At the end of June I went with my family to San Diego for the week. We had an amazing time together and saw some incredible things. We went to the San Diego Zoo twice, Sea World and the Wild Animal Park. The kids had a lot of FUN and they were really good for the most part. We also went to the beach twice (Mission Beach) and everyone really enjoyed it. We made sand castles, the kids spent hours gathering shells and chasing sand crabs, and I had each of the kids out on the boogie board for a lesson. While I was out there riding some waves I had a huge smile on my face, thinking about all of the cool experiences that I have been able to have this month. I was thinking that just a few weeks prior I had been climbing up the steep Grunge Couloir, a place that very few people ever get to see, then a few weeks after that I was seeing all of Bryce canyon on foot, and then there I was riding waves in the Pacific Ocean just a few weeks later. What a life! I love it.

On June 23rd I had one of the most epic adventures of the year so far. Craig and I ran from one end of Bryce Canyon National Park to the other, linking up 3 major trails in the park (37.5 total miles). We do not know of anyone else that has done this yet, and it was probably the hardest thing I have ever done physically in my life to that point. Here is a trip report:

I will vividly remember yesterday for the rest of my life. Some of the memories will he horrific, while others will make me smile and laugh. I ran my first ultra distance yesterday with Jun in Bryce Canyon National Park. This was an insane idea that Jun had to link up the 3 main trails in the park, which would basically be running from one end of the park to the other. It sounded like an amazing run, and when he first told me about it I was definitely intrigued, although I didn't think I would want to run the whole thing, but after talking more with him about it I really got excited and decided to go for it. Why not?

We traveled down to Panguitch to stay with some of Jun's firends. They were really nice and we spent a few hours hanging out with them and then getting ready for our run. We got the tour of the town, had a lot of laughs and ended with a huge piece of chocolate cake before bed. We got to bed late and I had a hard time sleeping. I finally nodded off about 12:30, but woke up at 3:30 and couldn't get back to sleep until I heard Jun's alarm at 4:30. We got our stuff ready and then Jun's friend drove us to drop off my car at Fairyland Point where we would finish, and then took us all the way to the other end of the park and dropped us off at Rainbow Point. After a few pictures we were off on the Rigg's Spring Loop.

That first loop was just magical. The air was cool, but not cold and the views entering the canyon were stunning. My body was feeling really good and I was excited for this run. The first 5 miles were just a lot of fun. The sun wasn't on us yet and we were running on a beautiful trail surrounded by pine trees with an occasional glimpse of the red rock canyon above. The views got better and better (with a few exceptions) with each step.

Jun was in the lead and had a little bit quicker pace than I did, but when I reached Yovimpa pass I had to stop to take in the views. Wow! Jun was ahead of me nearly the entire run, and he was nice enough to stop and wait for me to catch up. The first few miles of the loop we descended about 1500 feet into the canyon and then we promptly started to gain all of that elevation back before we hit the under the rim trail. This would be the theme for the rest of the day. Climb a steep hill, descend and then do it all over again. I was expecting some elevation gain and loss, but nothing like what we experienced. It was relentless.

About mile 8 I started to feel some tightness in my right knee (ITB). I was worried, but it wasn't hurting yet, so I was still hoping the pain wouldn't get too bad for a while. I actually pushed the pace on some downhill for about a mile and everything was feeling good, but as soon as we started to ascend again, it was hurting. By mile 10 going up or downhill would make my knee hurt. From this point on I had to hike up all of the uphill sections and running up them was just too painful. This is not the place you want to be with ITB pain. It is just not flat at all.
Around mile 11 we finally stopped for our first real break of the day to refill our water at a spring. We treated all of the water we drank with iodine. We used a neutralizer to take away the gross taste, but by the end of the hike I was actually getting used to it. I added some Nuun to my water bottle and then had a gel. Other than my knee I was feeling really good. Jun got ahead of me again on the next section and I didn't see him again for a few miles. There were a lot of downed trees covering the trail and it was pretty clear this area doesn't see a lot of foot traffic. The views were not as good, but I was thankful for the shade. Jun had been waiting for me and I finally caught up to him, and after stopping and taking another gel, I didn't see him again for a few hours.

The next 4-5 miles were really hard for me. My knee was hurting, and each hill that I had to climb and descend added to my misery. Thoughts of bailing early came into my head, but I quickly dismissed them. As long as the pain stayed the same I could make it. I was hiking all of the uphills, and running with a limp on the downhills. I could still run when it was flat, but it just wasn't all that flat. Compounding the difficulty is the beach sand that seemed to be strategically placed by a sadist on all of the uphill climbs. Tough!

