One week ago, I could barely walk.  I was surprised how sore and immobile I was after finishing LT100 last weekend.  On Sunday afternoon, I was very stiff and had little to no control over my leg muscles.  I didn’t have the cramping I’ve dealt with in the past but the muscle soreness was more than I was used to.  I hydrated well all day and that night I slept very well and when I awoke on Monday, I felt a lot better.  Tuesday, I was still very tired but most of the soreness was gone.  By Wednesday, I was regaining some strength.  Thursday we ran and it actually felt good, not that strange clumsy feel I am used on the first few runs back.  Our run today went very well and my legs and feet feel about 90% which is encouraging.  My biggest problem has been the cold I have been coping with all week.  I had a scratchy throat leading up to the race but this past Tuesday, it got the better of me and became a full-blown cold.  Yesterday was the worst day so far, hopefully I have turned a corner though I am still quite foggy.  I was thinking back to the last time I was sick and it has been nearly two years, it was a great run but now my clock has been reset - hopefully, it will be at least as long : )

Paige, Me, and Brian on Loveland Pass

Its all about the buckle…  Last Thursday, Paige and I headed to Leadville with fellow CHUGs Brian, Kelly and Deanna.  We took the scenic route and stopped to check out Loveland Pass, we couldn’t help ourselves, we had to snap a “jumper”.  After a short stop to pick up some groceries, we were in Leadville.  We checked into the Leadville Hostel and headed to packet pick-up.  As we walked into the gym, the energy of the place was palatable.  At the table next to me, a guy announced himself as racer number 3, Duncan.  This guy looked fast and with a low number like that, I wondered if this “Duncan” might be somewhere near the front come Saturday.  We picked up our packets and then had a delicious pasta dinner.  My nerves were already in place but now they were front and center.  We mingled a little before heading back to the hostel, a short walk away, to relax a little before a restless night.

Me, Tony Krupicka, and Paige

Friday was our medical check-in and mandatory runner meeting.  As we were standing there, Tony Krupicka walked in.  Tony, was second at Western States and has many a course record.  We said hello and introduced ourselves before asking for a picture, which he graciously posed for.  Rob, Tom and Rina had come to Leadville for the weekend to crew and pace, they met us for the crew meeting which started immediately following the runner meeting.  It was awesome to see them along with Lucy.  After the meeting, we grabbed some lunch at High Mountain Pies, they made an awesome pizza!  After lunch, it was back to work, we had drop bags and crew vehicle bags to pack.  Then we briefed our crew for what to expect come Saturday.  The hostel was imposing a 6:30PM quiet time which worked out great for us even though we didn’t go to bed, it was very relaxing.  The next morning, the alarm was unneeded as I woke up at 1:58AM after another restless night.  I felt okay and promptly got up to tend to my pre-race stuff.  After finishing getting dressed, I met up with my baby and other runners from the hostel.

Paige, Me, Rob, Tom and Rina - At The Start

It was a short walk to the start where we saw a ton of friends from all parts of the country.  We checked-in and then took some pictures before lining up for the start.  As the gun went off, I felt a surge of excitement and nerves.  My plan was to run a sub-25 hour race but knew that was going to be tough, even on a perfect day due to my level of fitness and the altitude… but I had to try.  So, a couple of miles into the race, I kissed Paige goodbye and wished her luck on her day - it was hard to say goodbye but definitely not the hardest thing I would have to do before the day was over.  The next 13 miles were packed with over 600 runners but I didn’t mind, I was running Leadville.  As we wound around Turquoise Lake, I fell in with a group of runners going my pace.  The first aid station (AS) was May Queen and there was Tom guiding me in.  After a relatively quick turnaround, I was off into the woods again but I was already behind my goal pace.  The next section went smoothly and I arrived Fish Hatchery still behind schedule but feeling decent.  The next section was short, only about 4 miles until I would see the crew again.  When I got there, Rina was already there which meant that Paige wasn’t that far behind me.  After pushing for nearly 30 miles and still being way behind the sub-25 hour pace, I decided that I was going to wait for Paige and we could run the rest of the race together.  I didn’t have to wait long, she was having a bang-up day and rolled in 15 minutes or so later.  After a quick change of the shoes, we were on the trail again.

