The "Other" Henrie Knoll

Having several errands that we needed to take care of in Cedar City, and knowing we would be done with them by mid-morning, we decided to do a short hike on the Markagunt Plateau, near Duck Creek.

Back in July, when we hiked Henrie Knolls, we noticed an adjacent cinder cone that was a little bit shorter in stature, but decided to save this interesting looking knob for another day.  Well, today is the day we are going to go back and hike the "other Henrie Knoll" that is just south of the one with a benchmark.  After a short drive from Duck Creek, on good dirt roads, we came to the base of Peak 8897 where we began our hike.

Peak 8897 is also known as one of the Henrie Knolls

We started out on a seldom used road and then cut off to our right . . . from here we made a west/northwest arcing path that allowed us to semi-circle the cone on our way to the top

Along the way we stumbled upon this Geocache . . . it goes by the name Half-Way Henrie
We found it strange that it wasn't placed at the top of the knoll, but just randomly on the cinder cone's side??
(This is the third Geocache we have come across this year)

It's a short hike, about 1/2 mile with a gain of 500 ft . . .
That is if you were to head straight up to the summit . . . which we didn't

We had a nice view of the other Henrie Knoll (9,256 ft) that we hiked in July

Little Creek Peak (10,140 ft) stands out in the distance . . .  as a crow flies it is about 20 miles away
(Surprisingly, we haven't done this peak, but have it on our "to-do" list . . . it has a benchmark on top!)

Kent is standing on the high point (8897 ft)

There were some tall Ponderosa Pines on the summit 

We opted to hike back down the west side, but took a more direct path towards the aspen groves
(The west side is fairly free of obstructions and has some very nice views of the lava field)

Three weeks in a row we have been fortunate to hike in the aspens and enjoy the colors

The winter snowfall was a little too much for these young trees

We discovered a trick tank (some call them guzzlers) that are used for providing wildlife with water . . .
These collect snow and rain, by means of a metal roof that funnels the moisture to a storage tank . . .
This one needs a little maintenance, as it's trough was full of pine needles 

Heading back to the truck . . . it was like walking down the Yellow Brick Road

Today might be our last chance, this year, to hike among the golden aspens . . .
The weather is forecasted to change later this upcoming week

After a fun hike, Kent was anxious to drop a line in Duck Creek . . . he caught a few small trout

The "other" Henrie Knoll was a fun hike that provided some really nice views, gave us some needed exercise and wasn't too hard to get to.  Altogether, our route was about 1.5 miles with 500 ft of elevation gain, however, you certainly could make it shorter by heading straight up the cone. If you're up on the Markagunt Plateau and have a couple of extra hours, you might think about taking this enjoyable little hike!

 

Fall Fishing in the Tushars

With the temperatures still hovering around 100­° in St. George, and not wanting to sit around and waste a couple of Fall Saturdays, we decided it was time to head for the Tushars to do some fishing on one of the best streams on the mountain.  We enjoyed our time so much, that two weeks later, we returned to do it all over again!  Below are some pictures, taken over those weeks, showcasing why the Tushars are some of our favorite mountains in Utah.

Passing through Beaver we spotted these nice bucks in someone's yard!
(They have very smart deer in Beaver!)

Believe it or not, there is a little stream flowing below the tree line

Time to get fishing!
(The stream flow is generally lower during the fall months, but don't let that fool you!)
 

It wasn't long before we had a very nice wild Rainbow!

Red Willow roots add a nice pop of color

Three weeks ago the aspens were green . . .
Today there's only a few trees left that are still hanging onto their golden leaves

A single Mountain Aster was still in bloom, in October!

 

Here's a close up of that earlier aspen grove . . . as we work our way downstream

Oh, man this looks like a nice pool to be hiding a trout or two!

It was peaceful listening to the creek and watching the water swirl over and around the rocks

Yep, the pool held another gorgeous Cutthroat!

We just love fishing small streams like this one!
(It's surprising how many people overlook these hidden gems)

A sign of Fall

Not sure if this is a wild Rainbow or a cross between a Rainbow and a Cutthroat??
Either way, a very nice fish!

We found part of an old trail sign on the ground
(If you're curious as to where we were fishing, you might try to decipher what it says!)

