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Show 5 Monday, July 16,2007 ACTIVITIES www.dailyutahchronicle.com • Timpanogos Cave . It's the inside that counts Jon Gilbert "The Camel Room" is fittingly named for a giant camel-like formaSTAFF WRITER tion jutting out from one wall. Another room features the "AlUtah is well-known for its wondrous mountains, covered in cham- ligator," reaching its neck as far as pagne powder in the winter and possible toward a pool tantalizingly serenaded by rivers in the summer. out of reach. Helictites, which are twig-like But what mysteries are hidden on calcium deposits, hang from the the inside? Timpanogos Cave National Mon- ceiling. The hollowed straws take ument in American Fork Canyon ages to form, even though many are teases the daydreamer with what no longer than 12 inches. Before you navigate the caves, wonders are possibly tucked away under the Wasatch cliffs and cre- study up on Patches O'HouUhan's Five D's of dodgeball—dodge, duck, vasses. The three-cave system is a trea- dip, dive and...dodge. Passages are sure worth pursuing for anyone who tight and ceilings are low at some points, but it all adds to the experilikes a solid hike with a reward. "You have the ability to discover ence. The park ranger tour guide comsomething new every time you go in there," said Chief Ranger Mike pliments the scenery with anecGosse. "Every time, I find some- dotes chronicling the monument. thing new in there and new ways to The ranger tells stories of deer look at things." hunting, mountain lion tracks, The cave's many formations en- American Indian romance and selfsacrifice. gulf the visitors of Timpanogos, "The cave has features very few "Hansen Cave," "Middle Cave" other caves in the world have," said and "Timpanogos Cave" are more Park Superintendent Denis Davis. than 30 million years old. All three Not only are they unique, but limestone caves were discovered the fascinating geological creations separately. within Timpanogos Cave come Reaching the caves' entrance with some interesting nicknames. comes at a cost for visitors. To wit"Cave Bacon" lines many of the ness the caves, tourists must first walls. The multi-colored cave for- conquer the trail up American Fork mations have all the works save the Canyon. eggs and orange juice. "It's a full half-day experience be- cause you have to hike up to it, and then you take the tour," Davis said. Although the hike involves a climb of more than 1,000 feet, it covers this distance in a smoothly paved, one-and-a-half mile jaunt. The path snakes its way to the top with occasional benches and mile markers to monitor each hiker's progress, and Gosse notes, "The path is a little nicer earlier in the morning." Views from the path are marvelous. In one panoramic pan of the head, sights range from the Salt Lake City metropolis to tranquil pine trees resting on the mountainside. All the while, the American Fork River rushes below. According to Davis, about 80 percent of Timpanogos1 visitors are curious Utahns. Davis says it's the first visit for many from the Beehive State, but some come again and again. He attributes the repeat visits to Utah tradition. Utah tradition apparently knows no boundaries. The 80,000 people who tour the caves each year represent everywhere from Salt Lake City to Seoul, South Korea and Sydney, Australia. The guest book sitting patiently outside of the caves' exit lists home countries such as Thailand, Finland, Russia and New Zealand, just to name a few. From Alaska to Florida, Gosse says that Americans visiting the Salt Lake City and Provo areas find Timpanogos to be an easy get-away, which is something park rangers hope to maintain for years to come. "Our goal is to preserve this cave for the next thousand years to look the same that it does today," Gosse said. Appropriate measures are being taken for this. Besides National Park Service rules, much is in place to prevent these deep, thought provoking caves from spoiling. A photo management program monitors changes in the caves' formations. Periodic cave washings hide evidence of humans. "Every time somebody goes into the cave, they leave a little something of themselves behind," Gosse said, referring to hair and skin follicles. The park offers an "Introduction to Caving" class that allows adventure-seekers to explore much more of "Hansen Cave," The route taken for this class includes ducking, rope assistance and no lighting. Rangers produce wildlife shows featuring birds of prey, snakes and other reptiles. Other events include singing at the base of the mountain. There