Paragliding in Utah

by sammyolsen

2020 has been an interesting one. Covid had hit full force in Salt Lake City, Utah which definitely effects how you play outside. Calen and I had been itching for an adventure so we made sure to plan one where we would still be quarantining. Best way to quarantine? Get hundreds of feet above everyone else with no one else but each other. So, we packed up our van (making sure to get groceries and gas at our local grocery store only to minimize contact with others) and headed out towards Randolph, Utah. Our destination? Crawford Mountain.

Once we got to our destination we started to hike (luckily not too long of a hike because you’re definitely top heavy with a paragliding pack) and made it to the top a little early. We scouted out our launch area and landing zone and waited for the wind to die down a little because it was on the strong side (Calen tried kiting and looked like he was trying to wrangle a bull for a little bit). Once the weather was good to go we launched and had one of those perfect nights flying that you dream about.

Below, Calen and I put together a little video from our trip to Crawford Mountain. Give it a watch to check out our flying and van adventures!

-Sammy

Watch now

Backpacking in Utah

by sammyolsen

Only have a few days for an adventure? Some of the best adventures are right in your backyard! It had been a while since Calen and I had a chance to get away, so one morning, we decided to go backpacking as soon as I got off work. Calen did the research, and we decided to go into the Uintas around Lofty Lake. Once I was off around 3pm, we immediately hit the road with my dog, Emma. We got to the trailhead as it started to get dark, so we threw on the headlamps and started hiking.

Turns out, it’s a lot harder to know where you’re going in the dark…it should only have been around 3 miles to where we were going to spend the first night, by Lofty Lake. I finally got to the point where I asked Calen, “don’t you think we should have hit it by now?” and of course, Calen thought we should just keep going. So we did. Again, I said something and told him “Calen we definitely should have hit the lake by now” so I decided to walk down to try and find water. Only about 300 feet off the trail did we find a lake! So we decided to make our stomping grounds for the night.

The next morning (when we could see) we realized we hiked significantly past Lofty Lake to a little mountain lake (but hey, we found an awesome place to camp in the dark). We made breakfast and packed our things up and headed on our way to our next destination: Cuberant Lake. It was definitely a lot better hiking during the day, 1: we actually knew where we were going, and 2: It was so beautiful! Growing up in Utah, I honestly took the Uintas for granted. There are so many little lakes and amazing spots to explore and just get away from the buzz of the city.

Below, Calen and I put together a little video from our time in Uinta National Forest. Give it a watch to check out all the awesome places we explored with just a few days between work!

-Sammy

Watch here