Summits in 2012

We are 9 weeks into 2012 and I have climbed 19 peaks so far. Last year I finished the year with 78 peaks, which is a personal best for me. This year I set a goal to summit at least 75 peaks, but I am on track to go over 100 for the year, which I would have thought wasn't possible a few years ago. I'm sure that some people think that I am obsessed with climbing peaks and they are probably right. I have been a summit junkie ever since I reached the summit of my first mountain of any significance (Lone Peak) back in 1993. While I love to explore new places and climb new peaks, right now I primarily find myself running/hiking up the same summits over and over again. This is not optimal, but practical and necessary if I want to get elevation on my legs while staying relatively close to home and work.

The 4 peaks that I climb the most are View Benchmark, Mt. Wire, Grandeur Peak and Lake Mountain. These are all close to my home or work and I can be up and down all of them within two hours, which allows me to hit the peaks early in the morning and make it into work on time. I know some people would get sick of climbing the same peaks again and again, but to me I prefer it to running on a treadmill day after day. I enjoy climbing the peaks alone and with friends and I have been trying to get up at least two peaks per week so far this year. Don't get me wrong I would definitely prefer to have more of a variety, but for now I'll keep hitting these 4 peaks and mixing in others as time will allow. When the snow melts it will be a lot easier for me to add several other peaks as well. I will try and Add Timpanogos and the Pfeifferhorn into the regular rotation, with others mixed in.















Matt Williams just below the summit

So far this year I have climbed View Benchmark 8 times and it is becoming one of my favorite runs. I typically start at Ann's trail in Draper and it gives me almost 8 miles with over 1600 feet of vert and the best part is I can run almost the whole thing. It is a really good workout and I am sure I will do it just about every week for the rest of the year.

Me running on the View Benchmark trail