Summit junkie!

Lake Mountain with Je10:

I love early Sunday morning runs. Je10 and I had a blast running up Lake Mt. The weather forecast was ominous the night before, but it ended up being decent most of the way. We had a really good run/hike/chat and kept up a decent pace until about 1/4 of a mile before the saddle where the snow got deeper and we slowed down a little. The wind was also picking up and I knew the final push was going to be gusty.

From the saddle to the top was horrendous. The wind was howling and blowing snow across the slope. We were post-holing in thigh deep snow at times and then it would be so windblown that there was almost nothing. Eventually we got off the 'trail' and just went straight up the windblown slope. It reminded me of Everest with the wind and snow and we didn't spend a lot of time on top. I tried to get my camera to take some video, but my phone shut down, but I did snap a few pics.

The run down was fast (for me) and fun. We did 2-3 sub 7 miles and we even raced for a few hundred yards. :) Je10 is FAST! Lucky for me she waited for me and we ran back to the car together. Fun!

Weights at the gym for an hour with Kristina. I spent about 15 minutes in the crossfit room with some friends doing some crossfitty crap. I'm tired, so I guess it was good.

BST from I Street with MattW:

It was soooooo nice out there today. Wow. Matt has been dealing with some back pain, so we decided not to hit any peaks or run too fast. We just did a fun 3.5 miles out and then back on the BST from I Street. This run was just about perfect.

Ave Twin peaks with MVH, Craig and MattW:

5:30 AM start at the Capitol building. This was a really fun group and we had a great time. Matt is nursing a sore back, so we weren't speedy, but that's ok. The trail was pretty icy so we all wore micro-spikes and they were a big help.

Squaw Peak with CraigL and NateY:

I've lived down in the bubble (Utah County) for 12 years now and I can't believe I have never summited Squaw Peak. I deserve a big kick in the nuggets for that one. Craig and I met Nate at 5:45 at the Rock Canyon trailhead. The first half mile was a sheet of pure ice, so it is a good thing we brought spikes. The boys had a pretty good pace running up the steep hill and I tucked in behind them while they chatted away. After about 1.5 miles we took a left turn and wound our way up the back side of the mountain on a very steep, but well packed trail. Spikes were pretty essential and Je10 we saw cougar tracks. :)

About 3 miles in the full moon came into view as we popped out into an incredible meadow. We could see Timp, Cascade and Provo Peaks behind us and the valley floor below and everything was lit up by the bright moon in the northern sky. The last half mile we wound our way up the back side of the peak and topped out in about 1:10. Wow! That is a fantastic view. If you live down in the bubble you need to hit this one.

We picked up the pace and had a really fun run back to the cars. The spikes gave me more confidence and I ran faster than I normally would on the slick snow. As it got light the views of the canyon were sweet. I really enjoyed that trail and I will definitely be back.

I just completed my 2013 recap. Run on over (pun intended) to the Refuse2quit blog to check it out:

http://www.refuse2quit.com/2014/01/2013-year-in-review-by-scott-wesemann.html

Ave Twin Peaks from I Street with MattW:

Shorts, t-shirts, sun and blue sky. It was a pretty amazing day out there above the valley crud. We weren't super fast, but had a very fun run to the top of the Ave Twins.