At about mile 17 I really hit a low point. I was hot, tired, my Camelbak was bugging my shoulders, my knee hurt and I was alone. The views were impressive, but I was stopping less and less to enjoy them. I just told myself to keep grinding and it would get better. There was a really big hill before Swamp Canyon and at the top the views were just out of this world cool. I stopped to shoot some video and then I ran into jun at Swamp Canyon, which was around the next switchback. I hadn't seen him for about 5 miles and a few hours. He had been waiting there for a while, and seeing him boosted my spirits a lot. I filled up on water, had a gel and Jun gave me an S-cap. Jun stayed with me for about the next 8-9 miles, although he would get ahead of me and then have to wait for me to catch up. I am glad he did. We only saw a few other people on the entire trail and it is remote, rugged, and your mind starts messing with you when you're by yourself. Having him there with me during those breaks really helped a lot. Hills, hills, and more hills. Talk about demoralizing. If you have any hint of ITB pain this trail is a torture chamber. It also started to get really hot now which made things even tougher.

We stopped at yellow creek to fill up our water and it was like an oasis. I was nearly out of water and I knew I was getting dehydrated. I was carrying 70 ounces of water and this would be the fourth time I was filling up. I couldn't get enough water and that was a problem on this trail. I filled up every place that I could and I was drinking it all. It was now really hot and the sun was just beating me up. I didn't know that this would be my last fill up until Bryce Point or I would have had more to drink. I was drinking twice as much now as I had been earlier because of the heat.

I hit my marathon distance a little less than a mile after Yellow Creek and that was the last I would see of Jun until Bryce Point. The next five miles were tough. It was really hot and there wasn't a lot of shade. It seemed like it was all uphill and my knee was really hurting now. I was now hiking everything. I did run a few flat places, but they were not long because it was mostly not flat. I was worried I was going to run out of water because I was drinking so much. I was already dehydrated and hadn't gone pee in about 4 hours. I was sweating a lot and it was incredibly hot. I was looking for a place to take a break and I found a rock to sit on in the shade. After about a minute I realized I was covered in ants that were now biting me and the flies were also swarming and biting too. I ended up just standing up and taking a gel. Another low moment.
With about a mile to go until Bryce Point I was down to the last of my water. I sat down on a rock in the shade and took another gel and swallowed it down with the last drop of warm water in my bottle. I wasn't sure how much further it was to the top. I knew we had at least 5 miles to go, but I wasn't expecting to come up to the top of the rim with 5 miles remaining. I saw an older guy hiking up and from the looks of him I knew that 'civilization' was close. When I saw the cars up there I was confused. I thought we had 5+ miles to go. Jun saw me coming up and met me and then informed me that we did indeed have at least 5 miles to go (I was at mile30.5). I was ok with that though because now I could get some water and the trail actually would be mostly flat from here. Jun had bummed some water off of one of the tourists, and he shared it with me, and I felt much better.

After about a 20 minute break with Jun, he took off running for the car, and I still wasn't sure what I was going to do yet. I was tempted to catch a ride back to the car and rationalized it by telling myself I had completed an ultra distance, but I soon put those thoughts out of my head. I came here to finish the whole thing, so I started hiking fast. Occasionally I was running, but it was painful and all of the tourists were looking at me like what in the world is this guy doing?
At Sunset Point (mile 33) I stopped to use the bathroom. It was the first facility with running water that we had seen all day, and I couldn't pass up filling my water up and taking a dirtbag shower in the sink. It felt so good to wash all of the salt off of my face. I took a long break in the shade and heard a few people comment about my appearance. I ate a Powerbar and my last gel and drank a lot of water. It felt so good and I was completely refreshed.

The next mile I actually ran a little more and I was feeling good. It was so nice to finally be on a flat trail again. At mile 34 I came to a fork in the trail. There was a sign on the trail going right that said: Fairyland Point 5 miles. My heart sank because I thought I only had about two miles to go. The trail on the left said to Fairyland Lookout, so I was confused, but two girls that were hiking up the trail (on the right) told me to take that trail because it went to Fairyland Point and that the left trail ended, so started down the trail. After about a half a mile I realized that I was just dropping too much and that I was on the wrong trail. Jun had mentioned to me that if I started descending back into the canyon I needed to get back to the rim, and I remembered looking at the map at Sunset Point and I knew I needed to go back. Thank goodness it only cost me a mile total because if I had kept going it would have taken me 4 hilly miles to get back instead of two on the flat rim trail.