is an excuse for everyone to experience Timpanogos Cave. j.gilbert@chronicle.utah.edu Mount Olympus The peak of Mount Olympus casts a shadow over the valley Friday during sunrise. Bird's eye view Tony Pizza SPORTS EDITOR Next time someone tells you he or she climbed Mount Olympus, make sure to give him or her a pat on the back. But the next time somebody claims to have climbed Mount Olympus' south summit in less than 90 minutes, tell that person I've got a camera phone, today's newspaper and 20-to-i odds that say they won't be sitting by a rusted mailbox in the time it takes to play a soccer game. Those odds balloon to 100-to-i if they can do it without the use of a helicopter. Mount Olympus entices numerous hikers every day with a promise of the best view of the Salt Lake Valley. It also offers a physical challenge even the most conditioned athlete can appreciate. Less than a minute after leaving the small, paved parking lot just above Wasatch Boulevard, the trail begins a drastic incline toward the first monument of the hike, Pete's Rock. The climb's first tenth-of-amile leaves most hikers with the thought, "If the whole hike is like this, I'm going to die." But just as the climb starts forcing hikers to suck in bigger gulps of air, the trail tapers off into a gentle meander up the initial face of the ' foothills named after the ancient Greek mountain of the gods. The hike up Salt Lake's most prominent mountain peak can be divided into two stages. The first third is through desert terrain. The second stage enters a more heavily wooded area made up mostly of juniper trees and scrub oak that gets denser the higher one goes. The initial stage of the hike works through a series of switchbacks that eventually winds hikers deeper into the Tolcats Canyon. Nearly every step offers an increasingly better view of the Old Mill golf course and the valley floor below. There are also numerous perches on the first mile of the hike that offer unobstructed views and photo opportunities of the city. But as generous as Mount Olympus is in its scenic offerings, it's deceiving, as well. As the hike inches close to its one-mile mark, the trail makes its last switchback toward Tolcats Canyon. Once the deeply scarred rock face of the foothill across the canyon comes into view, it is a signal that the hike's difficulty is about to increase exponentially. About a mile-and-a-half into the hike, or just as your legs start the initial tingling toward numbness, the trail crosses over a small stream that is barely visible, except during the spring. A few minutes later the trail passes across the bottom of the Tolcats Canyon and begins a rapid ascent up the slender valley. At this point, hikers' legs usually start to catch fire and thoughts start to reflect back to those that rolled around when the hike started. Except this time, the trail never ceases to climb. For the average hiker, it is at this point that the real sweating begins. The climb up the Tolcats Canyon is littered with every rock-cluttered obstacle one can think of. Most of the boulders require strides larger than the ones required to climb stairs, and the pace of the hike will cause most hiking novices to take numerous water breaks. For most hikers, this is the point where there is no turning back, and The mailbox at the peak of Mount Olympus holds messages and thoughts from people who have made the journey to the top of the mountain. no end in site. Two miles into the hike, the trail begins a steep, snaking ascent toward the saddle. Flat areas are few and even farther between, and when one's legs begin to feel like noodles it's a signal that a flat area is near. As gratifying as it is to reach Mount Olympus' saddle, it is only a milestone in the hike. The area provides a slight respite from the steep incline of the hike and also offers some great views of the seldomseen back side of the mountain. The obstacle that lies ahead is a 600-foot rock climb that requires two free hands and feet, but it is simple enough for the most novice climber, if one sticks to the trail. The problem is the trail up the last 600 feet of Mount Olympus is not very defined, but with a little patience and observation, reaching the top is far from the hardest task on the hike. And once the full view of the Salt Lake Valley comes into view, all the numbness and sweat melt into oblivion. The summit of Mount Olympus is like a playground fit for adults. In between long pauses to admire the view, one can clamber over the numerous boulders toward a rusted mailbox. Inside lie the notepads filled with