One Little Victory So I wanted to see how quickly I could run up to the Pfeifferhorn summit. My goal was to get under 2 hours. I left work at 5PM and drove straight to the White Pine trail head in Little Cottonwood Canyon. I suited up in the car and was ready to go at 5:58 PM. I ran most of the way but hiked quickly the steeper, more rocky sections of trail. I arrived at the White Pine/Red Pine junction at about 11 minutes. My first goal was to reach the lake under 50 minutes. Gosh darn it, I got to the lake at exactly 50 minutes. I reached the upper lakes 15 minutes after that. Next I set a goal to be up on the Alpine Ridge in 1:25, but I blazed up the steep rocky headwall and got there in 1:15. I then began running again toward the Pfeifferhorn, chasing after a goat and her kid. I crossed the East Ridge in three minutes, moving fast like my life depended on moving fast. I do not recall how long it took me to climb the summit, but it must have been around ten minutes. I moved as fast as I could and did not stop. I arrived at the summit of Pfeifferhorn summit in 1:35. It was a very pleasant evening up on the Alpine Ridge. The blazing sun was low in the Western sky and I had the summit to myself. I stayed for about a minute then quickly moved down the mountain, reversing the route. I ran the entire way back and reached the car for a round trip time of 2:47. About half mile from the trailhead I caught up with a young moose, which was also out for an evening jog. I chased moose for about a quarter mile, shouting at it to move off the trail. I had to slow my pace several times so not to get too close to the large animal. At last the moose got the message and moved off into the bush and I resumed my quick pace. If not for the altercation with the moose, I believe I would have been to the car in 2:45. I did not use my headlamp. I was in the zone the entire evening and feeling fantastic. I know the summit has been reached in faster times but I am very pleased with the success of my first speed climb of the Pfeiff. The next time I try to break 1:35 I know I will have to run more on the uphills. That is the key.
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