Big Beacon
A.K.A Mount Wire
Cicada Brood

We went up Georges Hollow, which is the same trail that you use to get to "The Living Room" or "The Chairs" which is a man made assembly of rocks that look like lawn chairs (this place is almost always crowded).
The trail was infested with life, We saw hawks, an eagle, snakes, horned lizards, and tons of cicadas (large flying insects) which were everywhere, it was their yearly molting season, they emerge in the millions to overwhelm their predators.

FOOTHILL AREAS

ALL FOOTHILL LINKS

Sunday, May 27, 2001

The entire Emigration Ridge from atop the old aircraft beacon.
Behind is the Olympus Ridge, behind that is Lone Peak and Alpine Ridge.

Overlooking Red Butte to downtown Salt Lake City.
The Kennecot Smelter is visible at the base of the Oquirrh Ridge.

Jared and Denyse inside the aircraft beacon.

Denyse going down the beacon ladder.

From atop the airport beacon, looking northeast along the Big Beacon Ridge.

Mount Olympus and Lone Peak. In the foreground are two 40' microwave reflectors,
used to reflect telephone signals from Salt Lake to Park City over the mountains.


Cicada nymphal skins	Adult cicadas drying their wings

2 weeks ago these cicadas were wingless.
Every year, the nymph cicadas synchronize and climb the trees together,
cling to the branches, split open their skin and climb out with wings.
The entire area was saturated with them.
They made a loud clacking sound when they tried to fly.
Some species of cicada live for 17 years.

Grandview Peak from along the Big Beacon Ridge.

A hawk hovering along the draft above Georges Hollow.

Lookout Peak from along the Big Beacon Ridge.

Looking south at Mount Olympus in front of Lone Peak from along the Big Beacon Ridge.

Looking northwest down to Red Butte Reservoir.

Hiking back to Big Beacon (the middle peak of the three).

A large brown snake that was zipping around.