Hiking and Climbing Utah's Mount Timpanogos, 2nd Ed. (Michael Kelsey)

This book is a guide to Utah's best known mountain, Mt. Timpanogos, or Timp for short. Timp is located due north of Provo, and it dominates all of Utah Valley. Timp has now been made into a wilderness area.

Timp is famous for several reasons. One, it's the second highest peak in the Wasatch Mountains at 3581 meters; it has the closest thing to a real glacier in the state; and between the years 1912 and 1970, there was an event called the Annual Timp Hike. Over the years, thousands of people climbed the mountain, usually on the 3rd or 4th weekend of July. The reward at the summit was a "summit badge". One man collected 42 badges before this annual ended. But it got too popular and the mountain got loved to death, as about 7000 hikers were on the mountain in 1970. After that, they called the whole thing off, because of the mess made of the mountain.

The book has 14 maps showing climbing routes. This is a huge mountain with 7 cirque basins, all at or near treeline. Its summit ridge is 7 kms long, from North Peak to the South Summits, all of which have an elevation above about 3400 meters. This book discusses routes for both summer and winter climbing.

Besides a hiking or climbing section, the book also features the story of the Annual Timp Hike, some of the history of Provo and American Fork Canyons, including a history of Robert Redford's ski resort, Sundance. Also, the history of the train dubbed the Heber Creeper, along with the Timpanogos Cave which is now a national monument. Another chapter discusses tragedies on the mountain, including hiking accidents, air plane crashes, snowslides and murders. Many local people, those who have spent lots of time on the mountain, consider this book to be a kind of second bible.