Leaving Twin Lakes

It felt so good to be running together.  We passed through Halfmoon AS and were feeling good.  This section is very runnable and we were passing miles reasonably quickly.  It was starting to warm up a bit and I finally took my gloves off.  We saw Brian coming into the AS as we were leaving, he looked good.  Over the next 9 miles, we did long stretches of running with some uphill walking.  We were passed by Barefoot Ted, a bit of a legend.  He is one of the main characters in the whole barefoot running movement.  He was wearing some homemade hiraches (sp) when we saw him but at other points in the race, he was actually barefoot - amazing.  When we pulled into Fish Hatchery, I heard someone call my name - it was Julia.  Julia is a longtime friend who moved to Denver for residency and here she was cheering us into the AS with her pup Charlie.  We were ahead of our anticipated arrival time so we took our crew off guard but they quickly got us our things and we were on our way toward Hope Pass.  Paige wasn’t feeling too great, her stomach was bothering her, so we took it easy as we passed through several water crossings.  The deepest of the 5 or 6 crossings was an actual river and it was knee high - it was refreshing but it also meant we now had wet shoes.  I was saying that we should be seeing some of the front runners soon and just as I finished that comment, Tony came around the corner with his pacer - he was tearing it up!  Seeing him and how easy he made it look sent a surge of energy through me; it didn’t have quite the same effect on Paige : )  We got to the base of Hope Pass and started to climb, it was slow going but we made steady progress. As we came over a slight crest, we could see the Hopeless AS, it was situated in the valley below Hope Pass - what a great spot these folks had.  We sat for a minute while the volunteers filled our bottles.  We collected our selves and headed up and over; the back side of the pass was just as beautiful.  The trail was challenging on the way down with tricky footing and lots of runner traffic to navigate but we saw lots of familiar faces, all with words of encouragement.  When we eventually made it to the road, we didn’t know exactly how far it was to the turnaround but we knew it was going to be tight.  We started up the road which was very dusty and congested.  My mood was slipping fast and hard.  By the time we reached the turnaround, we only had 15 minutes to get back out onto the trail.  Paige and I had a quick conversation about the very real time crunch we were facing, we had to make the return trip back over Hope Pass 15 minutes faster than we had just done it if we were going to make the cutoff at Twin Lakes.  We decided we had to go for it even though it seemed unlikely we were going to make it in time.  We got into the Winfield AS, did our medical check-in, and then got down to business.  I heard my name and looked up to see Brandon, a friend and roommate from college.  He was there to pace his friend who was also pushing the cutoff.  I really wanted to catch up but we needed to move so we said a quick hello and then we hit the trail.

Our Pacers: Rina and Tom

Tom and Rina were dressed and ready to roll.  We made our way down the dusty road again trying to move as quick as we could but it wasn’t nearly as much fun having to be so worried about the time.  Upon hitting the steep section of the trail, Paige began to struggle with her breathing.  Before long, the pressure of making the time cutoff and the steepness of the hill started getting in her head.  We sat down and talked for a while and she decided she didn’t want to go on.  It was a tough decision for both of us because once she decided, I had to decide.  Was I going to keep going without her, which didn’t sound that great, or was I going to stop and not try to make it, which sounded even worse.  Paige felt terrible that she might be the reason I didn’t make it to the finish line - as soon as I heard her say that, my decision was made.  I kissed her goodbye and Tom and I headed up Hope Pass while Paige and Rina turned back toward the road.  I was teary for a few minutes and then I got angry.  I was mad that the cutoff times were as tough as they were.  I channelled the anger, found a rhythm and started reeling in runners.  The sun was setting as Tom and I made it to the top of the pass.  We were making good time and even better time on the downhill side.  After a quick stop to top off our bottles at the Hopeless AS, we started really moving.  We kept up a very solid pace all the way down to the river and into the Twin Lakes AS with 20+ minutes to spare… I had made it.  I couldn’t believe it and I could hardly contain myself.

