Wasatch Crest with MattVD and Jun:
Days like today are why I love running. This is one of the best runs in the Wasatch and also part of the Wasatch 100 course. We met at 4:50 am at the BCC park n ride. It was cold at the start and I had my very dim headlamp that I got out of a Happy Meal while Jun was sporting his lamp that would light up half a football field. Luckily for Van Bail as he forgot his.
Jun was very strong and ran all of the hills. I ran most of the first steep climb, but hiked the steeper sections and VanB was somewhere in the middle. We decided to summit Scott Hill and Desolation peaks to add some flavor and the sunrise on top of Scott Hill did not disappoint. We added in a few dirty jokes for the heck-of-it as we made our way back to the Crest trail. At that point I lead out and Jun was right behind me. We both ran all of the rolling hills and the steeper climb up to the lookout just before Desolation peak where we stopped to take a gel and wait for VB.
I love Desolation peak. The views are incredible up there. We lingered a while just chatting and enjoying the morning. From there we scrambled back down the slope to the Crest trail again and then had a sweet run by the lake and then out the Mill D trail. Jun got ahead and I stopped for a quick break and then had a nice fast run back to the car. The pace was in the 6's and 7's for the next three miles and then in the lower 8's to the finish. I absolutely loved it. I was feeling strong and with the scenery and good music in my ipod I was in heaven. Today was a fantastic run. Great company, amazing views, incredible trail, a lot of laughs and a few peaks. It doesn't get much better than this. | 