South from the summit: the trail to the (ex) glacier. (Provo is below the smoke)
Sitting on the summit, I decide to make haste slowly. It would be stupid to hurt myself trying to get off the mountain too quickly. And anyway, I can't sprint ten miles. So I take a minute to tighten my shoelaces, then eat a bit of my food. I'll want the energy. I look south down the trail to the glacier. It has always fascinated me how the skyline of Timpanogos is actually a ridge little wider than a card table in many places. It was on this section of the trail where Steve and I met the mountain goat one summer evening long ago. I remember taking off my shirt and dancing the first time I followed this trail.
Grimly I turn away from the south trail. If the glacier still existed this would be the quickest way down. But without the snow it is a tumbled treacherous boulder field with no marked paths. I had intended to climb slowly and carefully down it; now I'll be better served following the better trail. I pick up my gear and prepare to return north on the trail I'd climbed to arrive at this high place.