Mud-on-the-tires Full-time RV Adventure: UT -- Heber City, 1-31 January 2015

Month # 3 in Heber City, Utah…

Why we came…

To play in the snow in the spectacular Wasatch and Uinta Mountains!

The campground…

Mountain Valley RV Resort is excellent and we continued to be comfortable. In fact, things got even better when our “entertaining” neighbor unexpectedly left. Both our view and contentment increased significantly…life is great!

Our little home dwarfed by 11,752 foot high Mount Timpanogos

Weather summary for January…

Average high temp: 35F Average low temp: 9F Average snow: 18.5 inches

Record high temp: 60F Record low temp: -35F Record snowfall: 68 inches

Observed high temperature: 50F on 26 Jan

Observed low temperature: -8F on 1 Jan **The temperature under the trailer was 24F!**

Measured snowfall: 7 inches

NOTES: The skirt added 30F of warmth on the coldest mornings! There was only one decent snow storm in January. Snow conditions are bad. If things don’t turn around in February, the winter could be a bust.

Temperatures compared to average / Precipitation compared to average (Web link: http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/anom/ )

Utah drainages snow water equivalent % of normal on 31 Jan 2015. We are in the Provo - Utah - Jordan drainage. (Web link: http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/ftpref/gis/images/ut_swepctnormal_update.png )

Adventures…

Hike route in the Dutch Hollow section of Wasatch State Park / A gorgeous winter day!

On 1 January, we hiked in fresh snow at the base of the Wasatch Mountains near Heber City…

Our new year started with a hike on a cold, but bright blue sunny day. Six to eight inches of recent snow covered everything in a beautiful white carpet. We enjoyed the exercise and the outstanding scenery, but we were also on a mission.

We did this same hike a couple of weeks prior and discovered two geocaches that were in sad shape. Our goal was to replace both of them. Thankfully, we knew where the geocaches were because it would have been difficult to find them under the snow. All went well and we had a great day!

Deer Creek Reservoir and the Wasatch Mountains / One of the geocaches we replaced

Our ski route at Canyons Resort / Lounging in the beach chairs at Canyons

On 5 January, we skied at Canyons Resort and racked up a bunch of vertical…

Due to season pass blackout dates and the busy holiday season, we hadn’t been on the slopes in nearly two weeks. And with the addition of a bunch of new snow during that time, more trails were open and we were eager to explore more of the mountain.

It was a warm day and by the time we left, we were playing in “spring conditions”. It was a lot of fun, but January is WAY too early for that!

We descended the longest runs on the mountain, dropping about 2,000 feet in nearly two miles on each run. We finished the day with nearly 15,000 feet of downhill skiing. There weren’t many people and we really enjoyed ourselves!

Ski route at Park City Mountain Resort / Looking south towards Heber City

On 6 January, we skied at Park City Mountain Resort…

We also wanted to check out recently open terrain at Park City. It was warm again, but very enjoyable. The view from the top of the McConkey lift was incredible. We could even see our campground about 4,000 feet below us!

Looking east towards the Uinta Mountains / Heber Valley viewed from the top of McConkey’s lift

Hike route near Mount Timpanogos / A beautiful and warm winter day

On 8 January, we hiked near Mount Timpanogos…

We wanted to snowshoe in the shadow of spectacular Mount Timpanogos. Unfortunately it hadn’t snowed in a week and a half and trails were hard packed. We chose to leave the snowshoes in the truck and hit the trail.

It was warm again…too warm for the coats! We only saw one other person on our 8 mile route and it was peaceful. Part of the route is popular with snow mobilers and we were thankful they were all playing somewhere else!

Other rugged mountains robbed us of seeing much of Mount Timpanogos. That’s alright…the view of the Wasatch Range was incredible as we peaked over the “Summit Trailhead”.

The spectacular Wasatch Mountains (from the “Summit Trailhead”)

A panoramic view of the Wasatch Mountains (from the “Summit Trailhead”)

Ski route at Canyons Resort / Gary getting covered in the heavy snow!

On 12 January, Gary and I skied at Canyons Resort…

A weak storm was expected to drop three to six inches of snow on the nearby mountains. By mid-morning two to three inches of heavy snow was falling each hour!

Gary and I hit the road during heaviest snow and the going was SLOW. We averaged about 10mph over the pass in bumper to bumper to traffic. At least 15 cars had skidded off the road and a few cars had skidded into each other…it was a mess! Thankfully, we made it to the mountain safely, but it took us an hour and a half…almost triple the normal time!

