Lately, I’ve been managing 2-3 hikes every weekend. This week, I only hiked once, but I spent it in great company. I got to hike with my mom! She texted me last week and said she wanted to come down for the weekend and asked what hiking gear she needed to bring.
That automatically makes her the best mom ever because she didn’t ask, “Are we hiking?” She just knows because she’s my best friend. And for some reason people expect me to go hiking on weekends. Weird, right? It’s almost like it’s a regular thing.
Anyway, she arrived Friday night, and Harley greeted her with her usual over-excited whining and wiggling, and we discussed the trail I had in mind: Scout Falls.
American Fork Canyon is probably one of my most frequently hiked locations. I love it! It’s beautiful year round and offers a variety of trails from lakes to peaks and forest walks to ATV trails. But it’s also popular; because of that, we went to bed at a semi-decent time instead of staying up for our usual late-night catch ups and were out the door by 7 am the next morning.
With chacos on our feet and packs on our back, we headed up the trail. Scout Falls is part of the Timpooneke Trailhead–the route most people take to the top of Mt. Timpanogos.
Our timing put us after the early risers (they were coming down as we went up), but before most of the weekend hikers. We had the trail mostly to ourselves, and our conversations competed with bird song.
My mom is probably one of my favorite trail companions because we share a sense of humor and beliefs. She definitely raised me, and we get along great. She’s also not a dog person, but she seems to like Harley, which is super good for Harley because that means she gets to come along.
Anyway, Scout Falls is a classic in my book. The trail is up the side of a ridge and above a creek. There are some water crossings in early spring and sometimes into late summer, depending on the snow pack. They’re not too deep and are easy to cross without getting wet.
To get to the falls, you need to keep an eye on the trail. After a couple switchbacks, the trail forks. Go left, and you’ll reach the falls. Turn right, and you’re en route to Timp–a much longer walk. There used to be a sign at the split, but it’s gone. Also, make sure you take the left after the switchbacks, not before.
After you take your second left, there’s a slightly sketchy scramble up some old tree roots. The roots are worn after many years of use as a stepping stool, but it’s sturdy.
My mom climbed up first, and Harley (who’d been temporarily distracted by a stranger crinkling a wrapper) was distraught. It’s a steep climb if you take it head on, which Harleytried and failed at. So she whined and cried at my mom, and I pulled her around to the easy side. A couple hops later, she was happily reunited, and we were looking at the waterfall. It’s best in the spring, but it’s been different every time I go.
Since it was still early, we decided to keep heading up the trail. There were entire sections that were flooded out and/or edged with snow. Harley loves snow and kept rolling in every patch. The snowbanks were a bit steep for that, though, so she often just slid right back down to the trail.
She also loved the waterlogged trails. She raced up and down and up and down whenever we came to one. We either walked along the snow or through them. The water was so cold it left our feet aching despite being numb.
At one point, Harley went around a corner and out of sight. I don’t usually worry, but she came back whining and anxious to get back up there. We hustled to see what was going on. She’d seen a female moose. I’m terrified of moose; they scare me more than bears. I kept grabbing for Harley’s harness handle, but she was so excited and just wanted to get to the moosette. We hike with an e-collar, and she comes when I use the vibration setting. To break her focus and regain her attention, I tried using the shock portion. It didn’t work no matter how high I went. Finally, I got a hold of her, and she calmed down as the moosette trotted out of sight. We didn’t see a calf (thankfully), and I managed to get a photo after she went down stream and out of sight of my obnoxious dog.
I also discovered the e-collar wasn’t working because it wasn’t on. Turns out you need to keep it charged.
Shortly after that point, the trail became covered in snow, and we decided it was time to turn around as we lacked proper gear. This put me in the front, and Harley ran into the back of my legs as she raced to catch up. We’d disrupted the hiking order: I think she was trying to kill me for it!
The rest of our hike down was fairly uneventful. Harley tried to rehome herself with a nice lady she’d made friends with, and we passed a lot of families and groups heading up the trail. My mom is one of the kindest people I know, and at one point, a little girl walking up with her family asked, “Are we almost there?”
My mom gave her a big smile and said, “You’re close!” The girl and her mom looked relieved and thanked us. We smiled, then discussed whether or not we should feel guilty about giving them a hikers’ “almost there!” It’s 2 miles up, and we were over halfway down.We decided not to feel guilty… Hopefully they made it!
Trail Info:
Distance: ~4.2 miles
Elevation: ~1,000 feet
My rating: Easy
(Please note: The Timpooneke Trail can be a dangerous trail in the spring; melting snow can cause wet avalanches as well as snow bridges. Avalanches are dangerous for obvious reasons, but snow bridges can be elusive and difficult to spot. They are formed by meltwater running beneath the snow, removing dnow beneath the surface and hollowing them out and affecting their stability. See the danger? Snow bridges can collapse, creating difficult circumstances for a rescue. Unless you’re familiar with such snow conditions, please be careful when hiking along snowy ridges as the temperature climbs. For safety, the Forest Service closes the road leading to the trail head; Scout Falls is accessible by the time they open the gate, but caution should be exercised if you’re proceeding to Timp.)
Trail Tales and Tails 