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
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
3/24/2010
Craig and I met at 5:45 this morning to climb South Peak (above Herriman). There is no trail, and we had to just go straight up bushwhacking our way over boulders, brush and snow. We were hiking really fast and made it to the summit in 46:00.
It was really cold on top and we had an amazing view of the sunrise and the Salt Lake Valley below. We took our obligatory peak jumping photos and then had some fun messing around on a radio tower that had blown over just below the summit. I added some pictures that you can see in the post below.
The hike down was much easier. We went down on a game trail that we found and it ended up being less of a bushwhack, but I did get tagged on the foot by a cactus... ouch!
We made it into work just after 8:00 and it was the perfect way to start the day. So far in 2010 I have climbed 8 peaks, so I need to get my butt in gear if I want to finish with 52 for the year.
It was really cold on top and we had an amazing view of the sunrise and the Salt Lake Valley below. We took our obligatory peak jumping photos and then had some fun messing around on a radio tower that had blown over just below the summit. I added some pictures that you can see in the post below.
The hike down was much easier. We went down on a game trail that we found and it ended up being less of a bushwhack, but I did get tagged on the foot by a cactus... ouch!
We made it into work just after 8:00 and it was the perfect way to start the day. So far in 2010 I have climbed 8 peaks, so I need to get my butt in gear if I want to finish with 52 for the year.
3/18/2010
I attempted to run my first ultra-marathon on 3/18/2010 with ultra runner Davy Crockett and Craig Lloyd. Davy is very well known in the ultra world and does several 100 mile races every year. Here is the trip report I posted on my exercise blog:
What a day! I went for a long run with Crockett and Jun out in the Cedar Valley this morning. I didn't sleep well at all last night, but when I woke up I was excited about the run and I was wide awake even though it was 2:15 AM.
I met Crockett and Jun at 3:00 and we headed out to the Cedar Valley west of Eagle Mountain. We planned on doing 4 loops with a total of 40 miles. My goal was to at least get a marathon, but I really wanted to get an ultra distance if my legs would allow it.
It was pretty cold out and I bundled up, and we were quickly off and running on the first loop. The time seemed to fly by and before I knew it we were in Eagle Mountain. I was only slightly paying attention to our exact route because I was enjoying the good conversation, and that would come back to haunt me later in the morning. Eventually, we ended up back on the dirt road where the cars were and a few minutes later we were there and Jun and I took a two minute break, while Crockett went ahead.
The next loop was pretty long, almost 10 miles. We ran out to Camp Floyd south of Cedar Fort. It was a lot of fun talking and the time really seemed to go quickly. I was feeling really good the whole way, but I did notice that my legs were getting a little tired. Cardio wise I felt really strong.
When we reached camp Floyd we took a quick break and used the bathroom that had to be the warmest public bathroom I have ever been in. It felt good to warm up for a minute.
On the way back to the cars my legs got progressively more tired and I slowly dropped behind Crockett, although I could see his light almost all the way back. Eventually, I came to where the road forks and I turned left and I could no longer see Crockett's light. After I passed the road that we took on the first loop I started to second guess myself because I couldn't see any headlamps. I traveled the right way for a few minutes, but still couldn't see the other guys lights, and then I started to wonder if I really was close to the cars or if I still had a mile or more to go. I went back and forth on whether I should stay on the road (going the right way) or go back to the road. I realized that I wasn't sure and now I was wishing that I had the map Jun had made for me, but I had neglected to get from him. I was confused and it was dark, and I couldn't see anything except for the lights of Eagle Mountain, and Cedar Fort. I just didn't know which way was right and I was confused, so I second guessed myself and went back to the road I had passed. I started to go down that road for a while and then I thought maybe I just wasn't as close to the cars as I had thought.
When the road started heading south again I knew exactly where I was, but this is where I made the worst decision of the day. I decided to just do the first loop over again instead of going back. I thought to myself that I could remember where we had gone, but when I made it into Eagle mountain I just couldn't remember exactly which road we had taken. I second guessed myself several times, and spent the next hour going up and down multiple roads searching in vain for anything that looked familiar.
This was the worst part of the day for me. It was VERY cold and my water hose was completely frozen. I was really needing some energy and the cold just sapped any reserves that I had. It got light and after searching and moving where I thought the road was, I finally ran into a guy that was outside and asked if he knew where the Pony Express road was. I explained where we had come in, and he knew exactly where I needed to go. I was less than a quarter of a mile from the road, and I was heading in the right direction. It was a great feeling and really lifted my spirits.
When I got back to the car I was sooooo COLD and shivering. I got in my car and turned the heater on high. After a few minutes Crockett showed up and said he had been looking all over for me for the last 40 minutes and I felt really bad that I had caused him to take more time out of his day. Thanks Crockett! It took me at least 30 minutes to warm up and that is when Jun showed up. We ate some snacks and laughed about me getting lost. I can't believe I did that.
I told Jun that my right ITB was a little sore and sitting there in the car for 50 minutes really made my joints and knees stiff. We decided to do the long loop out to Cedar Fort, and the first half mile was very painful for me because I was so stiff. Once I warmed up I got into a little groove, although it was slow and I tried my best to stay with Jun who was about a quarter of a mile ahead.
