Well, James and I ran and hiked Mount Timpanogas today from the Timpanooke Campgrounds. We ran when we could and hiked the areas that were too steep or rough to run. We ran at least 9 miles of the 15 that the GPS measured. Others have said that it is 18 miles but I think the GPS was pretty accurate. The trail was very rough in spots and really hurt the feet at times when only wearing running shoes. Especially across the section wear you crossed some very sharp rocks and boulders for about a mile. Overall it was an awesome experience for both James and I. I will post some pictures when I get a chance. People were pretty shocked to see James a 12 year old running and moving along so quickly. We reached the summit in 2 hours and 21 minutes which shocked a few at the top when we told them as it took most groups 4-6 hours to summit. Our return trip was much faster, as expected, and only took 1 hour and 57 minutes giving us a total round trip Timp trip of 4 hours and 18 minutes. I made sure I went at James's pace and he did very well. He was beat by the end but he had a blast is is very proud of his accomplishment. I am pretty tired as well and think it would have been easier to just race a 1/2 marathon. This is a great trip and well worth the experience of standing High On The Mountain Top and seeing such beautiful views. In fact the whole trip was awesome. Some stats and stories below.
It is interesting to look at the GPS elevation chart from my Garmin. It shows a start point at Timpanooke at 7,360 feet and a summit of 11,776 feet which is pretty accurate as the official height at the top is listed at 11,749 feet. It also shows that we climbed the following during each mile. Obviously there were some small decents as well but the vast majority was up and up for the first half.
| 1 |
722ft |
| 2 |
729ft |
| 3 |
657ft |
| 4 |
974ft |
| 5 |
871ft |
| 6 |
694ft |
| 7 |
898ft |
.5 summit
|
406ft
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It is also interesting to look at heart rate data as I wore my heart rate monitor the whole time as well. I noticed that during the tougher sections that we walked on the way up my heart rate was around the same as if I were running at about 8 minute mile pace. When we were running up hill it was about the same as it ws during the Provo River 1/2 marathon at 6 minute mile pace. Obviously it was much lower when running down hill on the way back. Heart rate peaked at 170 on the way up and the average on the way up was about 140. My heart rate max is around 195 and my heart rate average on the slow 10 miler with Sasha the other day was 140. So I think this was a pretty good workout as well. Cardio going up and tough on the quads and knees coming down. Oh yeah, the hardest part was on my back carrying the 15+ pound pack with enough water food and extra clothes for James and I.
What a great experience and a fun time overall. James felt like he was on top of the world and I know this is a great confidence booster for him as well.
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