Grandeur via West Ridge, to Church Fork to Pipeline loop to car. 11.2 miles (according to Scott) I have hiked Mt. Grandeur 15 times, most of those by the West Ridge which offers 3,000 feet of vert on a steep, straight forward, no-nonsense trail. This morning I met Scott, Bill, and Seth for a hike up to the peak, then a run down the other side on the Church Fork trail to make a loop back to our vehicles. I started hiking a few minutes before the others to allow myself time to have my mile one "break" without obligating the others to wait for me. The plan worked. I met up with the others and in the pre-dawn darkness the four of us hiked at a quick pace higher up the mountain. When we emerged above the inversion and saw the valley in a total blackout. Not a single light penetrated the thick blanket of fog. Above the inversion the temperature was noticeably warmer. Bill had the fastest pace and quickly pulled ahead, while Scott quickened his pace when he saw the light of three headlamps below us, closing quickly. Seth stayed with me, although he could have sprinted up the mountain like a cheetah. He gave me some good tips on nutrition, running technique and running clothing. The three hikers below reached us quickly, and we could see they were ultra-runners out for an easy workout. I reached the top with Seth for a time of about 1:20; not bad but with much room for improvement. After a few minutes of admiring the view, we began our descent which would be all downhill and running back to our vehicles. The trail down the back side of Grandeur is nicely packed snow. Lower down, the trail was icy and treacherous, but we managed to keep a quick pace with Bill out in the lead, then Scott, then myself and Seth. I slipped once, but it was a mild landing. We regrouped again at the Pipeline/Church junction and turned West for a jog of maybe 2 miles to Rattlesnake Gulch. The descent down the gulch was very icy, and I took care not to get out of control. A fall on the hard ice there would have been painful to say the least. We arrived at the Millcreek Canyon road then made the runWest back to Wasatch Blvd where we turned North for our final leg. At that point I was fatigued and sore, but determined to finish without stopping. From start to finish the RT time was about 3 hours. I had a great time, and the best part for me was running off the backside of Grandeur in the morning sun, through the trees and gulches. I have a long way to go before I can really show up for serious endurance runs, but this is how I get there. | 