Top of the World

Grayhead Peak, with a trailhead just off a paved road in Indian Canyon, is a favorite destination for us. The ride to the top (in the center of the above photo) is about 6 miles and a 2000 foot climb.

We ride ridgetops along the way, passing through a healthy grove of rare Great Basin Bristlecone pines. Some bristlecones have been alive for nearly 5000 years, the oldest single living organisms. The trees on these ridgetops are much younger, but since they are slow-growing, they are surely older than their size would suggest.

Here's the approach to Grayhead.

We're getting closer. The last few hundred feet are very steep.

And here are our faithful companions, taking a break on the peak at 9500 feet.

If you enlarge the above photo, you'll see snow-covered peaks of the Wasatch Mountain chain, about 50 miles distant.

To the southwest is Reservation Ridge, 10,000 feet.

To the north is the Uinta Range, with peaks as high as 13,500 feet.

Every way we turn, the views are breathtaking. Being in the midst of rugged country with no signs of civilazation in sight makes us feel small, and yet in sync with the natural world.
To see more worlds, all of them fascinating, click here.