Roller Mill Hill, UT

Our spring vacation took us down to southern Utah to visit Bryce and Zion National Parks. We stayed at the Cottonwood Meadows cabins (very nice!) near Panguitch and made day trips to the parks. In addition we wanted to squeeze in a Cheeseburger summit or two.

We first decided to pay a visit to nearby Roller Mill Hill. The hill used to be the site of a brick-making factory but since then has been ignominiously bisected by Route 89. What’s left of the peak sits just northeast of the road and can be hiked in about 15-30 seconds.

We pulled the car over and rushed up the steep embankment to reach the summit. We could see Panguitch to the north.

 

An anthill marks the current high point of Roller Mill Hill. In fact, it adds considerably to its height.

Of course we ate Cheeseburgers on the summit to make the ascent official.

We promised ourselves that our next hike would be a bit more involved. From our cabin we could see Wilson Peak topping out at 9,034 feet, and thought that it would be a worthy objective! Alas we didn’t find time for Wilson Peak – we’re hoping our hosts at Cottonwood Meadows make the ascent.

Roller Mill Hill, UT – sirloinofbeef, MadeMarion, BarBarJinks, dinoboy

James E. Edmonds Backcountry Trail – Georgia!

Robin and I drove up to Black Rock Mountain State Park in Clayton, GA yesterday to dayhike the James E Edmonds Backcountry Trail. The trail is a 7.2 mile loop and hit 3 points on the Summit Cheese list including Scruggs Knob, Marsen Knob, and Lookoff Mountain. On the way we stopped off at Wendy’s in Clayton to grab a bag of Jr. Cheeseburgers for our summits. This was a very fun trip thanks to the addition of the burgers and we were treated to a superb view of the valley below from the Lookoff overlook. Unfortunately, I irritated my “runner’s knee” (otherwise known as Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome) but I have a list of exercises to try and help reduce the flare-ups.

Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/uallas/sets/72157616552764199/

Antelope Island’s Buffalo Point

Finally, winter seems to be over here in Utah! On a warm, sunny Sunday we packed the car and headed north from Salt Lake City to Antelope Island. Last year’s Man vs. Cheeseburgers debacle eliminated a number of Antelope Island peaks from contention leaving Buffalo Point as our destination. We first spent some time visiting the Garr Ranch in the southern half of the island before heading to the Buffalo Point ‘Bistro’ to tackle the summit. It’s a short (maybe 1/2 mi.) hike from the parking lot to the summit of Buffalo Point.

At the rocky summit we unpacked our homemade burgers and enjoyed a view of the Wasatch Range.

Buffalo Point overlooks the Great Salt Lake. It was a gorgeous day.

Buffalo Point, UT – dinoboy, MadeMarion, BarBarJinks, sirloinofbeef

Drinking Horse Mountain, Gallatin County, Montana

First I drove from my house in Bozeman, Montana to the Drinking Horse Mountain trailhead. It is located on Bridger Canyon road.

On the way to the trailhead I took some pictures of Drinking Horse Mountain. It is about 629 feet tall.

I parked my 1993 Subaru Legacy in the roadside parking lot. As you can see, my car is almost as tall as the mountain.

Like any good city trail there is a nice informational kiosk with a map and some little handouts. I stopped and took a picture for you to see.

Suddenly I was at the top of Drinking Horse Mountain consuming a double cheeseburger. I kept the cheeseburger wrapped in a knitted hat inside a stuff sack while I hiked. It was warm and delicious.

Near the summit of Drinking Horse Mountain someone has constructed a nifty fort out of dead tree branches. It was neat.

The proper summit of Drinking Horse Mountain doesn’t provide too amazing of views, but slightly to the North a quality view of Bozeman is there for all to see.

I made a thirty-five second video of the hike to the summit.