Hiking 1:28:59 [3] 4.1 mi (21:42 / mi) +360m 17:03 / mi
shoes: Roclite 280-2015
Big day today. I didn't start out planning to do all this, but one thing led to another. Started out on the Crimson Trail at about 8:30. This is the one I couldn't find yesterday. It's a really fine trail. A half-mile of switchbacks up about 1000 feet, then snakes along the top of the huge cliff band (the China Wall) basically flat for 2 miles. Then steeply back down, and back to the start via the Logan River trail. Took just over an hour. Very airy. In places it looked like the trail was going to take me right off the edge of the cliff, lemming style. A number of prominences where you can stand and see 1000 feet of air below you on 3 sides.
Hiking 1:24:27 [3] 3.6 mi (23:27 / mi) +300m 18:38 / mi
shoes: Roclite 280-2015
Crossed the road and hiked up to the wind caves. About 2 miles and 1000 feet up to the China Wall cliffs, which on this side have been eroded by wind and sand. A nice natural arch with some round caves behind it.
Hiking 2:36:17 [3] 6.6 mi (23:41 / mi) +600m 18:28 / mi
shoes: Roclite 280-2015
After coming down from the wind caves, I had some lunch and decided to drive up to the Tony Grove area to scope it out. It's beautiful. It's at about 8000 feet, a lake surrounded by cliffs, huge open meadows rising up to the ridge a couple thousand feet higher. And there was the trailhead for Naomi Peak, the highest mountain in the area at 9900 feet, only 3.3 miles. I wasn't sure it was passable because there's still snow up on the highest slopes, but I figured I'd just turn around if it was blocked. But it was great. It involved crossing some snowfields, none of which was hard. About 65 degrees on top, with a strong wind. Back down the same way. I didn't spend much time there. An hour and 15 minutes up, about the same back down.
Total for the day: 14 miles, 4000 vert, 5.5 hours.