Little Creek Peak (#15)

Little Creek Peak as seen from Bear Valley.

Little Creek Peak view from near our starting point on the south side.

Little Creek Peak from further south on an unnamed peak. Sandy Peak behind it.

Little Creek Peak from an unnamed peak to the west.

We spent the night sleeping in the back of the truck in our own niche of a little valley, ten miles from pavement at the dead-end of a dirt road. There was no one else here, just the rustling of aspen leaves and the menacing threat of storm clouds. Luckily for us, everything was still dry. 

After a breakfast of scrambled eggs and a protein shake we set out on a trail that headed north. At times the path was distinct, but at other times it disappeared and we had to forge our own way. The walk wasn't too difficult because portions of the forest had been wiped clean in a fire several years ago and now there were just young saplings to contend with. There were also patches of beautiful flowers and berry bushes, whose purple grape-like fruit tasted bitter sweet. 

Little Creek Peak has been on my radar for years now. From Bear Valley it rises majestically, but is caged in by private property and steep, thickly vegetated slopes. I decided to attack it from the south side which appeared more benign, but required a long drive on a two-rut road. 

For some reason I assumed the path from our campsite was a four-wheeling road, which would have been easy to follow, but it wasn't. Instead it was a narrow trail that randomly took shape, then disappeared several times. With the pyramid-like face of Little Creek Peak getting closer, we trudged over hills, but mostly stayed near the ridge Although we saw no big game, this area appeared to be prime habitat for deer and elk. 

Jordan doing what he's always done . . .

. . . catching horny toads and other little reptiles!

The first two and a half miles weren't too bad, especially when we were on the trail. Once we arrived at the base, the climb would begin in earnest. Over the next mile we gained 1,100 feet in elevation. We began on the south face, the first part clear of trees. The second part we had to push our way through sapling aspens. 

Then we arrived at the southeast ridge which had fewer trees but was rockier. There were a couple outcrops where we had to perform simple class 3 maneuvers to cross. 

At the base of Little Creek Peak.

Further up on the ridge looking toward the summit.

As we ascended we quickly gained an elevated view. Sandy Peak was now prominently visible to the north. I had a fun experience climbing that last year. We could also see that monsoonal storm clouds were now in action. Several miles to the east hovered a slow-moving cloudburst. 

When we finally made it to the summit there was a sense of relief, but also a twinge of disappointment. First, our view to the west was partially blocked by trees. We could have walked out to a point that gave us a better view, but it was further than we wanted to walk at the moment. And second, a thick colony of gnats already occupied the summit! And they were awful! There was no enjoying the view from the summit for us. We quickly moved down to a shelf on the south side, not too far away. 

It felt good to be to the top. It's one of those peaks that doesn't get climbed too often. From our perch we had a view of Sandy Peak and the Dutton's. To the south were many mountain hills, most of them indiscernible unless you knew what you were looking at. I could see Horse Valley Peak, Brian Head Peak and Hancock Peak, the latter being on the skyline and probably the most prominent. 

Distant cloudburst.  If you look closely, there are gnats everywhere in this picture!

U.S. Geological Survey marker.

Sandy Peak from (near) the summit of Little Creek Peak.

It was near the summit where we heard our first thunder and felt drops of rain. Jordan and I had a traumatic experience with lightning last summer and had no desire to do that again. We quickly made our way down the summit, this time choosing to stay on the south face. 

Drops began to fall and I only brought one poncho. As the rain picked up we chose to take shelter beneath the wide bough of a pine tree. I got out my poncho and we spread it over the two of us. 

Hiding from the rain.

After fifteen minutes the shower turned off and we again picked our way down the slope, this time running the gauntlet through wet aspen leaves. From the summit we could see where we had lost the trail on the way up, so now that we were on our way down, we aimed toward the trail. 

Two hours after leaving the summit, we arrived back at the truck. This was a relief because we felt that a more powerful storm was imminent. We removed our packs and enjoyed a snack before driving away.

Storm clouds continue to grow and move.

Little Creek Peak
 

Miles from truck (one way): 3.0
 

Elevation gain (net): 1,194 feet
 

Elevation gain (gross): 1,658 feet
 

Final elevation: 10,127 feet



The real adventure, however, came as we began to drive away. The storm hit in earnest and water poured from the sky in droves. The two-rut road became a muddy mess and I did all I could to keep us going forward. 

Then the hail came. It pinged on the the hood, windshield and everywhere around. The marble-sized balls of ice temporarily turned the ground white. I was worried about putting dents in the truck.

Looking behind us where just fifteen minutes earlier we had been hiking, was one nebulous shroud. And then we saw the lightning, with thunder immediately following. The bolt was exactly where we had been! I was so glad we got out when we did. 

Eventually the hail stopped, and so did the rain. Somehow I was able to make it off the dirt road without having to put it into four-wheel drive. It was nice to at last be on pavement and driving home. ♠

 

Soggy roads from hailstorm.

What's left of the hail.