What happened to Mount Timpanogos in 1972?
This design has become one of our most popular across the store, but some customers have asked: is there any significance to the date?
There is....
In the 1920s, a group of Utah Valley area residents decided, hey, you know that huge, majestic mountain (Mount Timpanogos)? We should hike to the top of it.
So they did. It started a tradition known as the Annual Timp Hike. The event was led by a professor from BYU, Eugene Roberts, who was inspired by a similar ritual he observed in the Swiss Alps, where he had served a mission for the Mormon Church as a young man.
Each year for decades, he led a group of people to what is known today as the Aspen Grove trailhead and hiked all the way up to the 11,752 foot summit.
Commemorative Timp Badges were first handed out in 1930 to those who made it to the top. Back then the hike often took about three days. Around 500 badges were awarded the first year, including to several women who made it to the top in dresses!
1972 was the year they officially stopped handing out the Timp Badges associated with the Annual Timp Hike. It was sad to end what had become a cherished community ritual but also necessary to preserve the mountain. It had become such a big event that thousands of people would hike to the summit on a single day, which was not sustainable.
So we liked the idea of both honoring the tradition as well as the sacrifice people made for the preservation of the mountain we enjoy today.
And that's the story behind one of our most popular designs.
You can find the Timpanogos, 1972 design on a variety of shirts and hoodies, including the premium graphic tee, the Canyon Classic hoodie, the tri-blend, and the retro sweatshirt. We also made a special collection with all of our Timp '72 apparel and accessories, which you can find here.
