By Janell Schroeder
February 1, 1985. A Tuesday with a high of 15° Fahrenheit; most people spent the balmy day indoors. Somewhere deep in the Wasatch mountains above Logan, Utah, a battered weather station records the second coldest temperature in the continental United States: -69.3°F.
Peter Sinks, where that bone-breaking freezing temperature was recorded, is one of many sinkholes found in the mountains above Logan, Utah. Thanks to the density of cold air, Peter’s deep, dark sink is so cold year-round that trees cannot grow there. Peter Sinks is continuously breaking and setting records. In November of 2019, the temperature at the bottom of Peter Sinks plunged to -45.5°F. This chilling and astonishing sinkhole is just one of Sink Hollow’s namesakes.
Sinkholes are a relatively common occurrence across the world. They naturally form by rock eroding and giving way to gravity or by water attacking soluble stone over time. These geo-meteorological anomalies dot the landscape of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest in the depths of Logan Canyon.
Sink Hollow, the name given to a specific piece of the National Forest, holds a number of sinkholes. Deep, wooded, and frigid, these sinkholes vary in size and temperature. Some are shallow enough to stand in and still see above the rim, others are cold and deep enough that trees disappear. All are swathed and hidden in the beauty of the aspen and evergreen forests of Logan Canyon.
Sink Hollow’s namesake is poetic and somewhat ironic in the purest sense of the word.
Sink Hollow.
We offer you, dear readers, a place to sit and dwell on thoughts. Observe and connect with your surroundings, but watch out for pit falls.
Sink Hollow.
An ovation for our namesake, our proud, icy, steadfast surroundings. Sink Hollow was born in these icy mountains, but it is in your minds it comes alive.
