A weekend in the High Uintas, June 2018

One of my best friends was getting married in the Uintas end of June and invited me to attend her wedding. So I decided to add a few extra days and do some day hikes while I was up there. It's been a while since I have hiked in the Uintas and I was pretty excited to be back again.
From Southern Utah, it is quite the drive to get there but I was in no hurry and enjoyed the drive up north.

I decided to do the hike up to Bald Mountain since it was still early in the afternoon. This would be a nice leg burner and I was excited about the views from the top. The trailhead parking was not super busy and I got my pack ready. The trail started at about 10,700ft and immediately started to climb upwards. After a while, I reached a plateau and views were great up from there.

Bald Mountain Pass and Murdock Mountain

There were a few wildflowers and I also saw a pika collecting them for food. Past the plateau, the trail started to climb up again. 

Reids Peak

There was a bit of boulder hopping involved at the very last part but it wasn't too bad. I soon reached the summit and enjoyed the views from more than 11,800ft. It was pretty windy and very hazy due to some wildfires but it was still a great view from top.

The hike back to the trailhead didn't last too long and I reached my reserved campsite at Stillwater campground before sunset where I set up camp. 

The next morning I decided to do the Lofty Lakes Loop. It was about 8 miles and had some nice elevation changes along the loop. I started pretty early and was the first car at the trailhead. The first part of the hike went through a forest of fir trees and spruces before the trail went to a meadow.

The meadow offered amazing views to Bald Mountain and Reads Peak with reflections in some small tarns. 

There were also a lot of wildflowers everywhere. I loved the view while I continued the trail. After about a quarter of a while the trail split and I took the detour to Cuberant Lake.  There was some elevation gain before the trail dropped down again and the views were really great.

Elephant Head

I reached the lake and enjoyed the solitude. 

Cuberant Lake

Back at the main trail, I continued to Kamas Lake where I had a little snack break.

After I left the lake, the trail gained elevation again. On top of the plateau, there were amazing views towards the Hayden Fork drainage and Bear River with all its lakes. Definitely worth the hike.

The trail continued from here to Lofty Lake.

Lofty Lake

I passed the lake and continued to descend down the rocky path towards Scout Lake and further to Picturesque Lake. I had to stop several times to delve into the mountain scenery. It was gorgeous. A lot of wildflowers everywhere and great spots for little breaks. This was definitely an enjoyable hike for sure.

From Picturesque Lake it was only about a mile back to the trailhead. 

Since it was still early in the day I decided to do the short hike to Ruth Lake, one of the most popular lakes. 

The little hike to the lake didn't take too long but the views along the way were so gorgeous I had to stop all the time.

I reached the lake and walked along its shore with meadows of wildflowers and beautiful views. This was a really great little hike and I enjoyed it a lot. 

This was definitely a great trip to the mountains and I was pretty sure that I wanted to go back very soon again. 

early morning hike to The Vortex, June 24, 2018

Temperatures above 100F are the norm in Southern Utah during the summer months.
But that doesn't mean you can't get out and hike. You simply need to adjust your activities to cooler temperatures of the day.
Today, I decided to hike with some friends to the Vortex, a popular short hike near Veyo.  We started in the pre-dawn hours and nice light surrounded us for a while.

The trail is pretty sandy at some spots. At one point I discovered a still water-filled pothole and was surprised to see it packed with canyon tree frogs. I've never seen so many of them at the same spot. It was just amazing.

The sun was up soon after this fun encounter and lit up the sandstone cliffs. We soon began to climb up to the Camelback Mountain. Within its sandstone area was the Vortex, a deep pothole bowl. It was pretty cool to see.

view to the west towards Square Top Mountain

The short hike out was uneventful. The entire area has a lot of potential for future explorations.

Sunset at Observation Point, June 15, 2018

after my relocation back to Southern Utah it didn't take me long to go on my first hike. I decided to do Observation Point, a great viewpoint hike in Zion Nationa Park, for sunset. In the summertime access to the main canyon is only by shuttle but they do only run until 9:30pm each night.
So I hiked in the easy way from the back side up on the plateau. The hike itself was only about 8 miles round trip and could easily be done in the dark.
It was pretty windy out there so it wasn't the easiest task to take decent pictures. There were lots of high clouds and I was pretty happy about it.
They really lit up like crazy around sunset and I loved the images I was able to get.

