Stansbury Surprise?

Earlier this year, my nephew took us "muddin'" up North Willow Canyon, located due west of Grantsville, Utah. The Stansbury Mountains are typical of Great Basin ranges. They extend south from Timpie for about 30 miles to Johnson Pass (UT Hwy 199). They're oriented north-south and rise abruptly from the desert floor on either side. The dry, west-facing slope is thinly forested with scattered Utah junipers. Forest covers much of the east side of the range, especially in the canyon bottoms and north-facing slopes where aspen and Doug fir predominate. A historical aqueduct (water-carrying trench) formerly carried water from North Willow Creek into Grantsville. Since then, a reservoir has been constructed southwest of Grantsville, which is fed by South Willow and North Willow Creeks and is stocked with Rainbow trout. This is the view looking up Davenport Canyon from near Point 7005'. May 5, 2009