After about 2.5 miles I could see Jun stop to stretch his ITB and after a few minutes he started coming back to me, so I thought maybe it was really bothering him. I was right. We both decided that it would be best to turn around and not make things worse. Both of us were experiencing some pretty good ITB pain. We ran for a while, but eventually walked a good portion of the way back to the car. It was fun even though we were both sore. We decided that the Redneck beer of choice is Bud Light, with Natural light a close second followed by Busch. There were so many cans out there. What kind of slob just throws their trash on the ground? I don't understand.
We figured that I was at 24 miles and Jun was at 31, I really wanted to get a marathon distance in, so I told Jun I was heading straight for the treadmill, and I did. I did 3 of the most painful treadmill miles of my life. I went slow, but I felt good afterward for at least reaching that goal. I think I probably went at least another mile roaming around Eagle Mountain, but I am not sure exactly how far I went.
It was a really fun day, and I learned some good lessons and actually had a great time despite getting lost. Thanks again Jun and Crockett. Total miles for the day- 27
What a day! I went for a long run with Crockett and Jun out in the Cedar Valley this morning. I didn't sleep well at all last night, but when I woke up I was excited about the run and I was wide awake even though it was 2:15 AM.
I met Crockett and Jun at 3:00 and we headed out to the Cedar Valley west of Eagle Mountain. We planned on doing 4 loops with a total of 40 miles. My goal was to at least get a marathon, but I really wanted to get an ultra distance if my legs would allow it.
It was pretty cold out and I bundled up, and we were quickly off and running on the first loop. The time seemed to fly by and before I knew it we were in Eagle Mountain. I was only slightly paying attention to our exact route because I was enjoying the good conversation, and that would come back to haunt me later in the morning. Eventually, we ended up back on the dirt road where the cars were and a few minutes later we were there and Jun and I took a two minute break, while Crockett went ahead.
The next loop was pretty long, almost 10 miles. We ran out to Camp Floyd south of Cedar Fort. It was a lot of fun talking and the time really seemed to go quickly. I was feeling really good the whole way, but I did notice that my legs were getting a little tired. Cardio wise I felt really strong.
When we reached camp Floyd we took a quick break and used the bathroom that had to be the warmest public bathroom I have ever been in. It felt good to warm up for a minute.
On the way back to the cars my legs got progressively more tired and I slowly dropped behind Crockett, although I could see his light almost all the way back. Eventually, I came to where the road forks and I turned left and I could no longer see Crockett's light. After I passed the road that we took on the first loop I started to second guess myself because I couldn't see any headlamps. I traveled the right way for a few minutes, but still couldn't see the other guys lights, and then I started to wonder if I really was close to the cars or if I still had a mile or more to go. I went back and forth on whether I should stay on the road (going the right way) or go back to the road. I realized that I wasn't sure and now I was wishing that I had the map Jun had made for me, but I had neglected to get from him. I was confused and it was dark, and I couldn't see anything except for the lights of Eagle Mountain, and Cedar Fort. I just didn't know which way was right and I was confused, so I second guessed myself and went back to the road I had passed. I started to go down that road for a while and then I thought maybe I just wasn't as close to the cars as I had thought.
When the road started heading south again I knew exactly where I was, but this is where I made the worst decision of the day. I decided to just do the first loop over again instead of going back. I thought to myself that I could remember where we had gone, but when I made it into Eagle mountain I just couldn't remember exactly which road we had taken. I second guessed myself several times, and spent the next hour going up and down multiple roads searching in vain for anything that looked familiar.
This was the worst part of the day for me. It was VERY cold and my water hose was completely frozen. I was really needing some energy and the cold just sapped any reserves that I had. It got light and after searching and moving where I thought the road was, I finally ran into a guy that was outside and asked if he knew where the Pony Express road was. I explained where we had come in, and he knew exactly where I needed to go. I was less than a quarter of a mile from the road, and I was heading in the right direction. It was a great feeling and really lifted my spirits.
When I got back to the car I was sooooo COLD and shivering. I got in my car and turned the heater on high. After a few minutes Crockett showed up and said he had been looking all over for me for the last 40 minutes and I felt really bad that I had caused him to take more time out of his day. Thanks Crockett! It took me at least 30 minutes to warm up and that is when Jun showed up. We ate some snacks and laughed about me getting lost. I can't believe I did that.
I told Jun that my right ITB was a little sore and sitting there in the car for 50 minutes really made my joints and knees stiff. We decided to do the long loop out to Cedar Fort, and the first half mile was very painful for me because I was so stiff. Once I warmed up I got into a little groove, although it was slow and I tried my best to stay with Jun who was about a quarter of a mile ahead.
After about 2.5 miles I could see Jun stop to stretch his ITB and after a few minutes he started coming back to me, so I thought maybe it was really bothering him. I was right. We both decided that it would be best to turn around and not make things worse. Both of us were experiencing some pretty good ITB pain. We ran for a while, but eventually walked a good portion of the way back to the car. It was fun even though we were both sore. We decided that the Redneck beer of choice is Bud Light, with Natural light a close second followed by Busch. There were so many cans out there. What kind of slob just throws their trash on the ground? I don't understand.
