I left work early today to get into the mountains. I wanted to try out my new snowshoes, so my goal was to get to the summit of Deaf Smith Peak, which is on the Little Cottonwood ridge. I have never been up there before, and didn't even know where a trail was. I just planned on finding a good place to start, and head up. I actually found a trailhead in a neighborhood just off of Wasatch Blvd, and it was snow covered right from the start.
There was a packed in trail, so I didn't need the snowshoes, and I tried to move fast because I didn't have a lot of time. By time I reached the ridge I was very sweaty, and having a great workout. I was now above the inversion, and the SL valley looked absolutely disgusting. Luckily, I was above the dirty air. The weather was actually quite nice up there and felt warmer than down in the valley.
The fun really began on the ridge because there was a lot of brush and scrub oak to deal with, and it really slowed me down. I went over a few minor peaks, and I finally could see my goal. The ridge was such a messy bushwhack, and it really was tedious, and I actually ran out of time. I was about 30 minutes from the top, but I didn't have my headlamp, and I had to get home anyway. The views up there were amazing though.
I don't know exactly how far I went, but based on the topo map I am guessing about 5 miles with around 3k elevation gain.
It was a fun workout, and I will definitely be back to hit the summit this year. | 