WIth Rob, Heading Toward The Finish

Having made up so much time, I felt confident that I could make the remaining cutoffs… my dream of finishing this thing was alive again.  I did a quick change, checked out of the AS and headed into the woods, alone for the next 17 miles.  The effort to make up time had taken its toll on my legs but I was still moving fairly well and nothing specifically hurt so I knew I would bounce back.  I continued to pass people and by the time I made it to Halfmoon AS, I had gained an hour on the cutoff.  I could breathe a little easier now.  I got my drop bag and sat for a minute.  Then I brushed my teeth, ahh, what a feeling.  I noticed Joe Judd at the AS and said hello.  Joe had come to Leadville to pace Paige but when he got word that Paige had dropped, he volunteered to help another runner - what a great guy.  Heading out of the AS, my confidence was high, I could walk the rest of the race and still finish in time.  The next few miles passed quickly and soon I was back at Fish Hatchery AS where Rob was ready to join me for the rest of the night.  Leaving the AS, I was pretty stiff but Rob suggested a little running and that was all the encouragement it took, we ran the next mile or more at a decent clip - it felt so good to cover some ground.  That all came to a crashing halt when we hit the base of Sugarloaf and started to climb again.  I pushed as hard as I could but all I could manage was a strong hike - Rob was patient with me and we steadily reeled in runners.  After a seeming eternity, we crested the top of the pass and started down.  I wanted to run but my legs weren’t having it so we continued our fast hiking until Rob finally convinced me to run a little more.  The final couple of miles into May Queen felt remarkably long.  At one point, we could hear the cheers and talking coming from the AS and then they got distant again as we circled around and came back into it from the road - it was a tough reality at that stage of the game.  When we got to the AS, Tom guided us in.  I sat down inside where it was warm while Rob collected some soup.  As I sat there, I was basking in the fact that I had well over 4 hours to finish a half marathon - I knew it was a certainty that I was going to finish now and that felt pretty darn good.  Rob got me up out of the chair and back on the trail.  We walked for a good long while as I tried to warm my legs back up.  We tried a few times to run but for the most part, I was relegated to a fast walk.  As we approached town, the sun had risen and was starting to warm us up again.  We laughed some but mostly just focused on the goal.  We turned the corner into town and as we crested the hill, we could see the finish line about a half mile away.  We simultaneously decided that we would start running from the sign that said “Slow” - for some reason, speeding up just as the street sign instructed me to slow down really tickled me.  We ran the rest of the way to the finish where Paige, Tom, Rina, Lucy, Brian, Kelly, Deanna, Ben and Sarah awaited.  I immediately found my girl and held her tight as the tears rolled.

Click For Video Of Finish

This was by far the most emotional race I’ve ever done.  I’m still struggling to reconcile all the emotion from the weekend but there are a few things for which there is a great deal of clarity: 1) I loved having the Corson boys at my side throughout the journey, 2) it was great to be in Colorado, 3) it was awesome spending time with Brelly, Deanna and our other running friends, 4) running at altitude is different, 5) mountains are awesome, and 6) my girl is the best.  Despite her own disappointment, Paige completely came through for me, supported me, and shared in my joy - she is amazing.  I couldn’t ask for better friends; Tom, Rob, and Rina took time off work to come crew/pace and  they did a great job!  Brian pushed aside his own disappointment from the day, and showed up for me to celebrate.  Of course I had mixed emotions about how the day unfolded but I can’t deny how ecstatic I was to have pulled it together and finished the race.  After showering and napping, we said our goodbyes to Rob and Rina before heading to the awards ceremony.  We then spent the afternoon eating and lounging around.  Tom stuck around for the night and we did more of the same.  I slept well that night and woke up feeling much better than expected.  As we packed up our items, the sadness started to creep in - I didn’t want to leave, I didn’t want to have the experience be over, I didn’t want go back to the real world… not yet, I wanted to stay a while longer and savor everything.

Results

We left Chicago on Friday morning and rolled into Carlton, MN around 5:30PM.  After picking up our packets, we went to Cozy Cafe for dinner.  Sitting near the entrance was a group of runners, one of which we recognized as Rob Wehner (the super RD for Glacial Trail which we ran and loved last fall), he invited us to join their group and boy were we glad we did, they were hilarious!  After dinner we walked over to watch the finish of a 5k the town holds as part of their Carlton Daze festivities.  We were drawn to a couple with a tiny yellow lab puppy and immediately made friends with Jim and his wife.  It turned out to be one of those conversations that leaves you wishing you were neighbors so you could get to know these people more (and play with their puppy, of course).  We headed into Duluth to have a look around.  Having run Grandma’s marathon several times, it was fun to revisit and show Paige around since she’d never been before.

Race day: I’ll start with saying that this race was a lot tougher than I remembered.  Paige and I ran together the whole way which was too bad for Paige because I was in a terrible mood for most of the run.  I think this was a lingering bad mood from the week but I thought a day in the woods would heal it… eventually it did but it took like 40 miles of being grouchy and, as usual, Paige was a trooper.

A Swinging Bridge At Roughly Miles 3.2 and 46.8

The temps at the start were in the low sixties but the humidity was in the mid ninety percent.  We rolled out of town and quickly picked up some very technical single track for the first 3+ miles.  It was slow going with several runners taking it very easy through this section.  Next we started on several miles of nice rolling wooded trails before hitting the dreaded “power lines”.  I didn’t remember this section being all that bad last time, selective memory apparently because it was tough.  We got through it and the rain began to fall.  At this point, I was soaked from sweat anyway and the rain felt good.  We ran like this through the turnaround, physically I was fine but my mood was still a bit dismal.  The return trip was good with a lot of running despite some long gentle uphills.  We purposefully threw in a few walking breaks but generally, we just kept plugging along.  The sun started to peek out and accented the beauty of this course, I had also forgotten how gorgeous it was.

