Mt. Timpanogas with Jonny

Dave has hiked Mt. Timpanogas some twenty times.  The first time was with his father in 1953, when he was six.  He then went on the annual BYU-sponsored "Timp hike" for a number of years.  Dave's Grandfather Brimhall, president of BYU, started theTimp  hike, and for decades 3000 to 4000 people hiked Timp in one designated day at the end of July.  At the top, BYU passed out badges.  Finally, the hike was canceled because there were so many hikers that it got dangerous, as people kicked rocks down on one another.  After that, Dave hiked Timp from time to time with family and friends--Camille and Steve, Jonny and Michael, Janice and Nancy.  Joshua Moreland hiked up the front side of Timp in the middle of the winter, last year, as did Dave's great uncle, Dean Brimhall, many years ago.  The photos on this posting were mostly taken by Jonny.

The picture above was taken on Timp in 1912, 100 years ago. There used to be a huge glacier near the top of Timp.  The picture below was also taken many years ago, in August, but this year, in July, the glacier was not even a quarter of that size.

This year's Timp hike was special because Dave hiked with Jonny.  They started hiking at 6 in the morning, just as it was getting light, and within 15 minutes they saw their first moose.

The mountain was covered with wildflowers, which occurs for just two to three weeks per year, through the middle and end of July.

Dave and Jonny hiked up and up, past more moose, mountain goats, and people on horseback.

Timp hikers climb the back side of the mountain, and the "Saddle" is the first view they have of Utah Valley. 

The top of Timp is nearly 12,000 feet.  The last 500 feet Dave and Jonny noticed the lack of oxygen, and went slower and slower, as they climbed high above the treeline.  They clustered with some 40 other hikers at a tin shack shelter on the top of the mountain.  The shack has been on the top of Timp for as long as Dave has been alive.  Dave looked at the log, noting that, among the 150 people who had climbed that day, only three were as old as 65.  Dave wrote down that he was "65 3/4 years old." Dave says that the only thing that was harder this year than prior years was that his balance wasn't as good.  David noted that, "People occasionally reached their hands out to help me up, as if I were an old guy.  I didn't like that." 

Dave and Jonny called Gretta and Jenny from the top of Timp.  Dave and Jonny looked far down the valley, past vibrantly colored Emerald Lake.

"The very best thing about the hike," Dave said, "was having a whole day to just talk and be with Jonny.  I think I've got another Timp Hike in me."