The final two miles were hard, but I was feeling better than I had been coming out of the canyon, so I was actually in a good mood. I wasn't hot, I was feeling hydrated and my spirits were high. the only bad thing was I had developed a blister on one of my toes that was now nagging me. Normally I would have stopped to take care of it, but I just wanted to get done, so I didn't stop. I ran about 1/4 of the time, but I was mostly hiking because it hurt less.

When I finally saw my car parked I had an incredible feeling. I had done it. Jun came over to congratulate me and after a few high fives and pictures it was time to sit down. What an experience. It was definitely the most difficult thing I have ever done, a total grind. The only real easy part of the whole day was the first 4 miles running downhill. After that it was brutal. I am sure I would have enjoyed it a lot more without the 27 miles of ITB pain though.

I am disappointed that I didn't get to enjoy this trail more. The views really aren't even explainable. They don't look real, they are that good. It is certainly a good challenge for anyone, and I will never forget this day. There was exhilaration, pain, disappointment, laughs, fresh air, views, blood, a lot of sweat (probably gallons) and almost some tears. When we finished yesterday I told Jun there wasn't even a chance I would ever to that again, but today there is some sick part of me that wants to go back and do it again when my knee is right.

To see a video of our run go here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG-oqbnvYVc&feature=player_embedded

Also look for part 2.

Half way there! On On June 19th I finally reached the half way point with my goal to climb 52 peaks this year. I climbed/ran Lake Mountain with fellow FRB bloggers Craig and Lily. It was a fun day with a lot of laughs and some fantastic views. It was the perfect way to reach # 26. Here are some pictures-

So far I am up to 33 peaks for the year. I set a goal to climb 52 peaks in 2010 and I know I will reach it. This is the most important fitness goal I have this year because it is hard and will require sacrificing a lot of my time to get it done, plus I know it will help keep me in really good shape and keep my legs strong for any races or adventures that I want to participate in.

Because I have a full time job and family responsibilities, finding time to climb a peak every week usually requires me to get up early, like 4:00-4:30 AM. I have never once felt bad about sacrificing my sleep to get into the mountains. Ever! It makes my day every time.

I also have a goal to do at least 52 trail runs this year as well. I can usually do the trail runs at the same time I am climbing a peak, but some peaks are just too steep to run.

Probably the most exciting climb I have done this year was climbing North Timpanogos via the Grunge Couloir. The Grunge is a steep chute that goes right up the back side between the two north summits of Timp. If you ever drive the Alpine Loop check it out. It doesn't really look climbable, and just looking at it makes my heart start to beat. What makes the Grunge really sketchy though is the rotten rock and constant rock fall that bombards the route. Rocks shoot down the slope like missiles and taking on one of these pieces of mountain shrapnel would certainly make for a bad day, if not your last.

I did the climb with Matt Van Horn and Dustin Erickson. We had an incredible climb and almost perfect conditions in the couloir. I wrote up a trip report and it made the cover of summitpost for over a week. You can read that here:
http://www.summitpost.org/trip-report/628827/Gettin-dirty-in-The-Grunge-Couloir.html

Also, to see a video of our climb check out this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82ZI-oyo6y8

3 months without a post? Are you kidding me? It has been a really busy summer so far with a lot of adventure and good times with the fam. I have run in a few trail races and also climbed quite a few peaks. I need to do a better job of keeping up with this blog (not that anyone is reading it).

Let's start where I left off in mid May. On the 15th I ran in the Grandeur Peak fun run and had an excellent time. The race starts at the grandeur West Ridge trail, climbs up to the summit, then back down to Church Fork, onto the Pipeline Trail, through Rattle Snake Gulch and then back to the trailhead. It is a total of 10 miles and is a TOUGH course, but a lot of fun. Craig told me about the race and I thought it would be a really good prep for Sapper Joe on the 29th.

There were about 75 people in the race and when I arrived at the start they all looked really hardcore and I was nervous. I chatted with my friend Matt for a while and then the race started. I really pushed hard climbing to the peak and all of my hill training over the last few months seemed to pay off, as I was really making good time and passing a lot of people in the way up. Only a few people passed me and I made it to the summit in 1:06 (shattering my previous best time). I was the 26th person to reach the peak, so I was doing really well.

The rest of the run was a bit of a struggle for me and a lot of the faster trail runners passed me. I also stopped a few times to mess with my gear and to take gels, and I just need to learn to get faster at doing these sorts of things on a race. I got passed a lot and ended up coming in 50th place. Not great, but I learned a lot and this little experience would help me a lot at Sapper Joe.

