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Show THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Page 10 Volume X Issue XII October 1, 2004 ' TRIATHOLON cont. from page 5 PRESENTING SPONSOR Performance West a Jolley and Kim R ie Three Routes to Ben Lomond ba.asu. Therapy—Curtis BRONZE SPONSORS @{| wi PaTHWwAyS OGDEN VALLEY CHAPTER Diamond Peak Mountain Sports Trappers Village—Bonnie and Jeff Hyde Yukon Grille—Earl Cherry Lakeside Resort Properties—Shantale Hales OTHER SPONSORS Celeste Canning Attorney at Law The OGDEN VALLEY News—Shanna Francis and Jeannie Wendell Website by Design—Pamela &. he ee ‘ws Won on BOR Mitchell saddle just below Ben Lomond. In the late spring, when Ben Lomond is still snow-cov- By Helene Liebman, Chair, Ogden Pathways It’s been Valley ered, I have lunch here and turn around for the raining for two days. This morning, once the fog burned off, you could see a light dusting of snow in the mountains and that the fall foliage is almost at its peak. Harbingers of winter. Time to get into the high country before the heavy snows close it off. My favorite high country in Ogden Valley is RESTAURANT SPONSORS Ben Alpine Pizza—Jim and Ruth Halay Gray Cliff Lodge—Jody and Steve Sniggs Eden General Store—Teresa & Kent Boyington Yukon Grille—Earl Cherry highest peak in Weber County. Willard Peak is the highest at 9,763 feet. From Ogden Valley you can get to the top of Ben Lomond via three routes: Skyline North from the North Ogden Divide; the Ben Lomond Trail from North Fork BOOTH SPONSORS Snowbasin Ski Resort—Denzel Rowland Wolf Creek Resor ey Seraphin Pharmanex—Meg Italia Desert Sharks Triathlon ‘Club Park; epsi TRIATHLON AWARD SPONSORS Bonnie & Hyde, Inc.—Jeff and Bonnie Hyde Gray Cliff Lodge —Jodi and Steve Sniggs Joan Woodruff/Century 21—Joan Woodruff Pharmanex—Meg Italiano Red Moose Lodge—Penny Ogle Roosters—Kym and i Buttschardt Snowbasin—Denzel Rowland Snowberry Inn—JaciH Staker-Parsons—Rocky — Tastefully Simple—JaciH The Oaks—Belinda and ae Rounkles Valley Hair—Heather Holbrook and Jenn Duke Wolf Creek Resort—Nancy Seraphin Zions Bank—Deana Heywood Also, a special thank you to several OVBA members who volunteered their time at Huntsville Park assisting with ticket and drink sales and other activities: EVENT VOLUNTEERS Jim Ormsbee—Ormsbee Consulting Brandie Hammon—Pineview Properties Wes Welch—-Atomic Chalet Deana Heywood— Zions Bank Paul DeLong—Lindal Cedar Homes Barry Van John Leone-Valley Lodging Thank you again to this possible! We look performance of The Ogden Valley Triathlon Valley next year! everyone who forward to a Performance and Taste of made repeat West Ogden Lomond. and the At 9,712 Cutler feet, it is the second Trail from the Cutler Springs Trailhead in North Fork Park. All of these routes are suitable for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. This is moose and mountain lion country, so keep alert and don’t spook any of those big guys. You'll probably see one or more moose, especially on the Ben Lomond Trail. If you’re really lucky (or not, depending on your perspective), you might also see a mountain lion. A few summers back my eye doctor ran into a mother with two cubs when he was biking down Ben Lomond Trail. He says it was very exciting, but that he was fortunate that she didn’t come after him. SKYLINE NORTH FROM THE NORTH OGDEN DIVIDE The trail from North Ogden Divide to Ben Lomond is my favorite hike/ride in Ogden Valley. This past June I made it a point to take this route before the Divide closed for the summer. I’d been looking forward to hiking it again before the winter, but now I hear that the Divide will be closed at least through October. Oh well, I guess there’s always next year. The route to Ben Lomond from the Divide is about 17 miles round trip and just over 3,500 feet in elevation gain. Most of that gain is at the beginning and end, with a nice flat stretch in the middle. For the first two miles you get a steady climb up the side of the ridge that leads to Ben Lomond. There are some stunning views to the west, east, and (don’t forget) the south. Once you get on the ridge, it’s a nice walk through evergreen forests and more open areas for the next 4 or 5 miles. At that point, you reach the trip home. The climb from the saddle is just 1.5 miles and about 1,000 more feet in elevation gain. We counted it once, and there are 28 switch- backs from here to the top. That makes it not too steep. Plus, the wildflowers from June through August are just amazing, so you’ll be glad you did the climb. The top is there before you know it. Enjoy the 360-degree views, but don’t forget to sign the trail register. BEN LOMOND TRAIL FROM NORTH FORK PARK This route is the second longest and second steepest of the Ogden Valley trails