I grew up in Orem with Timp as my NE horizon. Timp permeated the
culture. The Provo newspaper had a contest each year to guess the last day
in the summer that snow could be seen on Timp. On a cement wall in Geneva
Steel's Coke Plant was written a 20 + year record of the last day snow
could be seen from that location.
Throughout the 50's and 60's BYU sponsored an annual Timp Hike.
Participants would camp at the Aspen Grove campground. A program was put
on in the stone amphitheater. Awards were given for hikers that had made
the hike for several years. Pins with the year on them were given out at
the summit each year. I think the "tin shack" was where the pins were
given out. I think the "tin shack" was put there for that purpose.
The trail splits at the base of the "glacier" which is actually a
perennial snow pack. Originally the hike had participants climbing up the
"glacier" with the help of some ropes to hold on to and descending on the
other fork of the trail. Some hikers used cramp-on cleats because the top
of the glacier was very steep. One year a hiker wearing cleats slipped and
the person behind got a face full of cleats. In subsequent years the hikers
descended on the snow and ice. (You sat down and slid down the snow and
ice.)
The hike became so big (thousands) a law enforcement problem developed
and the hike got cancelled. The only time I hiked Timp was with my brother
and dad. It wasn't on the big day. We had gunny sacks with us to sit on
while sliding down. The sacks stuck to the ice and we slid off them. The
slide down was very rough with lots of big bumps.
Deloy
