Grandeur *ungh* DOUBLE UP *ungh* *ungh* + Pipeline Run loop to car Well I finally did it, but when I got up early this morning I had no intention of doing it. I hiked the West ridge of Mt. Grandeur twice back-to-back. Late in the week Scott Wesemann decided that another hike up Grandeur and run down the other side/loop to the car would make a good Saturday morning, so I agreed to join him and four other fellas, and that is what we did. Nearly half-way up the West ridge route I removed my fleece jacket and stuffed it into a tree. If I ever wanted to see the fleece again I would have to come back another day to retrieve it. We continued to the summit, then ran down the Church Fork trail to the Pipeline trail. Just like last month, we then ran the Pipeline to Rattlesnake Gulch, then down to the Millcreek canyon road, then out to Wasatch and back to the cars. And just like last time I was slower than the other fellas. And just like last time Seth and Scott stayed with me to the end - when they could have easily crossed the finish line 20 minutes ahead of me. The total milage of the route is about 10 to 11 miles. When I got back to the car, back at the trailhead beneath the West ridge route, I decided to just go back up and get my fleece. The thought of it sitting up there, exposed to weather and animals did not appeal to me. It's my favorite fleece jacket! I immediately began the hike back up the West ridge, where I hiked 3 hours earlier. Then I had an idea. After I get my fleece, should I just keep going to the top? Maybe. If the fleece was only a quarter of the way up, I would have probably come down. In fact, I had left it nearly halfway up the route, and since I was already halfway, I just kept going to the top. Yeah yeah, not as impressive as five on Olympus (or even two on Olympus), but after a hefty run on the same day after hiking the mountain once already, I felt satisfaction that I finally did a Grandeur Double.
| 