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Home Stump Hollow, 14 June, 2020 Twelve hikers met in Logan and drove up to the parking lot for Stump hollow where we met another hiker who drove over from Bear Lake: April, Ross, Doug, Kathy, Chris, Jane, Laurel, Dave W, David, Susan, Kayle, Kamren, and Dave P (leader). The weather was cool, breezy, and mostly sunny. At the start the temperature was 54, at lunch 62, and at the end 62 ºF. We chose to go up the upper (official) trail in lower Stump Hollow. The trail is seldom used because mountain bikers prefer the less-rocky route in the valley bottom. The upper trail was rather brushy and is becoming tilted from soil creep and gopher fill. After we intersected the lower trail we were surprised by the number of mountain bikers using the trail. There were two patches of snow on the trail near the saddle. After descending to the sink area we followed a faint trail west toward Peter Sink and stopped for lunch on the rocks. A nearby sink was full of snow, where ice was found in a vent hole on a previous hike in the summer. After lunch we continued west into Peter Sink, where we observed short, freeze-topped conifers and raspberry bush stems that hadn’t yet put out leaves. Peter Sink can be one of the coldest spots in the U.S. On the way back some saw a Uinta ground squirrel dash from a rock pile to its burrow carrying vegetation in its mouth. Numerous flowers were blooming, especially larkspur, Senecio, and arrow-leaved balsamroot. We encountered about 20 mountain bikers on the trail, and four "illegal" motorcycles, too. (The Forest Service map shows which trails are open to motor vehicles). Trip Summary:
Thanks to Dave P. for the narrative and photos and Dave W. for photos and GPS data. |
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