I'm official

I claim to be from Utah. I also claim I love to hike. However, until Monday I had not done Utah's most popular hike - Mount Timpanogos. I was starting to feel like a fraud. That's all remedied now. I've done it.

 I left my house at 4:20 am and drove to the trailhead by Aspen Grove. Arrived about 5:20 to realize that I had forgotten my headlamp. Dang! Anyone who knows me also knows I am not the most patient person. Sitting around waiting for it to get light was not really an option so I just began the hike in the dark. I was really watched over as evidenced by the fact that I didn't twist my ankle on any loose rocks, slide off the side of the mountain, or take a wrong turn. Still, I was so glad to see this beautiful sunrise!

The colors were spectacular! I love FALL! It is my favorite season and this kind of beauty is part of the reason.

About 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up heavy clouds rolled in. I could see the trail but had absolutely no view from the top of the mountain.

It had been too dark on the way up for me to actually see the waterfalls (I could just hear them) but I enjoyed them on the way down. I adore waterfalls! Here's the upper falls.

You can see both falls in this pic.

Here's the lower falls. I had originally thought I'd sit by the falls to relax and enjoy a very late lunch. However, by the time I got there I was afraid if I quit moving I might never get going again. The hike was wonderful but a bit more challenging than I expected. I was pretty tired. I ended up pausing at the falls only long enough to snap a few pictures and then I kept pushing until I got back to the car. I ate my sandwich in the car on the drive back home.

I'm pretty sure I can call myself a Utah hiker now. Officially.