We figured that I was at 24 miles and Jun was at 31, I really wanted to get a marathon distance in, so I told Jun I was heading straight for the treadmill, and I did. I did 3 of the most painful treadmill miles of my life. I went slow, but I felt good afterward for at least reaching that goal. I think I probably went at least another mile roaming around Eagle Mountain, but I am not sure exactly how far I went.
It was a really fun day, and I learned some good lessons and actually had a great time despite getting lost. Thanks again Jun and Crockett. Total miles for the day- 27
3/13/2010
What a fantastic day! I met Craig and Matt Ricks at the trailhead for Mt. Wire (Big Beacon) at 6:00 am this morning. It wasn't very cold, but we did have to deal with some wind for the first hour. Twinkies and Jun were total mountain goats today, and I spent the whole time trying to catch them.
Mt. Wire is pretty steep, so we ran/hiked our way up, and enjoyed the best sunrise of the year so far about 3/4 of the way up. The sun was coming up over the Wasatch Mountains, and it was very impressive. I stopped for a minute to check out the sun, look at the SL Valley and once again I was reminded why I do this. You just can't beat those views.
We were all talking about cougars, and Jun kept calling "Here kitty kitty". On one of the saddles I noticed a few cougar tracks in the snow, and it kind of made me think for a few minutes about my situation. I was in last place and I seem to recall that cougars will usually go after the lame or slower animals, and since it was breakfast time, I had to keep looking back to make sure I wasn't being followed. I made it to the summit of Wire in about 53 minutes, give or take a minute. We were going pretty fast, especially Jun and Twinkies. After our obligatory summit jumps we headed over to the summit of Red Butte. I was trying to find a good song on the ipod, and I stopped for only a minute and I was waaaay behind.
I had a minor wardrobe malfunction coming down from Red Butte, and the boys were kind enough to wait for me. Once we got down to a saddle, Twinkies lead us down a pretty technical trail and I could not keep up with them. Wow, they were flying.
We headed over to do the Red Butte loop and there were more hills to climb. I was pretty tired by now, and I wasn't enjoying the hills at all. I mean I usually like hills, but these guys like to run fast up them. Feel the BURN! I finally stopped trying to keep up with Jun and Twinkies the last 1.5 miles. My legs were tired and they were still bounding along like they just started.
Finished in about 2:35 (Estimate) and just under 10 miles with about 1500 ft. of elevation gain. It was an amazing morning, and I can't wait to do it again. Thanks for pushing me this morning guys. I loved every minute of it.
Mt. Wire is pretty steep, so we ran/hiked our way up, and enjoyed the best sunrise of the year so far about 3/4 of the way up. The sun was coming up over the Wasatch Mountains, and it was very impressive. I stopped for a minute to check out the sun, look at the SL Valley and once again I was reminded why I do this. You just can't beat those views.
We were all talking about cougars, and Jun kept calling "Here kitty kitty". On one of the saddles I noticed a few cougar tracks in the snow, and it kind of made me think for a few minutes about my situation. I was in last place and I seem to recall that cougars will usually go after the lame or slower animals, and since it was breakfast time, I had to keep looking back to make sure I wasn't being followed. I made it to the summit of Wire in about 53 minutes, give or take a minute. We were going pretty fast, especially Jun and Twinkies. After our obligatory summit jumps we headed over to the summit of Red Butte. I was trying to find a good song on the ipod, and I stopped for only a minute and I was waaaay behind.
I had a minor wardrobe malfunction coming down from Red Butte, and the boys were kind enough to wait for me. Once we got down to a saddle, Twinkies lead us down a pretty technical trail and I could not keep up with them. Wow, they were flying.
We headed over to do the Red Butte loop and there were more hills to climb. I was pretty tired by now, and I wasn't enjoying the hills at all. I mean I usually like hills, but these guys like to run fast up them. Feel the BURN! I finally stopped trying to keep up with Jun and Twinkies the last 1.5 miles. My legs were tired and they were still bounding along like they just started.
Finished in about 2:35 (Estimate) and just under 10 miles with about 1500 ft. of elevation gain. It was an amazing morning, and I can't wait to do it again. Thanks for pushing me this morning guys. I loved every minute of it.
Spring is here
3/12/2010- Took a lunch break and met Craig at the LCC park-n-ride to do a run. We ran to Bell Canyon trailhead, up to the reservoir, around the lake, and then back to LCC. It was fun, the sun was out and we both had our shirts off coming down the trail. It feels so good to have the sun on your skin after the long winter. Back at the PNR and Craig talked me into staying for some climbing. We hit the boulders and I did 3 easy problems, although I didn't finish the last one, a long traverse that required a lot of upper body strength. I got tired at the end because I had a big lifting session the night before, and my triceps were screaming, so I didn't make it over the final lip. I'll definitely go back and get that one when I am fresh. What a fun day!
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