Likin' Hikin' Ladies: August 2012

This week we opted for a more leisurely hike.

Although Green Canyon was our destination we were thinking breakfast was in order first.

Laurie graciously welcomed us to her home with a tasty breakfast of waffles

and homemade choke cherry syrup. The choke cherries were actually picked a week earlier

from the very trail we hiked today.

Yum! Yum!

It was a perfect morning for breakfast on the patio with good friends.

Here's our group of fourteen with full stomachs after we got on the trail to head out.

Yes, there are fourteen, including little Lucy.

Three generations of Likin' Hikin' Ladies.

As a part of the new King Nature Park we saw this new little fishing pond.

Supposedly it is stocked with fish and provides catch and release fun for kids.

We didn't capture many photos of flowers or nature today but as we walked along the new nature trail we noticed these old remains of concrete and rebar.

We wondered about the structure that once stood here.

Today our hike was all about friends and enjoying the sunshine and exercise.

Of course we are always happy when Leanna can join us. She is our plant expert

and teaches us much.

With this many friends along the trail the conversation never seems to lag.

Today our topic of conversation was new and interesting baby names we have been hearing.

The only mishap was Laurie getting stung by a wasp.

It didn't seem right this should happen to her after her kindness in providing our breakfast.

At this point it was also time for some of the ladies to turn back due to other commitments.

This group hiked (or should we say walked) almost 9 miles today.

We took one last group photo before turning back.

A leisurely hike starting with a wonderful breakfast made for yet another fantastic Friday.

Fridays, after all, are our FAVORITE days!

The Blind Hollow to Tony Grove hike is yet another one of our favorite hikes.

Who are we kidding? They are all our favorite hikes.

The trail makes its way through the lush hollow of both shade and sunshine with a variety of wildflowers, aspen and maple trees, and with an intermittent flowing creek. Eventually it leads to the ridge with an elevation of about 8200 feet. From the ridge we can see beautiful views of Cottonwood Canyon, Mt. Elmer, and Mt. Jardine peaks. Just to name a few.

The hike offers a total of 9 miles with the first 6 miles rated as moderate to strenuous as we climb. Of course some would rate it more strenuous than others. The last 3 miles descend into the beautiful Tony Grove area. We have always started at the Blind Hollow trailhead and hiked to Tony Grove. However next year some of ladies are wanting to hike in the opposite direction. It might be fun to try in order to see which way we enjoy the most.

Or rather, see which way our knees enjoy it the most.

If you go: The Blind Hollow trailhead is located about 14.8 miles up Logan Canyon about a mile past the Dugway. There is a big bend in the road with a pull out for parking located to the right side of the road. If you come to the Temple Fork turn off you have gone too far. The trailhead is located across the highway from the parking area. There is a short but steep climb from the trailhead to the ridge that hides the hollow from the highway. From there the trail is well marked. Remember to leave a vehicle at the Tony Grove parking area for the return trip and be sure to pay the parking fee.

This was our first group photo taken once we were all together.

Some of the ladies parked at the Blind Hollow trailhead and got a jump start on the hike. The rest of the group drove on to Tony Grove to leave a vehicle for the return trip.

They soon backtracked to the trailhead and caught up with first group of hikers in no time at all.

We're tossing in this pic as a reminder of the obstacles we have previously encountered in the Tony Grove area. This was definitely a day of good memories and laughter.

Okay. Moving on...

The trail is not always going up.

Sometimes we encountered beautiful open meadows in the hollow.

A lot of the hollow was in the shade. We liked that.

The flower of choice was the Indian Paintbrush.

We have seen this flower often while hiking but this year its colors seemed to be a more vibrant red than we ever remember. It was absolutely gorgeous.

Thanks to the wonderful app that Laurie has, called "Flora of the Wasatch," (Leanna helped to write it), we were able to identify this Englemann's Aster right at the beginning. We saw it all along the route.

Here's a closeup of a pretty cluster of Yarrow. It's another common one from today's hike.

Monkshood

We saw a lot of beautiful "Showy Daisy" all the way along the trail, both in the cooler wet areas at the beginning and continuing into the dryer areas.