9 Peaks, 4 Hours

 Hiking a peak takes time, effort and grit. Peaks are typically found on top of a ridge. These features are magical portals to the high alpine experience, because once that ridge has been gained at last, the entire world of big peaks opens up, all up above the clouds.  One of the most concentrated regions of tight peaks would be the Brighton Perimeter. Doing the entire loop in one run gives a great feeling of productivity and going to bed that night having "actually accomplished something". 

The normal Twin Lakes approach trail was "under construction" due to some flooding likely. So I had to skirt around to Lake Solitude adding another couple of miles and then, head up to Twin Lakes Pass. The first goal was Patsy Marley Peak. 

#1. Patsy Marley Peak

After this peak, it's a fun scramble around Wolverine Cirque to beautiful Mount Wolverine. The direct views into Twin Lakes and Figure 8 Hill that I once skied with my beloved sister Christy brought back great memories. 

#2. Mount Wolverine, 10795 ft

From here, it's a short jaunt on relative flat piece of the ridge to Tuscarora Peak, a slightly lower peak than Mount Wolverine. This is where I got great views of the 3 sisters of a legendary miner long-gone: Lake Mary, Lake Martha, and Lake Katherine. 

#3. Lake Martha from Tuscarora

Lake Mary, one of the largest in the Wasatch, due to the dam

Now I took a steep descent to Catherine Pass. I was now on the Wasatch 100 Trail, which was such a great memory of long runs, dusty trails, unsurpassed views, tender wildflowers dotting the way, and a lot of solitude. I took the steep climb past a sandy section known as "The Beach" upward toward Point Supreme, the high point on the W100 at 10595 ft. 

#4. Point Supreme - Kiss the Sign!

No motorcyclists allowed past Point Supreme!

From this high point, I turned east toward Sunset Peak, known for, you guessed it, gorgeous settings of our star on a daily basis. 

#5. All 3 lakes from Sunset Peak, 10648 ft

From here, the crowds dissipated substantially and I was relieved. I picked up the pace and began running once again. My blood flowed easily and the breathing wasn't so labored. What a relief. Next stop was on to Pioneer Peak. 

#6. Pioneer Peak

Now came a long slog over trails and rills to get to the east side of Brighton. There were many sub-peaks on this section, but each one of them  was un-named. The next named peak was Clayton Peak. This was not an easy climb. I was dizzy and had very low blood-sugar levels, and was feeling fatigued. Why? Oh yeah! I hadn't eaten in about an hour and the body was getting exhausted. Duh. Let's eat on top of Clayton Peak please. 

Another view from Pioneer Peak

The view into Snake Creek Pass

#7. Clayton Peak at 10721 ft and the view toward the Girl Scout Camp, Blood Lake, Lackawaxen Lake, Brimhall Lake

From here it was a steep down and up on my trusty trail friend called the Brighton perimeter ridge to south 10420.

#8. South 10420

Finally, a short jaunt over to the final high point of the perimeter grand looper, my old friend Peak 10420.

#9. Peak 10420

The descent down to Guardsman Pass

From Guardsman Pass, it is a 3 mile run down the canyon back to Brighton and the Silver Lake/Nordic Center Parking Lot. It was a great experience and one I am still living high from!