I've been on most of the peaks along the Wasatch front, Timp included. Kim, I wonder how effective a Faraday cage it would be since it has such open sides, IIRC. Maybe it was used as a fire-watch tower long ago? Or a surveyor's shelter? I'm thinking the Army Corps of Engineers had something to do with it. That last pull to the peak is pretty daunting and I'd hate to pack a heavy mount up there. Too, it's so rugged at the top that I doubt you could find a place to set it up, not to mention moving around it in the dark without falling to your death. And yes, the light pollution is terrible, though the view is amazing (from any Wasatch front peak). When I was there last, and it's been quite a few years, I was disappointed to find the peak littered with broken mirrors. I was told that they were brought there by the Boy Scouts, who apparently have some program whereby they signal each other from various mountain peaks on a pre-determined day and time. That was a shock as I'd hoped the Boy Scouts would know better than to litter such a location. Hopefully it's been cleaned-up since. I also remember an out-house in the cirque just below the peak, that had no roof. You got to wave to people hiking higher on the trail who could see down into the "facilities" while you sat there contemplating your place in nature. ;-) If one is up to the hike, the high alpine valleys just east of the Wasatch are some of the most beautiful, still fairly untraveled places close to home, and a great place to camp. But not a great place to do deep-sky astronomy. You'd get some terrific planetary views thanks to the altitude, however, all other seeing conditions permitting. On Sun, Dec 30, 2012 at 1:04 PM, Kim <kimharch@cut.net> wrote:
Yeah, I figured it was a lightning shelter (it just becomes a Faraday cage) but I didn't want to say and be wrong.