I also found a dead tree at the canyon rim. It was a perfect foreground object. 

On my way back I stopped at the Human History Museum and took a shot of the Milky Way. Due to all the clouds, it was only partially visible but it was still a nice shot. It was for sure a great first outing here in Southern Utah and I was excited about my future adventures.

Lower Puna during the ongoing eruption, May 25, 2018

For more than two weeks the new eruption was going on and there was no sign that it would stop soon. Fissure 8 was active than ever and each day properties and roads were taken.
We all had to deal with bad air quality at several times, torrential rain as the volcano produced its own localized weather. Not to mention the forever sunset. After dark, the sky lit up in a bright red and lasted the entire night.
Tonight, I went out to my favorite photo spot in Hawaiian Paradise Park and walked along the cliffs.
It was pretty cloudy but the clouds started to lit up really nice for a few minutes.

I wanted until it was getting really really dark and wasn't disappointed by the provided light show. 

At first, the glow was just visible for a bit but soon grew stronger and stronger.

Even a few stars were visible for a few moments before it started to rain again.

I decided to drive down to the town of Pahoa. I had a special shot in mind at the Catholic Church where there was a Jesus statue on the lawn. When I arrived the sky was deep red and the glow of fissure 8 was reflecting in the sky. It almost looked like an apocalyptic scene to me.

I was pretty happy with the results and stopped at the Pahoa High School as well to take a picture of the intersection of highway 130 and highway 132.

Back home I took a few shots from my driveway and garden. Even about 6 miles away the glow was pretty dominant and lit up the sky. 

It was an interesting evening and was for sure a new reality for most of us here in lower Puna. I'm not sure how long the eruption will last but this could go on forever. 

For me, an end was in sight as I will move back to the mainland in about 2 weeks. I will for sure miss the volcano, lava, and all the nice areas here in lower Puna.

Helicopter flight over the lava, May 19, 2018

When friends asked me if I would be interested to fly in a helicopter doors off across the active fissure eruption in Leilani Estates I didn't hesitate. This was a chance for me to finally see the new eruption. I wasn't sure what to expect because I've never been in a helicopter before.
We had an early morning flight and checked in at Hilo airport with Paradise Helicopters about an hour before our flight took place. After all the instructions were done our seats were assigned.
I sat next to the pilot which was pretty cool.
We took off and headed towards Lower Puna. Because we were all photographers the pilot offered us to only hower over the lava flow which we gratefully appreciated. Due to flight restrictions, the helicopter had to fly 3,000 ft high but even from this elevation, we could feel the heat. It was intense, wow.

The massive rivers of lava were just unbelievable and breathtaking. There was a lot of haze in the air and a sulfur steam plume as well but despite these conditions, the view of the channelized lava river was something I will never forget.

massive fissure eruption

 W hovered many times across the area, above the several fissures and the PGV. Luckily, the thermal energy plant had removed all of its flammable material a few days ago and also quenched and shut off the valves. It was heartbreaking to see all the houses in Pele's path, some of them only feet away from the lava river.

PGV to the right, fissures and lava near the property

The flow front was less than half a mile away from entering the ocean and I'm pretty sure it will happen either tonight or tomorrow. Really crazy to think about it. But the massive river of lava was flowing so fast, there was no way it would stop soon.

some structures still standing surrounded by lava

close-up lava river

The entire 45 minutes felt as they were passing by way too fast. But the bird's eye view was an absolutely amazing experience. I gained a whole new perspective of this eruptive event.

After a final round across the eruption area, we flew back to Hilo. Luckily the weather cooperated on our flight and I ended up with quite a few shots I liked. I don't know how many pictures I took, my memory card was almost full. Thanks to Paradise Helicopter for this amazing flight experience, I never thought I will ever fly in a helicopter.