At a little over 11,000′, Deseret Peak is a recognizable mountain on the western horizon on days with clear skies.  Joel and I had climbed it in 2009. At that time, the most memorable part of the climb was the fact that the access road to the trailhead was washed out, which added 3.5 miles each way to the already 8 miles on the mountain. This was in the age before easy to access trail reports, so we had no idea about the road conditions. Joel also remembers having to ice both knees when we got back home!

Kathy, a friend from yoga who is also a hiker and biker, grew up fairly close to the peak (about a 2 hour drive from our house). She and her younger sister have a tradition of hiking the peak every year. With a few exceptions, they have done this since the early 2000s. She was nice enough to invite me along, so I gladly accepted.

We had a group of 7, which included Kathy’s sister, niece, and several friends. It was a fun group and we had a great time, the weather cooperated, and we all made the summit.

The one thing I did remember was that the trailhead was steep! The total elevation was 3,900′ in 3.8 miles going up. We took the loop trail back down, which was a little less steep,  but not by much.

It took about 3 hours to get to the saddle and then about an hour to the summit from there. I am starting to train for my Mexico Volcano trip next January, so I was very happy that we stopped for rest and snack breaks! My pack wasn’t too heavy, but I certainly felt a bit tired at the top.

After lunch, photos, and hydration,  we headed back down.

All in all, a long but fun day. I think we ended up close to 9 miles. It was a quiet ride home as we were all pretty tired!