the thoughts of people that previously conquered the same feat. It's no wonder most of the things written in those pads are spiritually related. The trying journey up is rewarded with one of the most tranquil experiences found in Utah. Amazingly, at just over 9,000 feet up, one can still hear the faint sounds from I-215 below. Equally impressive is the fact that the trail up Mount Olympus is so well worn. This stands as a testament to the fact that no matter how hard the challenge is, newcomers keep flocking to the mountain, and some brave souls keep coining back for more. Now only if there were an escalator, or some sort of handrail to assist in the descent back to civilization. tpizza@chronicle.utah.edu V Wingpointe Golf Course Wingpointe Golf Course vitals: > 3602 W. 100 North, Salt Lake City, Utah 84122 > Year built: 1991 Scorecard: > Black: Par 72 Rating 73.3 Slope 130 7101 yards > Blue: Par 72 Rating 71.5 Slope 126 6665 yards > Gold: Par 72 Rating 67.1 Slope 113 5228 yards > Course record: 64 Wayne Fisher Green fees: $40 with cart Wingin' it Link-style golf course has been challenging golfers for 17years Tony Pizza SPORTS EDITOR Under normal circumstances, golf courses and airports don't usually mix. But Utah is hardly a normal place, and there is a golf course nestled at the fringes of Salt Lake International Airport that manages to pull off the odd mixture quite nicely. Wingpointe GoLf Course literally sits on the front steps of one of the biggest airports in the Western United States, and in 17 years it has managed to become one of the hardest public golf courses in Salt Lake City—and not because of the 800,000-pound distractions overhead. Wingpointe is a Mike O'Connor creation modeled after some of the first golf courses in the world. While it does not reside on a seaside, and the formation of the course is slightly natural at best, Wingpointe has a distinct link-style feel to it. The course is basically treeless, and once inside one of the many greenside pot bunkers, golfers can literally get a whiff of what it might feel like to play at the Old Course at St. Andrews or Royal Troon in Scotland. For what Wingpoint lacks in shots over the shoreline, it makes up for in shots over its numerous ponds. And like most links golf courses, Wingpointe is certainly a course that puts a premium on precise shot-making. Because Wingpointe is basically built at the.bottom of the bowl formed by Salt Lake City's boarding mountain ranges, the greens roll as true as any in the city. But by no means are they easy. Depending on the daily mood of the grounds crew, each hole has a variety of near-impossible pin-placements to choose from. To reach those greens in the correct amount of shots, course management has to be observed at all times. Each hole has an optimal location, and those spots .are contrasted by about 50 places that are not so appealing. If the hole doesn't have water, it has numerous bunkers strategically placed to welcome every shot. Some holes, such as Nos. 6, 8, 12 and 16, offer both. Added to the mix are rolling hills that line many of the holes' fairways like oversized packages of hot dogs. And if that wasn't enough, half the holes' fairways are outlined in a special brand of native grass that is rarely trimmed. This means if you step in the grass, finding your foot—let alone your ball—is like trying to find an unmarried college student in Provo. Even in the driest part of summer, Wingpointe manages to stay green, lush and beautiful—at least on the front side. The backside offers a little ' different story. After the nth hole, the course moves to a remote area of the course that seems to have taken on a life of its own. Wingpointe was designed to have two large ponds flank either side of the long par-5 15th, For the last four years, those ponds have made fewer public appearances than Mark McGwire and the Boo Radley combined. These two eyesores detract somewhat from the overall Wingpointe experience because it is possible to play balls off these barren pond beds. Still, the challenge Wingpointe offers, especially from the black tees, is second to none. If the tees are stretched to their maximum, and the pins are stashed in their trickier locations, the course has the ability to challenge even the best amateur golfer. Possibly due to its location, Wingpointe is usually an easy place to get onto, even without a tee time. And after the first or second hole, the airplanes become as invisible as your worries. After all, golf is golf, no matter how many times you lose your balls. tpizza@chronicle.utah.edu |