Old US-6 in Price Canyon

I went for a short but much-needed hike yesterday, trekking 1.5 miles through the snow in Price Canyon. It was difficult finding a place to park the car on the side of the highway because the plows hadn’t touched the pull-outs. I found a spot where I could pull off in someone else’s tire tracks in the snow. Torrey and I crossed the highway and started hiking up the road leading to the old US-6 alignment above the current highway. I was grateful that somebody had ridden a snowmobile up the road so I wasn’t breaking a trail through a foot of snow while going uphill. Once I reached the old highway I followed it roughly south, still hiking on the snowmobile tracks. I had to go out of my way upstream along Ford Creek until I found a less steep place to cross the frozen creek, then I began breaking through fresh snow as I returned to the old highway.

Ford Creek Falls

Ford Creek Falls

Following snowmobile tracks up to the old US-6 alignment

US-6, UPRR, and the Price River

Torrey forging ahead of me

Old US-6 alignment

Torrey lying down in the snow

I followed the old alignment as far as I could until it pinched out where it was undercut by the new highway. I backtracked and, when I reached the top of the road leading up from the highway, followed the old highway to the north as far as I could. Eventually it also pinched out. By then Torrey’s feet were really bothering her. Snow had built up between her toes to form balls of ice, and she kept stopping to lick at them. Instead of babying her along, I hiked at a brisk pace and encouraged her to follow. She doesn’t like feeling left behind so she hurried to get ahead of me and we made it back to the car quickly where she could warm up, and I could shed a couple of layers to cool down. 🙂
Nearing the end of this stretch of the old highway

Nolan Tunnels

Common Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)

I turned around here after exploring another part of the old highway alignment north of Ford Creek


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GPS Tracklog and Photo Waypoints (Google Earth .KMZ Format)
GPS Tracklog and Photo Waypoints (Google Maps)

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