By the time we parked and got our gear together, there was about 12 inches of new snow. We headed up the ski lift, excited to make turns in the abundant powder.

We did laps, mainly off the Super Condor Express lift, for about three hours. We shared the copious new snow with just a few others that were shredding the same slopes…it was outstanding!

I did feel a bit beat up though. I had taken two hard falls that didn’t cause any injuries, but they whittled away at my enjoyment and motivation. And then on the last run, just a few hundred yards from the finish, I experienced fall number three. While moving fast (estimated 25-30mph) to traverse a flat section, I caught an edge and cartwheeled a couple of times head over heels. I heard a sound like knuckles cracking and felt pain in my left shoulder. Everything else seemed to be intact, but it took me a few seconds to get my bearings.

On the way home, I felt every bump in the truck. Thankfully, I could move it, but it was painful. Unfortunately, it had swollen quite a bit by the time I got home. Was my season over?!? We decided to visit the doctor if things didn’t improve after a few days. Keep reading for the rest of this story…

15 inches of new snow on 12 January!

Snowshoe route near Daniels Summit / Kicking up some powder on the snowshoes!

On 21 January, we snowshoed near Daniels Summit…

The shoulder felt better and it was time to test it with a short snowshoe adventure. The weather was beautiful with bright blue skies. It hadn’t snowed in a week and a half so we weren’t too optimistic about conditions.

We parked near Daniels Summit and headed up a snow mobile trail. There was plenty of snow and it was in decent shape. The first mile of the route climbed steadily for about 600 feet. My shoulder was sore but tolerable…yay!

We popped up on the low plateau and were treated to a great view. Plus the snow mobile tracks ended which left us a good-sized area to play in untracked snow. We did a half mile loop on top and had fun posing for pictures. There was nobody else…it was serene.

The shoulder was achy, but otherwise fine. It felt better that evening after a few rounds of ice.

Running through the snow in the shadow of the Uinta Mountains

Sharing a snowshoe dance!

Snowshoe route in the Uinta Mountains / A glorious day in the Uinta Mountains

On 24 January, we snowshoed in the Uinta Mountains…

It had been nearly two weeks since the last snow storm, but we were itchin’ to get out. Just a little ways into the Uinta Mountains, there was a bunch more snow, especially on north facing slopes.

We chose a three and a half mile loop that is closed to noisy snow mobiles…it was peaceful. The trail was packed pretty good by other snowshoers and cross-country skiers. We kept a steady pace and got a good workout. There are a few more trails in the area we want to explore…bring on the snow!

A glorious day in the Uinta Mountains!

Route at Canyons Resort / Posing on the Lookout Ridge run

On 26 January, we played at Canyons Resort…

The temperature was around 50 degrees with abundant sunshine and spring conditions. It had been about two weeks since we hit the slopes and just wanted to do a few runs. We went in the afternoon and did laps on the lower part of the mountain. The snow was soft, even slushy in places. It was easy to carve sweeping turns. Unfortunately, it was too soon for my shoulder…it was pretty sore.

Misc…

Three days after I hurt my shoulder, I relented and visited the doctor. The verdict: partially torn rotator cuff and bruised bone. I was told to take it easy for another few days, continue to ice it, and do some simple shoulder exercises. The doctor was confident that I’d be ok in two or three weeks.

Unfortunately, that meant that Arleen had to do my normal choirs. While I lounged in my recliner with ice on my shoulder, Arleen shoveled snow, emptied the trailer’s tanks, carried all of the groceries, drove, and did a bunch of other little tasks she doesn’t normally do. Her biggest burden of course, was taking care of a difficult patient! She’s a saint!

Arleen shoveling 6 inches of heavy wet snow on 13 January

Sundance Film Festival…

Sundance Film Festival, Park City, Utah - 22 January - 1 February 2015

Each winter, nearly 50,000 people invade Park City to participate in the Sundance Film Festival. Arleen and I do not like crowds. In fact, we made plans to avoid the mayhem in Park City until this was brought to our attention: A Walk in the Woods. A movie based on one of our favorite books, written by one of our favorite authors: Bill Bryson!

Tickets were sold out months ago. However, there are usually a small number of “waitlist” tickets available for each show. The odds were against us, but we gave it a shot. We tried to get into three different showings and struck out! Oh well…hopefully the movie gets a wide release or ends up on DVD someday.