, this summit was done with little or no bushwacking. John and Paul.

Cheeseburger Summiting Rules

Those of us in the Summit Cheeseburger Contest take the contest rules seriously. Of course, we got to make them up. Here they are – no cheating!

Contest Rules

1. You must obey the rules.
2. The Cheeseburger must be consumed on the summit of a named peak (i.e. the peak is named on a commercial map)
3. You must eat the entire Cheeseburger while on the summit.
4. Gardenburgers (or any kind of veggie burger) do not count.
5. At a minimum, a Cheeseburger shall consist of a patty, cheese, and a bun.
6. You can only count one Cheeseburger for each peak (i.e. you cannot count the same peak twice).

Rules of Professional Conduct

Article IV.5 of the By-laws of the Summit Cheeseburger Rules Commitee (SCRC) allow for disciplinary actions by the SCRC including denial and revocation of Certificates. Articles IV.5.a through IV.5.c state reasons for such action as follows:

IV.5.a An intentional misstatement or misrepresentation, or concealment or omission, of Summit Cheeseburger consumption.

IV.5.b Issuance of a Summit Cheeseburger Certificate or Golden, Silver or Bronze Summit Cheeseburger Spatula contary to the contest rules at the time of issuance.

IV.5.c Conviction of a Summit Cheeseburger Summitee for violation of international laws pertaining to consumption of vegetarian, avian or fish based Cheeseburgers.

All complaints concerning the professional conduct of a Summit Cheeseburger Summitee or SCRC member, must be submitted in writing to the Summit Cheeseburger email at:

summitcheese@yahoo.com

The letter must state the Summit Cheeseburger Rule of Professional Conduct that has been violated and must clearly state how it was violated. All submissions will be held in the strictest confidence, unless the submission is deemed entertaining enough for posting to the Summit Cheeseburger Website