My first Crater Island handcart hike took place on June 9, 2011. I hiked about two miles on the mud flat, encountering many patches of moist or wet mud. The diffuculties presented by the wet mud caused me to abort the hike.

Moist mud is very slippery, forcing a hiker to be careful to avoid falling down. But far worse is that the mud is sticky, gumming up boots and handcart tires. When the mud sticks to tires in sufficient quantity---as it did on this hike---wheels will not turn. Not fun.

In some photos, I use the word “shoreline” to refer to the boundary between the dark land of Crater Island and the whitish mud flat surrounding it. When Lake Bonneville existed, Crater Island was indeed an island, surrounded by water hundreds of feet deep. The Great Salt Lake is a remnant of Lake Bonneville.