Someone Is Having Fun

On the way back, we did a sock and shirt change at the 34 mile drop bag, it felt amazing.  The next section led us back to the power lines, the sun had heated things up a bit and the rain had turned the trail into a muddy slip and slide - this didn’t do much for my mood.  By the time we got through there, I was more than ready to be done.  We topped off our bottles at the aid station and I tried to muster some friendly banter but only got out a “thank you”.  The last ten miles got progressively better and by the last five, we were moving really well.  We danced over the rocks and roots, passing people that were feeling the effects of a long day.  As we hit the pavement on the edge of town, Paige noticed a woman in front of us and locked in.  She hit the turbo and it was all I could do to keep up with her, I loved it!  We passed her and said some friendly words of encouragement but I’m guessing she was thinking to herself, “they saved way too much for the end.”  After crossing the finish line, Andy Holak came over to congratulate us and give us our finisher mugs.  They have custom made pottery finisher mugs - a very cool tradition.  This was Andy’s first year as RD and he did a great job preserving the “look and feel” of the race.

We met up briefly with fellow CHUGs Tony, David and Jerret before showering and grabbing some post race dinner.  One thing I really love about this race is that they encourage people to stick around by serving dinner and providing showers so people can get cleaned up and hang out.  My gut instinct tells me that I will be back at this race again but the nine hour drive may keep me from making it an annual thing.

Our Job: Get This Man To The Finish Line

The packing is finished and for once, I don’t feel like I overpacked… at least not much.  We have watered our plants and we are ready to head to the airport.  We fly into Vegas and then pick up Jim before meeting up with Ed and Terry, who are driving out, then off to Furnace Creek to find Adrian.  We then have two days to get acclimated to the 100+ degree temps before the race start on Monday.  Adrian is a veteran at this race and hopes to improve on his time from last year - go Adrian!  Once he crosses the finish line, he hopes to keep going right on up to the summit of Mt. Whitney - amazing.  Our job will be to keep him hydrated, fed and moving forward, he’s given each of us a whip to use liberally - kidding, of course : )

Thoughts heading into the experience: 1) I’m glad I’m not running it, 2) I hope I can hold up okay in those temps, 3) I plan to have a lot of fun, and 4) I hope Adrian has a good race and bags that summit!

Once our duties in Death Valley are done, its off to LA for a few days of running and relaxing.  Dave is hosting us for dinner at his place on Friday and the Coyotes have graciously accepted us as their honorary guests for the weekend.  It should be a fun trip!

For those wanting to follow along with Adrian’s progress, here is the link to the main results page which has a link to the 2010 webcast: Badwater Race Results

Also, if you get inspired, Adrian is running in support of a local charity , here is a link to learn more and donate: Aggeus Foundation

A couple of months ago, I noticed that Harry Connick Jr. was coming to town.  I’ve always been a fan and so I mentioned it to Paige to gauge her interest.  We talked about it but it seemed a little expensive and we had a lot of fun things on the calendar already so we opted to pass.  Fast forward a month and a half, its my birthday and Paige, being the observant and totally sweet girl that she is, got tickets to see the show.  First of all, my birthday was the perfect night with sushi and a walk around town on a gorgeous summer evening followed by yummy birthday cake (Paige’s first ever attempt at a cake and she pulled it off like a pro).  Then last week, we celebrated our first year together by going for dinner at McCormick and Schmick’s and then to see the concert.  Dinner was delicious, we started with oysters and lobster bisque followed by surf and turf - kind of an odd mix but exactly what we were both craving.  After dinner, we made the short walk over to the Chicago Theatre just in time for the show.  Our seats were fantastic, center stage and six rows back.  No warmup band here, the curtains went up and out came Mr. Harry Connick, Jr.   At first, he seemed just a little awkward and stiff but it only took him a song to get in the grove and by the third song, he had the whole place absolutely rocking!  The band was amazing and he far exceeded my expectations (which were quite high).  He is a tremendous performer and I love love love the style of soulful music he plays.  The two hours flew by between the music, his anecdotes, and the fun interactions he was having with the crowd and before we knew it, the concert was over.  My favorite section of the concert was about two-thirds the way through and he had a guest trombone player on stage and he turns to his guest and says, “let’s show them how its done in New Orleans.”  At that point, they both put down their instruments and started free form dancing - it was borderline out of control but perfectly matching the music - hilarious and awesome.  Thank you, Paige, for the great birthday and for an amazing first year!

