Cursed Realm of the Faceless Ghost

December 22, 2024

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Location:

Provo,UT,

Member Since:

Apr 07, 2010

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

5K - 17:11 (Cougar Run)

10K - 34:35 (Deseret News)

15K - 57:33 (Utah Running Club)

1/2 - 1:22:26 (Mountain View Trail)

50K - 4:22:31 (Sapper Joe)

Short-Term Running Goals:

Sub-2:45 at Saint George Marathon

Win the Antelope Island half marathon

Long-Term Running Goals:

I'd like to run the Angeles Crest 100 at some point. And I'd still like to go sub-4 at a trail 50k. Other than that, I'm open to suggestions.

https://www.strava.com/athletes/4808912

Personal:

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<iframe height='454' width='300' frameborder='0' allowtransparency='true' scrolling='no' src='https://www.strava.com/athletes/4808912/latest-rides/184689bbf831149f2053e60709730c07651232d3'></iframe>

I was a competitive cyclist for years. In 2009, after racing in the Tour of Utah, I decided I had plateaued as a cyclist--I could continue to improve, but I wouldn't break through to a new level. So, I started looking for a new challenge.


I thought that challenge would be mountain biking, but I'm a terrible bike handler. I married Catherine in January 2010 and a couple of weeks later I entered the SLTC Winter Training Series with her. A couple of weeks after that I decided I'd like to run ultras, so I signed up for a couple of 50Ks to get started.

Those first races came and went, with varying results. I was looking forward to running more and possibly pushing into the longer distances, but I injured my knee in June 2010 and I've never been consistently healthy since.

I started law school in August 2010, which meant less time for training. In June 2011, Baby Elliott was born, which meant even less time for training. But she's worth it. 

Baby Nora joined us in October 2013, with the same effect on training as Elliott (who, incidentally, is no longer a baby). 

I (finally) finished school in April 2014 and now I'm an evil corporate lawyer in Salt Lake. I have no illusions that I'll ever get back into the shape that I once was, but I'm perfectly at peace with that. I still have many goals to accomplish and many years in which to do it. 

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Total Distance
13.00

Squaw Peak 50 recon, take three. For those who are keeping score, it's now Squaw Peak 2, Eric 1.

Catherine dropped me off at Nunn's Park on her way to run with a group in Orem. I covered the short portion on the BST quickly. I overestimated how cold it would be and had to stop after a mile to shed some layers, and the light of my headlamp was making me dizzy, but I made it to the first turnoff with no problem. And thanks to the cairn Jun and I made on Saturday, I actually found the trail without any drama.

The trail from the BST to Hope Campground is a nice one once you're on it, and it should be completely runnable, but I was a little off this morning so I ended up hiking some of the steep and loose sections.

I knew exactly where to find the trail out of Hope Campground, but after less than half a mile I realized I was in a creek bed instead of on the trail. I backtracked, sidetracked, and generally wandered around for quite a while before conceding that I had lost the trail. (I also nearly had a heart attack when I came around a tree and found myself staring right into two glowing eyes--fortunately, it was just a deer). I wasn't surprised, given the difficulty of finding an overgrown trail in the dark, but I was disappointed. I decided to backtrack to the camp site and then run up the road until I found the trail again. But almost immediately after turning around I realized where I had gone wrong, and I was back on course.

Of course, no sooner was I back on course than the course disappeared. As Jun mentioned on Saturday, there's been a little tractor-induced mayhem in the mountains this summer. I wandered through the fallen trees and chewed up earth, but it was hopeless--the trail was gone. (And I'm not sure why--if there's a reason for what they've been doing up there, it's not obvious to a city slicker like me). I just walked up the hill, trusting that I'd eventually hit the road, and I did. From there, I had to decide whether I was above the place where the trail meets the road or below it. I guessed I was above it, and for perhaps the first time in my trail running career, I was right. Result!

The trail is pretty clear from this point, and it was light enough for me to turn off my headlamp, so I cruised on up to the Squaw Peak overlook and down to the road at Rock Canyon Pass. I descended the trail through a meadow surrounded by changing leaves and big mountains (I apologize for not bringing a camera), and after a little more than half a mile I was back at the road, right on schedule. It then occurred to me that I had no idea whether I was supposed to find another trail or stay on the road (after getting lost two times before, I hadn't actually reviewed the course directions after the pass). I decided to stay on the road, which quickly deposited me at Rock Canyon Campground. From there it was a quick descent through the canyon, past the temple, and past campus. 

Just as I hit Center Street, Catherine drove by on her way home from the gym, so I hopped in the car with her instead of running the final mile home. Good morning.

2:03:10

New Balance MT100 Miles: 13.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From catherine on Mon, Oct 04, 2010 at 12:57:01 from 69.169.157.242

Jun mentioned chaining in his Saturday report. The internet says that's when you drag an anchor chain over the ground to help seeds grow. Is that the mayhem you saw?

From Faceless Ghost on Mon, Oct 04, 2010 at 13:48:36 from 128.187.0.183

I think so. But on the ground it just looks like someone turned a bunch of 12 year olds with tractors loose.

From jun on Tue, Oct 05, 2010 at 12:05:35 from 66.239.250.209

They definitely chained. The farmers definition of 'chaining' is to seed. The Forest Service has multiple definitions. However, the most common is fire reduction. They feel that by chaining (or in some cases just driving a tractor around) they develop gabs between the trees making it harder for a brush fire to jump. It also opens up home range for deer and elk. From a distance it often looks pretty, but close up it is like a bomb was dropped and seems really unfortunate.

Glad you found the right trail. It should be noted that your inability to find the trail above Hope was not due to your tendency to get lost, but really because the trail is super overgrown and/or destroyed by the tractors. Sounds like the rest of the course was spot on, even the road portion into the Rock Canyon. Congrats. We need to hit the course again in early November, before the heavy snow falls. We need to get all the way to Hobble.

From Aaron Kennard on Tue, Oct 05, 2010 at 23:20:58 from 24.8.144.22

way to creep your way back onto the scoreboard!

From runningafterbabies on Wed, Oct 06, 2010 at 15:50:16 from 67.161.249.168

Now that was an adventure!

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