Sapper Joe 30K May 29th, 2010- This would be my first official trail race and I had been looking forward to it for several months. The race is on the Camp Williams base and goes over some very rugged and steep terrain. I knew it was going to be tough, but it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I ended up taking 26th place and I felt very good about my race. The way that the course is set up I think about 3/4 of it is up hill and it really is a hard slog, but it was FUN. You can read my race report here:

http://scottw.fastrunningblog.com/blog-Sapper-Joe-30K/05-29-2010.html

It has been quite a while since my last post. Life has been really busy, and it has been difficult finding time, but I wanted to post a quick update on the last month.

I am now up to 18 peaks for the year and 14 trail runs. I have been experiencing some minor pain in my right ITB (knee) and I notice it on longer runs or hikes. I have been rolling it every night and it seems to be getting a little better, and I am really trying not to push it because I will be running in the Sapper Joe trail race on May 29th (30K 19.9 miles).

Here are the highlights from the last month:

4/15/10- Craig and I ran the Mt. Wire/Red Butte loop while the rest of the world slept. The views of the valley were impressive the whole way and it didn't start getting light until we were on our way down from Red Butte. It was a great day and my 4th time on top of Wire this year.

4/18/10- Kristina was working on a huge school project, so I took the kids and the dog on a hike to the summit of View Benchmark. We had a great day, and the kids had a lot of fun. Alec hiked the whole way on his own and didn't even complain, although he did ask me at least 100 times how much longer to the top. I will add a summit video later.

4/24/10- Matt Ricks and I set out on the Centerville Peak trailhead with the goal of climbing Centerville Peak. Neither of us had been there before, so we were a little surprised that the peak was just a little bump and that the real mountains were a few miles further east, so we decided to go for the ridge. We climbed an unnamed peak about 2 miles south of Bountiful Peak and it was a 9K ft peak, so it is kind of surprising that it doesn't have a name. Maybe it does, but it just isn't on the map I was looking at. It was 10 miles round trip with over 4K elevation gain and I ran 3/4 of the trail. I finished in 3:00. It was a lot of fun.

4/29/10- Craig and I ran the Pipeline trail after a huge storm had blown down several trees and limbs in Millcreek Canyon. We ran to Lookout Point and back (9+ miles). It did snow on us the last mile and I was soaked when I finished, but had a great day.

5/8/2010- I finally got my revenge on Lake Mountain. I took my dog Shyla with me and we ran as much of the trail as we could. It is rather steep in sections, so I couldn't run all the way up, but I did manage to run the entire way down. It was a fun morning with over 3K elevation gain and 8.48 miles in 2:05. My knee did get a little sore though.

We have had 14 weeks so far in 2010 and so far I have climbed 13 peaks, so I am really happy about that. I am on pace to reach my goal of climbing 52 (one for each week of the year) peaks in 2010. I am tentatively planning on climbing Wire/Red Butte/Van Cott tomorrow morning before work with craig, so that will put me well over where I need to be.

April has been a really good month for me so far. I have done some really fun runs and hikes and my body feels really good.

On 3/28 I took Shyla (my dog) on her first summit climb while the rest of the family slept in. We climbed West Mountain, which is the peak south of Utah Lake, and it is west of Payson. It was a really steep hike with only a few switchbacks the whole way. Shyla did great, and when we ran into a herd of sheep on the saddle I was able to keep her under control.

On 4/2 I hiked to the summit of View Benchmark above Draper after work, and then the next day I climbed Mt. Wire (Big Beacon) with Matt Ricks and Matt Van Horn. This has become my standard training hike for 2010. It is a great peak to climb if you only have a few hours. It is steep and has a great view. It was my 4th time on top and my third time this year. It was very cold and windy that day, and we all got blasted by the wind. I beat Matt V. to the top by about 15 minutes and I went numb waiting for him. I hid behind an electrical box on the summit tower and it was the only thing that kept the wind at bay and made it possible for me to wait.

4/9- Craig and I went on the best hike/run of the year so far on the Bonneville Shoreline trail from 11700 S. off of Wasatch Blvd, all the way to corner canyon, then up and over View Benchmark and South Mountain. It was a half marathon distance for me and a full for Craig with 4500 feet of elevation gain and about 3000 feet of loss, and I still managed to get into work on time. You can read the trip report here:
http://www.summitpost.org/trip-report/611869/The-long-road-to-View-Benchmark.html