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Category: Pretty Places

East Mtn. to Fernwood and Back

East Mtn. to Fernwood and Back

I so enjoyed the BST on my way to Adams Canyon and back on Monday that I decided to put in some more miles on it. It is about 3.6 miles from East Mountain Park in Kaysville to Fernwood Recreation Site in Layton. It isn’t the most exciting trail, view-wise,  but it is a great place to clock miles. Lots of gentle ups and downs, and few shorter steep climbs and descents – but nothing too crazy. I have decided…

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Adams Canyon Snake Scare

Adams Canyon Snake Scare

 Last winter a lot of the local Davis County trail runners were trying to beat each others’ times up and down Adams Canyon. I never made it up there and figured today would be a good day. I unexpectedly found myself at home a bit earlier than usual, and swapped a couple afternoon hours of work for evening hours and went on a run instead. 5.9 miles in 1:15:24 @ 12:47 min/mile and with 1,581 ft. elevation gain The Bonneville…

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Bloomington Lake via accidental Worm Lake Detour

Bloomington Lake via accidental Worm Lake Detour

I joined some boy scouts on a campout up north and west from Bear Lake, at Bloomington Lake, ID. On Friday part of the group drove to the lake, while another group of us was going to do the quick 2 mile trail up to the lake. A couple boys ran way ahead and by the time we caught up to them, they had veered onto the wrong trail, UP UP and UP. By the time we regrouped, we thought…

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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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Running the Ragnar Wasatch Back Relay

Running the Ragnar Wasatch Back Relay

I am happy to report that I survived the Ragnar Wasatch Back Relay Race.  The team consisted of friends and family, many of them more consistent runners that me. Nevertheless, I assumed role of Team Captain (in charge of nagging, mostly) and took the set of legs with the highest mileage.  What was I thinking? I was most concerned about the stress fracture on my ankle – which had been feeling great as of late, and my IT band which…

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An Unexpected Record-Breaking Run

An Unexpected Record-Breaking Run

I wanted to get one last run in before this weekend’s Wasatch Back Ragnar race and tonight was my best chance. I drove up to the Farmington Canyon trail, planning to hike it up to the Sunset Campground and then run down the road for a loop. It went better than anticipated. Amongst the other local trail runners, I’m just about the slowest. On Strava segments, I am usually at the bottom of the leader-board and the only times that…

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Playing Tour Guide at Box Elder

Playing Tour Guide at Box Elder

This week a good friend and colleague – a fellow historian – was in town for a conference and wanted me to take him and his two dogs somewhere beautiful for a trail run. Since we were down in Utah County for the conference, I chose the Box Elder Trail towards the like named Peak. This was my first time up American Fork Canyon and will not be my last. Wow. We started at the Granite Flat Campground and headed…

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To Hell [Hole] and Back Again, Twice

To Hell [Hole] and Back Again, Twice

It was Saturday afternoon, the high was forecast to be around 70 so I couldn’t, in good conscience, not hit the trails. I decided to try out my new trekking poles on the steep climb up the Davis Creek trail area. 4.0 Miles in 1:02:44 @ 15:46 min/mile and 1,791 ft. elevation   I felt strong and did get a PR on the initial climb from the trail head to the split to the first waterfall, but not on the…

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I Messed with Texas (Trails)

I Messed with Texas (Trails)

They lied. Everything is not bigger in Texas. For the last couple weeks I have been down in Austin and San Antonio, Texas, for a couple academic conferences and some research in a few archival repositories.  Fun fun fun. And, rather than sit around bored in my hotel rooms at night when I didn’t have stuff planned with colleagues and friends, I went running. These were three of the sweatiest runs of my life.  Wow.  The humidity.  Overall, it was…

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The Farmington Spine

The Farmington Spine

Ever since I moved to Farmington, UT, about a year ago, I have eying the “Farmington Spine” on maps and as I drive around every day. It is a ridge that runs from the mouth of Farmington Canyon, southeast, and all the way up to the road that connects with Bountiful Peak. I love running ridges, and this one looks like it would be easy to follow to the top. The trail maps show it, and people said it is…

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