Mount Baldy and Sugarloaf Peak Loop

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Leti pointing to Pfeifferhorn (which she hiked a few weeks later) from Mount Baldy
Mount Baldy/Sugarloaf Loop: 7.3 miles. 2,988 vertical feet. Date hiked: Aug. 13, 2022

This hike seemed somewhat doomed from the start. But, in the end, it turned out to be a lovely hike. First, we hiked up a road. That's just bad. Hiking up something you can drive up is no bueno. Second, we heard what we thought was an avalanche control boom, which made exactly zero sense. No snow. We learned later that it was a meteor entering planet Earth. And, it was heard all over the Salt Lake Valley. Third, the helicopter about made us crazy. At first, said helicopter looked so cool. And then, said helicopter kept going up and down the mountain. They aren't exactly known for their silence. Said helicopter was carrying steel posts (or metal somethings) for the skiing season. Luckily, that helicopter finished the job before we made it to Mt. Baldy. But, the solitude we were looking for took a while to come.

Okay, when we started up Mount Baldy, I do admit that I was questioning my life choices. It was so steep, and I thought it would have some serious drop offs. And, it didn't. Leti was euphoric! She was so happy it wasn't impossible to climb. When she gets excited, she bounds up the mountain with the greatest of ease. I was unable to follow this joyous act, and lumbered up the mountain, happily wheezing up to the top of Mount Baldy. 

Here I am going up Mount Baldy. Look at that beautiful view across the way! 

When we arrived at Mount Baldy, we took some photos and then headed down the other side. This mainly went well. There were a few very technical, steep spots. But, we arrived at the bottom, only to head up to Sugarloaf Peak. Sugarloaf felt much like Mount Baldy. At the top, we took in this view: 

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Cecret Lake from Sugarloaf Peak. I love the color. :)

On our way down the peak, we came across a woman who ended up falling backward into the bushes. It was horrible! She had a medical condition that affected her balance. Leti helped her up. But, we felt bad hiking off while she was still headed up. Kudos to her for hiking when balance is challenging. 

At the bottom of Sugarloaf, we took a very fine photo opportunity. 

Leti enjoying the ski lift! Look at that sky and scenery. So beautiful! 

As usual, my feet don't touch the ground. :) 

Well, we jumped off the ski lift, literally, and headed down the mountain. We passed Cecret Lake. We passed some other lovely scenery, and then, we made it to our car. This was another great hike in the books! 

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