Trip Report: Snowshoe in the Oquirrh Mountains

Snowshoe in the Oquirrh Mountains By Lana Christiansen
SNOWSHOE	03/14/2020	MSD

Sometimes being a trip organizer demands flexibility and willingness to change things up a bit. On Tuesday March 10, 2020 Michael and I went to the little town of Ophir to check out the trail conditions for this upcoming activity. We were surprised to see signs posted everywhere denying access to the trail head we have used for years. We decided to come up with a Plan B for our Saturday excursion. Mount Raymond from Butler Fork seemed like a good idea. We were grateful for the willingness of those who had expressed interest in the Oquirrhs to change their plans and join us on Raymond (Andrea, Akiko, Michi, Deirdre, Nancy, Mohamed, Michael and I). Our group of eight started out knowing we were up against some pretty strong winds that day. We agreed to start out and evaluate the conditions once we got to Baker Pass. We were able to ascend with only the help of micro spikes for quite a distance. We finally switched to snowshoes to cross several snow fields through the aspens and on up to Baker Pass. The 30 mile an hour wind gusts were annoying but six of us decided to press on and try to attain the summit. Three and a half hours after starting we were elated to be standing on top. Five women and one man had weathered the storm and made it to the top. We made the round trip of 8 miles and approximately 3600 vertical gain in about six hours. I am thankful for the strong and courageous women of the Wasatch. And of course, the men too!