Millcreek Canyon (Big Water/Pipeline) with Jun, Jsh, Je10 and Leslie:
We had a really COLD, but fun run in Millcreek Canyon this morning. I got up at 3:00 am, slammed some calories and hit the road to meet the crew in the canyon at the gate where the plowing stops for winter. It was very cold at the start and almost painful to just stand around, so I was happy when we started running. We ran on some packed snow for the first few miles as we made our way up the canyon, but the higher we went the less tracked out it was and the running was tough. It also got colder as we ascended and there were a few sections that you could feel the temp drop significantly.
I kept my water bottles from freezing for a few miles, but eventually they froze along with everyone else's hydration hoses. When we got up to Upper Big Water it was so cold that my head started pounding and my body started to ache. I haven't felt that cold all winter. It was definitely below zero, but I'm not sure what it was. We have run in below zero temps a lot this winter, but it never felt like that. We got to the top and turned right around and ran back down. On the run down my left hammy started to get tight and it bothered me the rest of the run.
At Elbow Fork we stopped to get some fuel and I nearly puked up the frozen gel I had because I didn't have any water to wash it down and Je10 was nice enough to give me some of her food. I can't even remember what it was, but it was good. Back at the cars I gulped down about 15 ounces of water and took another frozen gel and then we ran down and jumped onto the Pipeline trail. It wasn't in great shape, but we have been on worse this year. My hammy really started to bother me and it slowed me down a lot.
At Rattlesnake Gulch we took a quick peek to find the Millcreek Flasher, but didn't have any luck. We did see some elk though. The run back was hard. My energy was low and I didn't want to try to gag down a gel, so it was a bit of a slog, but fun. It was a really fun morning and I just barely warmed up in my office after blasting my heater for the last 3 hours.
Here is a pic taken at the finish. Notice the ice beard on Jsh:
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