View Benchmark/Lake Mountain Double up So this was one of the more unusual outings Scott and I have done. We've hiked Olympus and King's Peak in the middle of the night, so being out climbing mountains when most people are climbing into bed is not unusual for us. This time however, we had the added dimension of sub-freezing cold. I met Scott in Draper at 11 PM and we ran Anne's trail up to View Benchmark and back for 8 miles. Very cold and dark, but fun nonetheless. I stayed sufficiently warm as long as I kept moving. We saw the big half moon rise over the Wasatch from behind Box Elder peak. The entire route was snow-covered enough to slow us somewhat, but still runnable. Down from Benchmark, we then drove ourselves to Lehi for a run up Lake Mountain. I swear it was colder out in Lehi. Who does this kind of stuff? Answer: We do. We both changed into Altra Lone Peak shoes and started off into the night on the dirt road leading to Israel Canyon. I shivered the first five minutes, but then warmed the higher we climbed. About half way up we both began to feel the soreness in our calves and legs from the zero drop design of the shoes. They have terrific traction, the Lone Peaks, but the time and effort needed to condition in the shoes requires serious committment. Because of snow, we hiked a lot of the way up. On top of Lake Mountain we paused for several minutes and attempted to photograph our success, without much success. Although sore and cold, we both ran the entire way down, arriving at Scott's vehicle at about 4:30 AM. Cold and dark do not stop these guys.
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