Broads Fork Twin Peaks

I started out my solo hike planning on doing Dromedary Peak from the Mill B trailhead in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Since I had been up Broads Fork Canyon about a month ago I had a good idea of where I was headed. I arrived at the trailhead parking lot at about 7:45am and it was a little more than half full. I knew I would be running into other hikers so I figured if I find anyone else hiking one of the three eleveners I would tag along if I though they had a good pace, especially if they knew the trail.
I passed a lot of groups heading up who obviously not geared up for a Peak and moving much slower than me. When I was almost at the beaver pond I could see a larger group ahead that appeared to be moving at a good pace so I picked up the pace a little to catch up with them. Chances are good that anyone going past the pond will be on the way to a peak. As it ended up there were two groups, four guys together and a couple with two dogs. It took me a while to remember that dogs are not permitted in this area (Big & Little Cottonwood Canyons, and Bells Canyon). When I caught up to the couple I noticed that both dogs were wearing vests with patches. They were rescue dogs and as I leaned later they get special permission to hike in the area. The couple was moving at a good pace, just a bit faster than my normal.
They stopped for water at the headwaters of the stream and I chatted with them a bot. They told me they were heading up the Twin Peaks so I told them I would probably try to follow them up. The four guys had turned off trail and were heading towards Twin Peaks but not in a direction with a good trail.
I left to get a head start while they finished purifying water. I was a hundred yards or so ahead of them when I first saw them following me. They slowly closed the gap and passed me on the talus slope leading to the saddle between Sunrise and the twins. I was watching them carefully so I could use the same route at the headwall.
Luckily they stopped to talk to a couple of guys coming down the headwall. It gave me a chance catch up and get to the saddle with them. They told me about the two options for the saddle traverse, they took the low road (much less 'exposure') because the dogs can't make the scramble over the top of the ridge.
We all reached the base of the final climb to the peak together but I was straining to keep up. I let them go ahead and told them I would see them at the top. The final climb to the peak was not too bad, a decent trail leads the way.
I made the peak and chatted with them for a while. I asked about a few of the trails in the area and got some good advice. We spotted the group of four guys far down on the north ridge, they had made it past the worst part. There was a large 'flock' of goats down below the peak, looked like they were mostly napping.
The couple with the dogs said goodbye and headed down just as I was leaving to go to the other, slightly lower, peak. I passed another solo hiker on the saddle between the peaks on his way back to the main peak. I took a large panorama from each peak, the second one should be better but the overcast sky will probably not look that great.
The temperature on the peaks was very comfortable, not too hot and not too cold or windy, in fact, it was surprisingly still air for over 11,200ft. The biggest problem was there were tons of annoying flies; too many to even get out my lunch. I had trouble even eating my apple with the flies swarming around me, in this case a little breeze would have been a good thing. I chatted a little with the first two of the four guys as they reached the peaks. They told me their climb up to the ridge was very difficult and quite scary. They said they were going to descend 'the easy way' that I had come up.
I left the 2nd peak just as the fourth of their group arrived, I headed back to the main peak and then back down the southeast ridge. I retraced the path I had come up stopping a few times to take photos. I could see the group of four heading down above me. At one point they were coming down in what looked like a very bad route, there was a large cliff at the headwall in the direction they were heading. I shouted and told them where I had come down and the problem with the cliff I could see that they couldn't from above. They took my advice and went up and around the cliff.
I stopped on the way down when there was a breeze to keep the flies away and ate my lunch. The other solo hiker I had seen between the peaks was visible descending below me. I never did catch up with him. The rest of the descent was uneventful; the temperature heated up as I got lower but never became unbearable. I didn't see many other hikers until I was within a mile of the trailhead.

Trailhead:  6,200 ft
Main Peak: 11,330 ft
Vertical:   5,130 ft
Climb:       3:40 h:mm

GPS Tracks: kml gpx
Google Maps: Terrain
Photos: flickr