Malan's Peak — Happy Hour at 6,900 ft.
Friday, April 21- Our first hike of the season up to Malan's Peak almost didn't happen. We were both home from work, the weather was cloudy, temperatures cool, and we tried to convince ourselves that we should wait until Saturday for our hike. Sometimes living in Ogden spoils us. We can just go up tomorrow. Do you really think that it'll be worth it? I don't think the weather will hold up. We had all of the excuses in the world not to drive up to the end of our street and enjoy the beautiful hike up to Malan's Peak. Nope, let's go. Let's do this. We loaded up our packs, rain gear, charcuterie and wine, and headed up there. Needless to say, we are so glad that we went up.
Sometimes when you live close to the mountains, you take for granted how beautiful they truly are, and how lucky we are to get to experience them. As we began up the trail, Taylor Canyon was in full Spring-mode, with snowmelt creeks and springs rushing alongside us for the majority of the trail up until the bridge crossing where you begin to head up to the first lookout. Every now and then, snow-capped Mt. Ogden would peek perfectly through the scrub-oak, creating a colorful view of greens, blues, and pristine white snow. As we crossed the bridge, we turned back West and began to climb the first of five switchbacks that take you up to the top of Malan's Peak. As we reached the first overlook, the sun had come out, and the views of the Wasatch Mountains were spectacular.
View of Ben Lomond and North Slope of Taylor Canyon from the 1st Lookout Point along Malan's Peak Trail.
Four more switchbacks and we were up at the top of the Peak. The views of the Ogden-area, surrounding mountains, and Great Salt Lake are beautiful. While we were up there, we spoke with a local who was out with his dog looking for wildlife, and watched a skier ascend up the West face of Mt. Ogden and begin to ski back down toward Malan's. The weather had cleared out, the sky was blue, and we sat and enjoyed our cheese, prosciutto, garlic bread and wine. What a wonderful place for an end-of-week picnic. While we were sitting up there, we couldn't help but say over and over again, Can you believe that we almost didn't come up here?
After finishing our bottle of wine, we headed back down the mountain. Along the way, the wave of precipitation that we had been watching from the Peak brushed through the canyon, and we were greeted with a quick snow storm. As the snow flakes were falling around us, the sun was beaming down on the adjacent canyon face, creating a beautiful scene that can only be found in the mountains.
Our final stop at the first switchback provided us with perhaps the most stunning view of the night, as the sunset over the Great Salt Lake lit up the entire valley and created a colorful alpenglow against the west slope of the Wasatch Mountains. Below us, Ogden was beginning to light up as Friday evening was fading over the western horizon. Experiences like this make us realize how fortunate we are to live in the West. A quick decision to go on a hike resulted in a scenic, serene escape into the mountains and the perfect way to start our weekend.
- K&K