to Ben Lomond. Round trip is 15.5 miles; elevation gain is about 4000 feet. The trailhead is at the south entrance to North Fork Park; near the horse corrals. Head west from the parking area and start a steady climb to the saddle. In early summer this year, the wildflowers were so thick it was like a painter’s palette. When I took this route in late August, the wildflowers were mostly gone, and the trail was overgrown with grasses and tree branches in some spots. About 5 miles up, you hit a trail to the right that heads off to Cutler Spring. Either way will get you to Ben Lomond, but to the left is the Ben Lomond Trail proper. On the way up you’ll also see a sign pointing to an overlook off to your right. This is a good spot for lunch; we usually stop there on the way down after the hard work is behind us. CUTLER TRAIL FROM CUTLER SPRING TRAILHEAD Of the three routes to Ben Lomond, this is the steepest but the shortest—about 10 miles round trip and just under 3,000 feet in elevation gain. The start is at the Cutler Spring Trailhead. After you park, head north on the gravel road for about 1/10 of a mile. Then, turn west into the woods. This trail is mostly steep, with a few spots that are not-so-steep. While hiking this trail last summer, we met a group on horseback heading down who told us they had just seen some mountain goats on the slopes below Willard Peak. We pulled out our binoculars and took a long look, but we didn’t see any. We’ve searched every time since with no luck. Just over half way up you’ll come to Cutler Pond on the north side of the trail. This is a nice place for a stop—tots of birds and wildflowers. THE ORIGINAL BEN LOMOND Ben Lomond in Weber County is not the original. That distinction goes to Ben Lomond in Scotland. Scotland’s Ben Lomond—3,192 feet high—hovers over Loch (Lake) Lomond. Ben Lomond is the southernmost of the Munros—the Scottish mountains that are over 900 meters (or 2,952 feet). The three and one-half mile route to the top of the original Ben Lomond starts in Rowardennan, on the shore of Loch Lomond (slightly above sea level) and climbs over 3,100 feet. This coming May, my husband and I hope to climb this original when we walk Scotland’s West Highland Way (95 miles from Glasgow to Ft. William). OGDEN VALLEY PATHWAYS NEEDS YOUR HELP! On Saturday, October 2, Ogden Valley Pathways volunteers will take part in the Pineview Clean-Up. This is a first-time effort and is being organized by Keith Rounkles of The Oaks Restaurant. Over 15 OVP volunteers have committed to helping that day with assigned sections to clean up but the entire community is needed—please bring your family and friends and join in this worthwhile community event. Volunteers will work from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Afterwards, volunteers we'll head to Anderson Cove for a celebration and barbecue! Keith will be raffling off lots of fun stuff, including some exclusive, difficultto-get, OVP baseball caps! If you can help, contact Brandon Fuller, at 645-6060, for details. This week, I also have a different type of appeal—please be aware that access to some of our trails is through private property; or that some pathways are adjacent to or on private property. This means that we should be especially careful on the trail—absolutely no littering, please leave gates the way you found them, and please no taunting or mistreating of animals. One Valley resident is very distraught that people crossing her property to access a trail are abusing her poor pup. So that we can all continue to enjoy open access, please respect your neighbors. OGDEN VALLEY PATHWAYS OCTOBER MEETING Ogden Valley Pathways’ next meeting will be on Wednesday, October 6, at 7:00 p.m. at the Ogden Valley Library. Plan to attend and give us your input on how to focus our efforts next year. We'll solicit input on next year’s OVP Executive Committee; and we’ll get an update on new construction on the Eden Trail and East Eden Pathway. Everyone is welcome! For more information, contact Helene Liebman at 745-1799. iy Car 9 aulted 0 Fo DR, 5 0,000 B Bye @ "Makeovers" at Eden Car Wash Call Kristan Kap for detailing information e GR, 0 745-2280 2612 N. Valley Junction Dr. ® Eden Debo LOTS & ACREAGE LIBERTY & NORDIC 1 AC wooded, stream & 1.57&1.58AC-River Run- $69,500 each extraordinary views $70,000 | 5 g8ac. SnowbasinRd. 10 AC, wooded, serene $293,400 and private $255000 | 4.92AC- 105N Beaver 50 AC - Nordic Valley RdIncludes Golf Course & Creek $79,900 65AC Snowbasin 25.91AC - 2300N 6200E- Join us for fun, games, scary stories and prizes. Thursday, October 28 at 7:00 p.m. at the Ogden Valley Library. $390,000 Call 745-2220 for more information. 24.15 AC 600N 8000E Lots $1,450,000. | $150,000 HUNTSVILLE EDEN $1,800,000 Rd |