With a few snows having dusted the upper Wasatch, I was anxious to get out and climb at least two more rock routes before winter closes in: Sundial Peak and Mt. Olympus. For this weekend, we decided Guert's Ridge on Mt. Olympus would be the best because we had the ability to watch the storms come in and adjust our climbing route accordingly.
Driving to the trailhead, the skies were heavy. When we parked at the trailhead there was a very suspicious and talkative fellow who immediately inquiried how far we were going and how hard it would be, etc. It seemed a bit odd, but I thought little of it. While walking up the trail, we notice a second person sitting in the rocks with no apparent purpose for being there. Immediately we thought, "Oh crap, he's a spotter who notifies his buddy in the parking lot when to stop breaking into cars and act innocent." Mt. Olympus has been known to have these break-in problems in the past, so we took the time to descend the trail, move my car down to Foothill Drive and hope it was safe. Turns out, at the end of the day the car was safe. Maybe we're just paranoid. :-)
Storms crossed the Salt Lake Valley all day long, but incredibly, the storms would split and the southern portion of the storm would hit Big/Little Cottonwood and the northern portion would hit downtown SLC. Other than some strong winds that we occasionally dealt with, we never got touched. Amazing!
Guert's Ridge was a fantastic climb. I would highly recommend it. There is one portion of the route rated at 5.5, but it felt easier. The rest is 3rd/4th class and low 5th class. Lots of fun, fast climbing and two moderate rappels with great views.
