Trip Report: Leisurely Hike to Ben Lomond from Ogden Valley (Liberty, UT)
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Leisurely Hike to Ben Lomond from Ogden Valley (Liberty, UT) By Katherine Thom |
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| HIKE | 09/07/2024 | MSD |
| This was only my second time organizing a day hike for the club. My vision was and is to create hikes for folks who like to hike a bit more slowly but with the same sense of accomplishment gained from a big day as the moderate-paced hikes. I spend a lot of time at Powder Mountain and often gaze out at Ben Lomond (9,716 feet), one of the highest peaks visible from the Ogden Valley, so that was my target. There are multiple approaches, but on certain routes, users have reported loose rocks and noise/exhaust from motorized vehicles. On the trail I selected, we would have only horses, hikers and mountain bikes until we reached the ridge, which is most of the way to the top. Previous hikers reported plenty of shade (but sometimes snakes) and nice views so the stoke was high. I met up in the morning with club members and couple Eydie and John; we were all quite pleased with the flush toilets, running water and soap in the bathrooms at the trailhead. Luxurious! From there we got onto the trail and enjoyed an easy conversational pace with plenty of snack breaks. We had never met before but curiously we had all lived in or had strong familiarity with the same cities throughout our lives. We had also all raised a child with big skiing aspirations throughout their high school years. The conversation flowed easily and before we knew it we had been hiking for four hours and gained 3,000 feet to the mellow ridgeline. Eydie and John forged ahead to keep momentum and I kept a slower measured pace to ensure I could have energy for the way down. In the last mile and the last 1,000 feet, I met two young women who were less experienced hikers and who were not sure they could make it to the peak. I walked ahead of them and they started following behind, matching my slow but continuous pace. When we made it to the summit, we were all ecstatic and Eydie and John were cheering us on. One of the two ladies said this was her first summit ever, which she told us through some happy tears. The other was making plans to do a handstand on the summit. We were all shocked that such a thing was possible and we questioned if there was truly enough space. It turned out there was. After a few minutes warming up into it, she held that handstand for at least 20 seconds. It was so impressive. After more photos and farewells to our new friends, we headed back down, keeping a brisk pace on the mellow but sometimes loose terrain on the first section below the summit. The rest of the trail was easy low angle switchbacks but it was not great that you could see the parking lot and our cars the entire time, since it reminded us of how much more distance we had left. Eydie and John made dinner reservations thanks to the plentiful cell service on the trail, and it was for an Ogden restaurant recommended by a fellow WMCer on their last hike with the club. So they could get there on time, I encouraged them to forge ahead, which afforded me a slower pace down. I was still able to see from above once they made it to their car. Although after 9+ hours my feet and joints ached by the end of the day, and I badly needed to rehydrate, I consider this a successful "slow epic" hike. I soon hope to plan more of these types of hikes and to find more folks looking for this type of experience. |
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