One last look at the aspens before we head back to the truck . . .
It's been a great day!

 

Sorry, we didn't tell you the name of the creek.  If you're a small stream fisherman, you understand how hesitant we are to give out such information . . . if we did, it wouldn't be long until they'd be fished out!  Altogether we caught about eight fish (each trip), kept a few to eat, and released the rest to be caught another day . . . maybe by you!

Blind Lake

Utah is certainly a diverse state!  One moment you're being "wowed" by the unique red and white sandstone features of Capitol Reef and in the next you can be hiking on the golden aspen clad Boulder Mountain.  After spending the night, near Singletree Falls, in a campground of a similar name, we are off to explore some mountain lakes and see if we can entice some trout to take our bait.  What better way to spend a beautiful Fall day!  We've been looking forward to this hike and are excited to hit the trail!

The aspens are glowing . . . and we're just starting down the trail!

The trail (at times) appeared to be an old road . . . 
Possibly the one they used to construct the dam, for Blind Lake, in the early 1900's

It took us about 30 minutes to reach Blind Lake (10,240 ft) . . . it's stunning!

We spotted this Osprey high up on a snag . . .
It wasn't until we downloaded this picture that we saw he was snacking on his prize fish . . .
Possibly the one Kent was trying to catch! Ha!

We were really surprised to see Kokanee salmon . . .
They change from silver to red before spawning

The perfect Christmas tree surrounded by a hillside of orange glowing aspens . . .
After spending some time fishing and soaking in the beauty of Blind Lake,
it was time to continue on down the trail to some other mountain lakes

The trail skirted by Pear Lake . . . we didn't stop to fish
(We had read that this was a shallow "dead lake" that occasionally goes dry)

The "road" became more of a trail after Blind Lake

After another mile hike we came to pretty Beaver Dam Reservoir . . .
If you want to test your vehicle's 4WD capability you can drive (crawl) here from the Fish Creek Trailhead . . .
There were a few people fishing and seeming to have good luck on this small lake

We continued on down the road for a quarter mile heading for Fish Creek Lake

Fish Creek Lake was our turnaround point . . .
After making a few attempts to lure in some nice brookies, we decided to head back for 
the solitude of Blind Lake and then head for Fish Creek later in the afternoon

Here's the size of trout you can expect to find in these pretty lakes . . .
Although, we've heard many fishermen tell us there are Arctic Grayling in the waters of Blind Lake

Back to the tranquil water of Blind Lake . . . we had it all to ourselves!

The Osprey was still sitting high on the snag . . . the fish was no more!

Kent tried a few more casts . . . no fish . . . he'll settle for some great memories

The leaves were fluttering to the ground as we passed by . . .
A gentle breeze sets the leaves in motion and the sound can be described as whispering, rustling or rain 

Looking east toward the Henry Mountains (11,522 ft) . . . Capitol Reef NP lies between us and them . . .
We hiked Mt. Ellen & Ellen Peak in 2015

This engraving caught Allison's eye . . . we better stop and see if it's true!

Kent is giving Fish Creek a try . . .
It flows out of Fish Creek Lake and Beaver Dam Reservoir a few miles upstream
(We both caught lots of small brookies, but most were only in the 6-inch range)

As we came down off Boulder Mountain we were treated to a beautiful view of
Thousand Lake Mountain (11,300 ft) . . . we really need to do this one sometime!

After a good night's rest, at Singletree Campground, we arose to this beautiful sunrise
(That's Ellen Peak - 11,520 ft - blocking the sun from coming up)

Here's an aerial view of our route, starting from the Blind Lake Trailhead (lower right of picture) . . .
From the trailhead to Blind Lake was a little over a mile with about 450 ft of elevation gain . . .
Blind Lake was the highest point along the trail at an elevation of 10,240 ft.
(Click on the picture for an enlarged view)

What a great day!  The weather was perfect and the aspens were in their prime . . . what more could you ask for?  Okay, maybe that the trout were a little more hungry!  If you're interested in doing this hike it's about 6.5 miles r/t (closer to 7 miles if you hike around Blind Lake).  Road Trip Ryan has provided directions, GPS tracks and coordinates, along with a map.  You can click here for a link to his excellent website (it's free!).