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Show vase! “THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Page 11 June 15, 2006 Getting Out on the Trails in the Wheeler Creek and Maples Areas By Helene Liebman flows through Ice Box Canyon. We continue straight ahead on the main trail which, at this The trails in the Wheeler Creek and point, follows the East Fork of Wheeler Maples areas are popular so expect a lot of Creek. Later in the day we’ll return via the company if you hike or ride them. With this trail through Ice Box Canyon. in mind, we start out early from Wheeler Art Nord Memoria Creek Trailhead this Friday morning; just The main trail is relatively easy, with a past sunrise. slow, steady rise and a firm gravel surface. There is a light rain at the outset, but the ; Before skies above are clear, and the rain soon stops. Almost immediately, we come across a father with his young daughter. It’s still cold, and she is dressed in long pants and a blue jacket. They are stopped to look at a map. We pass them and now have the trail ahead to ourselves. This day we plan a 10-mile hike—up to Art Nord Trailhead via Wheeler Creek Trail, then to Snowbasin via Maples Trail, then back down to Wheeler Creek via Ice Box Canyon. n this lower section of the Wheeler Creek trail, we are accompanied by the constant sound of rushing water. It being spring, Wheeler Creek is still running high. At the Y%-mile mark, we come across a point where False helsbore an avalanche came down in the winter of 2003/2004. It’s a testament to the power of recognition of his work to sosiora depleted avalanches—even though it’s a short section watersheds and to promote “Snow Basin and of steep slope, the rushing snow downed recreation areas and conlarge trees and pushed big boulders in its struction of the Wheeler Creek road, or Art path. Nord Drive. There’s a photo of Mr. Nord, Up ahead, at the one-mile point, we see who worked for the U.S. Forest Service for the bridge down below that crosses Wheeler over 40 years—from 1915 to 1956 Creek. If we go right, we’ll cross the bridge It’s a beautiful spot and a great place to and continue to follow Wheeler Creek as it enjoy the vistas. Below, we look down Wheeler Creek Canyon and see the sun hitting the peaks in the distance to the northwest. bove, we see Mt. Ogden and Snowbasin ski area. The top of Snowbasin |is still covered in snow, and the white-covered peaks contrast beautifully with the deep blue of the early morning sky. Maples Tra Just past the Art Nord Memorial, the trail continues to the Art Nord Trailhead. Before the Trailhead, we take a small spur to the right that leads down to the East Fork of Wheeler Creek and to the Maples Trail. (Actually, the Weber Pathways official trail map labels this the Upper Wheeler Creek Trail. But we refer to this as the Maples Trail because it leads to the Maples area below Snowbasin. This early in the season with the creek still high, we must search up and down the banks for a place to cross. We settle for a narrow spot and get across with just one soaked boot. On the other side, the slope i is covered in mule’s-ears and sticky geranium. We'll see mule’s-ears all over Ogden Valley throughout the spring and early summer. First, at these lower elevations; then later, higher in the mountains. A member of the Aster or Sunflower family, mule’s-ears are appropriately named, see to Carl Schreier’s Wildflowers oft. Rocky Mountains, because its leaves are ce like e ears of amule. The leaves are dark, shiny ing ela el] Ban green. The plant’s long stems (from one to two feet tall) end in a single large (3 to 5 inches wide) yellow flower. Schreier notes that the species could be confused with arrowleaf balsamroot, and he’s right! The 2001 version of the National Audubon Society Field Guide t (2) Wildflowers Meadow rue Central Rocky Mountain Wildflowers, notes that the Shoshone people of Nevada used the resinous roots of mule’s-ears to reduce wellings, to induce vomiting, and, with other compounds, to treat measles. In late May, the sticky geranium has yet to bloom. These purple-flowered plants of the Geranium family have leaves that are palmately cleft and deeply divided into five or seven segments. I often mistake their leaves for duncecap lashopeur, aioe leaves are also described as “palmately divided.” TRAILS cont. on page 19 orthodontics We offer a learning experience that promotes self-worth and develops a strong sense of individual responsibility and community. 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