Backpacking at Brighton

For this year's backpacking trip, we decided to do a hike up in Big Cottonwood Canyon (a very beautiful canyon, mind you). We started our hike at the base of the Brighton Ski Resort and hiked up the grassy, full of wild flowers slopes up to Lake Mary.

All ready to go! Elanor hiked the whole way by herself this year and carried a little backpack. It was 2 miles in!

Walking on the ski slopes.

Chairlift.

Lake Mary.

Lake Mary is such a gorgeous alpine lake but they don't allow swimming as these lakes are part of the watershed.

She climbed up that rock.

Lake Mary was about a mile and a half from the trailhead.

After Lake Mary, we had another 1/2 mile to go, but Elanor was getting tired so it took a bit longer. We passed another small lake above Lake Mary, but our destination was Lake Catherine.

"The hills are alive with the sound of music."

So many wild flowers!

We made it to Lake Catherine!

It was getting late and we were tired, so we set up camp a little way away from the lake, made dinner and went to bed.


I woke up around seven before the other two and went outside to snap some pictures, but no before I got a quick photo of Elanor sleeping!

Our view right out of our tent.

Our campsite in the morning light.

A few feet from our campsite, there was a view of Lake Mary and the other lake which I cannot remember the name of to the west.

To the east, there was a view of Lake Catherine.

 I then climbed up a huge rock formation to get some better shots.

I love the morning light (this has not been edited at all!).

This was at the top of the rock formation I climbed up. I added a stone.

Lake Catherine.

More chair lifts.

Lake Mary, farther away, and another lake.

Lake Mary.

More of the same, but it was just so beautiful and I could not help myself!

 Wild flowers!

Back at the campsite.

This little girl woke up!

She was pretty proud of herself for climbing all the way up there.

An attempt at a family photo.

 We then ate some oatmeal, packed up, hiked down (last 1/2 mile was hard again).

Lupins!

At the bottom of the trail we met up with some friends and went to lunch (we were incredibly dirty) and then went home, showered, and took naps. It was a beautiful hike and I am so glad we all like to hike and backpack. It would not be as fun if I had to force Tyler or Elanor to go. The mountains in Utah are beautiful. The valley is nice and the views of the mountains are stellar, but sometimes in the heat and smog, I forget how beautiful Utah is. 

These mountains are heavenly.