1923-1940
Students at the peak of a snowy Mt. Ogden, 1924
With the success of the inaugural 1922 hike, the hike to Mt. Ogden continued in 1923. On September 22, 1923 trail cutting of the Weber Trail started. It was worked on by the male students at Weber College and faculty. Coach Elvin Wilkinson took a group of students up to Malan's peak Friday night so that work could begin on the trail early Saturday morning. The trail was cut up along the ridgeline that extends back from Malan's peak because Malan's basin was washed out. The group hoped the trail would be completed in the fall of 1924.
With part of the new Weber Trail being completed, it was hoped that the annual hike would take place in early October of 1923. Unfortunately, the hike was postponed until the spring of 1924 because of a potential cold snap, and snow was predicted by Dr. John G. Lind, professor at Weber College and head of the Weber Barometric observatory.
Students preparing to hike Mt. Ogden, 1924
On February 23, 1924, the Winter Sports Club held the annual Mt. Ogden hike. Not as grand as the last group of hikers, a small party left Weber campus at 8:45 a.m. in heavy shoes, warm coats, caps, and carrying canteens, lunches, cameras, and raisins. Starting again from Taylor's Canyon there were a few signs of spring and a couple of inches of snow along their path. At Malan's heights, the snowpack grew to around 2-4 feet, thankfully much of the trail was icy to help hold the hikers above the snow, but occasionally a hiker would break through the ice and end up waist-deep in the snow. As the group started ascending to the top of Mt. Ogden a snow storm settled in around them and so the group had to travel through a "fine frozen mist" (Weber Herald, 1924) that was hard to see through. The hikers were able to reach the top and the descent was full of thrills as the group slid down the icy slopes on their butts.
Dr. John Lind pointing to a natural feature on the 1926 Mt. Ogden hike
The 1925 hike was held in September, and the group of hikers arrived at Mt. Ogden around noon. Notable Weber student Don Stewart attempted to paint the flagpole white, but instead managed to spill paint all over himself earning him the nickname "Flag Pole Stewart" (The Acorn, 1926). The students arrived home around 7 p.m.
Not much is documented about the 1926 hike, but the event was attended by around 50 students. From 1927-1931 there is no documentation about the Mt. Ogden hike, so it is unknown if it took place in those years or not.
On May 20, 1939, the Viking club at Weber College sponsored a hike to Mt. Ogden. Students departed from the mouth of Taylor's Canyon at 9:30 a.m. Students who did not want to do the full hike to Mt. Ogden could meet at Taylor's Canyon at 3:30 p.m. and would hike to the top of Malan's Heights, where they would meet up with the Mt. Ogden hikers to have lunch and a party.
The 1940, Mt. Ogden hike was again sponsored by the Viking club. After 1940, almost no mentions of the Mt. Ogden hike can be found.
Citations:
The Acorn. (1926). Mount Ogden hike, pg. 117. https://cdm.weber.edu/digital/collection/WSC/id/5081/rec/22
Weber Herald. (March 6, 1924). Descent rapid and full of thrills. Weber State University Archives. pg. 1. https://cdm.weber.edu/digital/collection/NEWS/id/56215/rec/127