The Wasatch's Best Mini Traverse

White Baldy with Upper Red pine Lake

I've been dabbling in the Wasatch here and there doing my usual after work and Saturday adventures since Yosemite, but nothing too special worth noting. I've listed a couple of standouts here:

-hiked up Coalpit and found my skis lying right where I left em. Little rusted but intact.
-Mormon Pioneer to Bald Mountain to Alexander Creek Loop. 21 miles 4k
-Killyons Canyon to Lookout Peak then traverse the Ridgeline and down Red Butte Canyon. 16 miles 4k
-Up the Granite Halfpipe to Twin Peaks and then Triple Traverse and down Tanners. Didn't track this one
-Superior South Ridge then glissade down south face. 1.5 hours with court
-Desolation Trail to Porter Fork Loop. 15 miles, 5k

Court Glissading down Superior

Fun running on the Desolation Trail towards Gobblers Knob

Jake said because I survived AND found my stuff I must be invincible. 

My favorite part of the Bald Mountain trail 

I developed 3 different layers of blisters on one part of my foot

I am not currently signed up for any races outside of the 38 mile Telluride Mountain Run in August, which I am stoked about, so I've been fairly relaxed on my training schedule.

I also managed to send two of my hardest climbs to date, New Cliche 12c/d and Knuckle Up 12d. I'm also unbearably close on the Abyss, 12c/d. I'm hoping if I can send a few more 12d's I might be ready for a 13a this fall pending our overdue child allows it.

This week I took a trip up White Baldy on Monday night which I hadn't summited in quite a few years. I headed up Red Pine and then traversed the west ridge to the summit, and was hoping to traverse the east ridge down into White pine but ended up just heading straight down into Red Pine via some snowfields instead.

Looking west from White Baldy

Looking east up to the summit of White baldy

Knarly ridge over to Lake Peak 

Then I acquired a horrible stomach bug that put me out till Friday with some bad diarrhea and fatigue. Not fun. Saturday I decided to go check out the Wolverine Cirque since I had never been up there.

 I started at Brighton and summited Mt. Millicent in just over 30 minutes via the dirt road and then short talus ridgeline. I then traversed over to Mt Wolverine and hugged the jagged ridgeline all around the cirque, dropping down Patsy Marley to Twin lakes pass, then took the trail down to Silver Lake back to my car. All in all it was a fantastic outing that I would call the Wasatch's best "mini traverse".  In an area where giant traverses like the Beatout, Superhidden, Triple, Wildcat, and the super-epic WURL exist, its nice not to always have to devote an entire day and all your stolen race gels to get a fun traverse in.

Lake Mary from Millicent

The cirque from Patsy Marley

Mt Wolverine

After you're done you can catch a fish if you wish

The Wolverine Cirque Traverse (WCT if I may) is only 1.5 hours, 6 miles, and 2300'. It feels like you're in a major alpine setting, but the access is simple. Highly recommended. Another thing that is highly recommended is the new Sportiva shoe Bushido. Pretty slick for the technical stuff.

I hope to get the Timp Traverse Loop and Mt Nebo loop in sometime this year as well, which will likely require purchasing more gels.