Water-fall 3: Never Too Much of a Good Thing

We did it again!

It was a slightly different hike yesterday as we went up the North Trail. That's how I first got to know the canyon and trying it again I remembered why I switched to the south side.

The first half mile is a killer up the exposed hills. It has it's advantages of great views and avoids the rock scramble of the canyon mouth on the South. And if you do try it, avoid when the summer sun is shining! We were fortunately up there before the sun cleared the Wasatch.

There was a bit of a "Sound of Music" vibe. And we could look down into the canyon mouth to see the cascade at the opening and the South Trail just above it and to the right.

It levels out at a really nice campsite called "Mahogany Grove" for some reason by the local Scouts. There are trees, but they're only scrub brush oak.

The obvious disadvantage is there is no water here. It's waaaay down in that canyon. Of course Wasatch stream water has to be filtered or boiled anyway before use because of giardia. So it's just as well for the Scouts that camp here to lug in all their culinary H2O.

The North Trail comes into the main trail a bit before what I call Campsite No. 1. (See previous post).

We came down the road less traveled.

The plan this time was to not fall in the stream so nobody would be cold and wet enabling us to spend more time at the water-fall. My grandson and I were a team on this.

As that first half mile put my heart and lungs on fire, I told my grandson to go on ahead again. And I was so pleased to hear his report that he used the extra time up there (he says it was a half an hour) to sit and think. Success.

We did have time for some good pics.

My heart and lungs were back on the way down. Maybe I should have waited a day or two more to go back up because I was so exhausted.

On that steep, bare slope above the canyon where I thought I might lose heart and lungs, I couldn't avoid thinking of George Floyd. He couldn't breathe.

George Floyd didn't have the suburban lifestyle I do with National Forest so close. He couldn't breathe.

George Floyd. We have to remember that name. I can breathe.