Hiking the Wellsvilles

Coming home from hiking all week at Glacier did not mean Emily and I were done hiking.  We still had a few practice hikes and another big hike to do before the 50 miler.  A couple days after we got home from the vacation, we strapped on our hiking shoes and conquered the Wellsvilles. 

This was our big mandatory hike for the 50-miler.  Hiking with the girls and other parent leaders made the trail fun.  We started really early when it was still dark.  The first mile or so we used headlamps to see where we were going.  As I was walking in the dark, it tripped over a rock and twisted my ankle pretty badly.  I about went down because of it.  I didn't know how the rest of the hike was going to go but I kept walking.  It wasn't bad as long as I kept walking.  As the sun came up, we could look back and see how far up the mountain we had come.  We started from the Mendon side and hiked up Dry Canyon.

When we finally reached the summit of the trail, we could see forever toward the Box Elder side.  We could see Brigham City, Honeyville, and Tremonton.  A few of us continued up the side of the mountain to the ridge line on the Wellsville side.

From here we could see both sides of the mountain.  We could see all of Cache Valley as well as Box Elder.  The whole scenery below us looked like a patchwork of all the farms and properties.  The hike up the mountain was quite steep and long.  It really took a lot of strength, physically and mentally, to climb to the pinnacle of this ridge.  All of the girls made it to the top of the trail but only half of us continued the climb to the ridge top.  We were quite literally on top of the world! It was definitely worth the climb.

While at the top, we were able to signal to Dawna with a mirror.  She was at her house in Paradise and we were at the top of the mountain.  Using a mirror and the sun, we could see her flashing us.  We flashed her back using the glass on our cell phones because we had forgotten a mirror.  I don't know if she could see us but it was cool to see her signals.

After enjoying the scenery and resting for a bit, we headed back down the mountain.  My ankle was sore but the hike down made it worse.  The trail was so slick with loose gravel it was hard to keep a good footing.  The other problem was that the bushes were so over grown that you could not see the trail at all.  You didn't know if you were stepping on rocks or tripping over roots.  We were definitely bushwhacking the whole time up and back.  I probably tripped and rolled my ankle about 10 times.  One time I went totally down and didn't know if I could get back up.  I sat there for a minute just hoping my ankle wasn't broken.  

Finally, we all made it safely down the mountain and back to the cars.  Despite twisting my ankle a million times, the hike was quite peacefully.  When Emily and I got home, my ankle was swollen so I wrapped it and iced it for a few days hoping it would heal soon.  Thankfully it did!  Hiking the Wellsvilles has become a tradition for me to do each summer.  Last year I did the whole trail, this year just a portion.  We'll see what next year brings.  Only a few more hikes until the big trip!