Big Cottonwood Canyon -- Do 5" driving heels count?

Today I made my second attempt at finding and hiking the Donut Falls Trail. Chalk it up to the naivete of a city girl in the country, but note that GPS, Smartphones, and the like do not get reception in Big Cottonwood Canyon! I rarely print out directions to things because I always have my iPhone, which in this rare instance, failed me. While I remembered the description of the trail head, I failed to pay attention to just how far up the Canyon it was.

Yesterday, as it turns out, I was nearly there, however, I turned around thinking that perhaps that when I read Mill D, that I actually read Mill B, which comes up at about the 5 mile mark. Turns out the right mark is Mill D which is about 9 miles up.

One of the difficulties of trying to fit in hikes right after work is that I am not only trying to find trail heads, but also racing the sun. Today I made it the 9 miles up to the trail head just in time, with about 45 minutes of daylight to go, when I was met with lightening, hail and rain. Admittedly, I'm a chicken when it comes to thunderstorms.

So hopefully the third time will be the charm and I'll make it on the trail tomorrow.

I do have to say, the drive is fantastic, with all the twists and turns in the road, it was a great opportunity to see how my S40 handles. It made me love my car even more. I do not recommend racing the roads, or checking lipgloss in the mirror as you drive. There are many bikers, hikers, and other vehicles that make multi-tasking far too risky. But I do recommend cranking up the radio, enjoying the view, and leaning into some great hairpin turns.