South Moat 3/16/2008

I'm hiking solo again today. The forecast calls for possible rain or snow with winds picking up throughout the day so I picked a short hike today. South Moat and Middle Moat Mtns. I arrived at the trailhead on Dugway Rd after driving by it the first time at about 7:15 and hit the trail at 7:30. The crust of the snow at the base of the mountain was a little soft due to the warm weather the past few days and I was postholing a little for the first half mile or so even with my snowshoes. After about a mile I hit the bridge which goes over the Dry River. There was a lot of snow on the bridge, but it was flat so easy to cross.

I'm not even quite sure I would have needed a bridge today as the water is fairly low. I'm sure come spring though the bridge will be necessary.

I kept chugging along and eventually the trail gets much steeper. I put the heel lifters on my snowshoes up and took off. I had never had a reason to use the heel lifters as I feel they are really only useful on very steep ascents. They worked great however, and it saved my calves. The pictures showing how steep trails are never seem to translate, but here's my best shot.

I was pretty much in a cloud from about 1300' or so and higher. I was hoping the cloud would clear before I got to the top, but as you will see later, that didn't happen. I managed to lose the trail shortly after this about 2 miles or so in. I remember stopping for a rest next to a huge Red Pine tree and consciously looking at the yellow blaze painted on it. I couldn't find another blaze so I just started up what looked to maybe be a path. After about 100' of elevation I hit the top of the ridge and realized that I had in fact lost the trail.

I took out my map and my compass and figured the trail followed the ridge I was on roughly to the summit. I took about 100 paces towards where I figured the trail was and stumbled across a yellow blaze that was barely still in existence. Within 20 minutes or so I was in sight of the summit.

I continuted to hike to the summit where the trail suddenly got deeper due to the drifting snow. I sat down behind a rock for a minute and ate a cheese stick and drank the last of my crystal light flavored water. It would be regular water from here on out.

I then checked my GPS and it told me that I had hiked 2.2 miles. This seemed odd as I was at the right elevation for the summit and no matter what direction I walked in I was going down. I decided it was probably just wrong as GPS's can be and looked for the trail to Middle Moat.

I could not see middle moat, nor any sort of direction pointing towards a trail so I debated for a minute whether or not to continue. It was only .6 miles to the summit, but with visibility being poor, never having hiked these trails before, and my GPS possibly not working. I decided not to chance it and took the obligatory Summit Photo and headed down the mountain.

The hike down was quick and fairly easy. I passed a backcountry skiier and he broke out the trail better than I did i'm sure. I found a geocache by accident on the way up. I signed the register, but there was nothing to trade. All in all a great hike. I will have to do it again on a clear day though to get the views that everyone talks about.