08/17/2026
Introducing Weekend Trip Report: a quick look at where someone spent their weekend. Real trips, real conditions, no itinerary required. This week, Ben and his dog Roo headed up to Lake Lackawaxen above Park City — and Roo had a breakthrough.
Just under six miles round trip, and about twenty degrees cooler than Salt Lake, which is the whole point in August. Time it right and the trail’s full of wildflowers, with tiger salamanders in the shallows still looking like axolotls.
Ben hiked in our pull-on shorts and a Merino Wool Tee — his reasoning being that Merino wicks the moisture and handles the bacteria, so you stink less. We’ll take it.
The real story is Roo. Swimming has never come easy to her. It took years for her to get comfortable in the water, and she still won’t go deep enough to lose the bottom. Then Ben clipped on her Ruffwear life jacket to see what would change, and she turned into a different dog entirely. Floating that easily got her genuinely excited to swim — so excited that Ben had to physically hold her back to get the shot of the two of them jumping in together.
If you want the long version, there’s a variation that climbs peak 10,420 on the way out and wraps around the mountains to drop back to the lot from the other side. Ben’s favorite.
Where’d your weekend take you? Tag us! 🏔️
