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Tag: Great Western Trail

Grove-Battle Loop. Always a Good Choice

Grove-Battle Loop. Always a Good Choice

The loop up Grove Creek, up and over to Battle Creek via Chris Flat, down Battle Creek, and back over to Grove Creek is always a good choice. The first two miles up Grove Creek to the bridge have nice enough views. The next mile to Grove Creek Spring are steep, but gorgeous. The climb through aspens and meadows up to Chris Flat is gorgeous in all seasons. Chris Flat itself, even with short scruffy early-spring grass (not tall yet)…

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Timpooneke to Orem, 20 Miles of Wading Through Grass and Flowers

Timpooneke to Orem, 20 Miles of Wading Through Grass and Flowers

This morning I embarked on an “easy” route. Starting at the Timpooneke Campground (after being driven up there by Chris, THANKS!) I took the Great Western all the way around the West side of the Mt. Timpanogos ridge-line, back and behind Big and Little Baldy and down to Orem. It was fantastic. First, you climb a fairly rocky trail for a mile, placing you at the affectionately named “Julie Andrews Meadow.”  Then, the trail parallels the Timpooneke Rd., crossing it…

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Goodbye Davis County, Hello Utah County

Goodbye Davis County, Hello Utah County

This last week my family moved from our beloved Davis County down to Utah County. I have really come to love the Davis County trails. Exploring them. Trying to promote them as many are sadly under-used. Apparently that will not be a problem down here in Utah County. Everything appears blazed out and well marked…….and spectacularly gorgeous! Here’s my last in Davis and first in Utah County. For my last run in Davis, I hit Mueller Park. I had never…

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One last (blustery) Hurrah on the Great Western Trail (+ bonus Smith Creek Lakes)

One last (blustery) Hurrah on the Great Western Trail (+ bonus Smith Creek Lakes)

Knowing that the high-altitude season is quickly coming to a close (winter is coming!) I decided to do one last run up at the top of the mountains here in Davis County. I did a similar route last year at this time, but by then it had already snowed (and melted some) up at the top. We are still getting up into the 50s-70s this year in late October! So, it has been a nice month and I’m glad that…

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Pioneer Day Fun with 20+ miles, almost 6k elevation, 2 peaks, 2 Rattlesnakes, and Blisters Blisters Blisters

Pioneer Day Fun with 20+ miles, almost 6k elevation, 2 peaks, 2 Rattlesnakes, and Blisters Blisters Blisters

 Last year on Pioneer Day, a friend and I tackled Baer Canyon. It was only my 2nd trail run, and we were unprepared and it was rough. I thought I would continue that and make an annual tradition of pushing myself to do unwise things on Pioneer Day. On the top of my trailrun to-do list has been to bag Thurston and Francis Peaks. I have been to both, but only after driving up to Francis and then running the…

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Smith Creek Lakes for Farmington 50 Trailwork

Smith Creek Lakes for Farmington 50 Trailwork

On the Farmington 50 mile Challenge (and associated North Marathon challenge) that I put together there is one section of the route that I was concerned might not be as much of a trail as the satellite image suggested. It is a short traverse from the northernmost (NE of Francis Peak, down the Morgan County side) Smith Creek Lake, west and over the main ridgeline between Morgan and Davis Counties – merging on the other side with the Great Western…

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Blood on the Snow and Running to the Sound of Rifle Shots

Blood on the Snow and Running to the Sound of Rifle Shots

With the family still out of town, I took a longer excursion up to the top of Farmington Canyon to run the Great Western Trail from Francis Peak to Thurston and back.  I had done this once before, and wanted to get it in again before the canyon road was shut down.  As I drove up, however, I noticed an oddly large volume of 4×4 pickup trucks going up and down the canyon.  Then, I noticed people in orange vests…and…

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Back on the Trails, Francis Peak to Thurston Peak, New Shoes

Back on the Trails, Francis Peak to Thurston Peak, New Shoes

In early September 2013, my next door neighbor and I went shoe shopping for me.  I tried on a few different pairs of trail shoes, but couldn’t commit.  A couple days later he came over with a pair of Brooks Cascadia 8s.  He had only used them a few times and they were only a size bigger than what I usually wear, and it turns out that lots of trail runners and ultramarathoners buy a size or 1/2 bigger because…

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