Hike: Slide Canyon to Slate Canyon Loop

I had a kind neighbor give me a ride to the Y trail head just before 7AM. My goal was to make it to the top in one hour and I did. This is the terrible picture I took. There wasn't much I could do from that angle but I thought I should get something to document the occasion.

The next trail started at the top far right corner of the Y (when facing it). From there you begin your hike on a single line trail that leads you up through the canyon. Below are a few of the pics I took along the way. 

There's a big rock that isn't too far from the Y if you just want to hike to that and go back down. I love to see the wildflowers along the way and I also spotted a GeoCache. I didn't stop for the cache since I was trying to get as far as I could before my brother left the house.

Isn't it beautiful?! I was so close to the sun peeking over that I had to walk toward it a few times to put it back behind the mountain for the pic. Silly me, I was taking my panoramic photo with my phone vertically. I didn't realize this until the next hike. ha ha ha. 

This was a big flat rock on a slant that I carefully stepped up on to get the view. We found out later that it is called the alter. I put my shadow and the rock in the pic to show how far up I was. 

Another pic of how beautiful my hike was. I only had two separate people pass me on their way down. Otherwise, I had the trail all to myself until my brother showed up around 10AM.

More beautiful wildflowers, the trail, and me after hiking about 3 hours up hill. My brother caught up to me within minutes of me taking the selfie at the log and fire pit that I found where I sat and ate some chocolate chip cookies. There was a small meadow just after that.

This was a really pretty section of the hike. Do you see a trail? Yeah, I don't think so. It is there though, under all of that greenery and it came up to my shoulders so I hiked with my arms up in the air. It was also the section that makes you reconsider wearing shorts and where we thing my brother lost his hat from his pack. Also somewhere in here the trail splits and you need to stay to the right.

 This is where we thought we were at the top the first time. Again, stay to the right. The trail was very well traveled so it was easy to follow. The sign says First Right Fork Trail < (arrow facing north) Rock Canyon 1.9 Miles. We were headed to Slate Canyon (south).

A pretty view looking back from where we came. Heading into a few more aspens and tall greenery again which included white columbine flowers (in the first area too) and lots of butterflies along the way. 

Here is where I gripe about the signage in the mountains.  We see that it is 3.5 miles to the Slate Canyon Trailhead but it doesn't tell us how far it is to the Slide Canyon Trailhead (the Y). At least this one had arrows. We got to this sign at 11AM so it took me 4 hours to get to the top. 

My brother is in the first picture on the far right. He is just a speck. I really love this second pic with the aspens in the middle. I think I even may have turned my camera the right way or slowed down when taking it. 

Just past those aspens is where we began our descent. Down, down, down. Some parts very steep. Lots more butterflies along the way too. Since it was getting hotter by the minute we did not stop for lunch but kept hiking. I ate my sandwich while walking and completely forgot about my carrots. 

This first one (left) is looking back up into Slate Canyon (not the trail) and this second one (right) is looking down. Lots of turns on the way down as you hike on a very gravelly road. I actually lost my footing and fell at one point and scraped up my leg. 

The entire hike took me 6.5 hours. It took my brother about 4 hours. This took me a little longer than the hike around the G mountain but I believe the climb on this one was to a higher elevation in a shorter distance. It was about 7.4 miles. For my brother it was about 8.8 since he ran ahead at the end and back across the Bonneville Shoreline Trail to get the car from the Y,  drive back to Slate Canyon and pick me up. By then I had hiked out of the canyon to Slate Canyon Road.