Clueless in La Mesa

On Pioneer Day, the Johnson men and Grandpa Hill trekked uphill for nearly three miles to the Blanche Lake area of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest, gaining almost 1,000 feet in altitude per mile. We pegged the needle on the "Great Experience Meter".

The mountain flowers were competing in their glory for our attention; every turn in the trail gave a new and brilliant vista.

Injuries to the five hikers, nine fish, one snake, and one giant slug were held to an acceptable minimum. The snacks lasted right up to the end, and we cleared the trail just before the shadows of dusk swollowed the canyon. As the sun set over Salt Lake City, we felt our own little connection with the early pioneers.