Trip Report: Maybird Lakes, the Back Way
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Maybird Lakes, the Back Way By Steve Glaser |
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| HIKE | 07/04/2022 | MOD+ |
| So here we were. Ready to hike to Maybird Lakes. It was the fourth of July and approximately 0.1% of all of the cars in Salt Lake County were at the trailhead parking lot. As we started up, we had to periodically duck aside to avoid being trampled by large herds of trail runners. Etiquette demanded signaling lane changes when passing. And then . . . And then we came to our little back route. A little spur off the Red Pine trail, not too far after the split-off from White Pine. Suddenly we were alone. It was quiet. The temperature was perfect. We were on the remnants of an old cart track that somehow escaped Charlie Keller's Faint Trails series. It was easily distinguishable for some stretches, while in others it was overgrown or covered by slumped earth. It was so peaceful compared to the chaos we had just been in. It's hard to sing enough praises to this route.  We walked beside rarely seen waterfalls.  The amenities were outstanding.  The fire rings came with a supply of wood. After we crossed over Red Pine Creek, we generally did not see the cart track and our route got steeper. Still, it was easy to pick a path that wasn't much harder than if a trail had been there. At least a trail that largely went straight up. Our route intersected the main Maybird trail not too far after it left the Red Pine trail. From there we still encountered only a few other people, and it was easy walking. It should be noted, however, that this was the only stretch of the hike where we a) tore any clothing, and b) got off route. When we got to the lakes, only one other person was there, and after she departed, we had the place to ourselves. We had met a couple of familiar faces on the official Maybird trail and told them what we had done. One person said he had done this same route a couple of times several decades ago with Milt Hollander. While I never hiked with Milt, I suddenly knew him a little better. Thanks for blazing the path, Milt.  |
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