A couple of weeks ago, we traveled to Florida to witness the union of two dear friends.  Brian and Kelly are now officially Brelly.  The wedding was on Saturday but we decided to extend our stay a bit and soak up some warm sunny weather so we left on Thursday after work and flew to Clearwater Beach.  Brelly greeted us but it was late so after catching up a bit, we agreed to meet up for breakfast.  Friday, we had them to ourselves until late afternoon when the first batch of guests started to arrive.  We got to meet family and friends though they purposefully kept the numbers small.  Saturday was a relaxing day at the beach and then the wedding/reception.  The ceremony was on the beach facing the ocean and it was gorgeous - simple and elegant.  Some weddings are truly inspiring and this was definitely one of them.  They were both so happy, they were nearly busting at the seams.  One of the greatest things about the wedding, and the whole weekend, was that it was exactly what Brian and Kelly wanted and it fit them perfectly.  Fitting with the beach ceremony, instead of a unity candle, they each had a glass of sand and they poured them into a larger common vase.  It represented how they each came to the marriage separately but now their lives were inseparable just as the sand was now one jar of sand - it was very cool.  They had sunset pictures along the water’s edge that were amazingly beautiful.  Sunday was another relaxing day at the beach and then we did a dinner cruise with several family/friends that were still around.  The cruise took us into the bay and then out into the gulf for a stereotypically beautiful sunset and provided me with my first wild dolphin siting.  Monday we had breakfast with the remaining guests before early afternoon flights and then it was just us and Brelly.  We played wiffleball on the beach (where I couldn’t seem to connect with the ball and Paige smacked the thing like no tomorrow), caught some waves (little but fun), and then headed to dinner at Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill, right on the beach.  It was a gorgeous night and our last sunset didn’t disappoint.  When we returned to the hotel, Brelly asked us to help them finish off the wedding cake - considering it was the best wedding cake to ever cross our lips, we were happy to oblige.  They had an early flight in the morning so we said our goodbyes and wished the newlyweds a happy honeymoon.  Tuesday morning, we were the final guests left and spent our last day walking around town and relaxing.  Congratulations Brelly, thank you for letting us share in the ocassion!

Paige and I went to see STOMP last night and it was every bit as good as I remembered.  The show was popular years ago and I saw it on its first go around, well they brought it back and we just had to see it.  Paige has got a little wiggle in her and loves to dance and watch dancing so this show was right up her alley.  I forgot how much humor was strewn throughout the performance too.  The basis for the show is this group of rough looking individuals in a very urban setting make music from ordinary everyday objects - brooms, garbage cans, plastic bags, lighters, basketballs, paint cans, newspapers…  and through the coordination of each of them making a noise with their object, it was turned into a very catchy tune.  One of the characters was the goof of the bunch and repeatedly did hilarious things.  It was a fun night and lucky for us, the thunderstorm didn’t hit until we were inside the theatre and broke just long enough for us to walk home - perfect timing!

The latest in a series of recent purchases (I need to rein that in), is one that I really didn’t think would ever make it to my closet - Vibram FiveFingers.  I know they’ve been around for quite some time, but they have gathered some significant traction in the past year.  Many are attributing this surge in popularity to a book called Born To Run, which was written in 2009 and sings the praises of minimalist running including barefoot running.  The concept is that if you put too much shoe around your foot, you inhibit its natural functioning and are more likely to become injured for a variety of related causes.  Like most crazes, I was skeptical.  I dismissed the notion that shoes cause injury, not based on science but my own personal experience.  But I couldn’t disagree with the idea that walking barefoot felt good and surely stimulated muscles that shoes lullaby to sleep.

This past weekend, Paige and I went to Running Away to look around.  While we were there, we tried on some “minimalist” shoes out of curiosity.  They felt okay but not all that different.  As we were talking with the guy, he started talking about the Vibrams and before long we both had a pair on.  We walked around the store and within minutes, decided to try them out.  When we got home, we headed over to a local track to do some walking around the infield - they felt amazing!  We were both like little kids with smiles plastered across our faces; for some reason, it almost felt like we were being “naughty”.  We spent the next 25 minutes or so just walking/running around the track before walking home in them.

I know its early in the experiment and I don’t see myself doing much actual running in them, but I absolutely love how they feel and plan to slowly increase the amount of time I spend in them each week.

Paige On The Cover Of 'Chicago Athlete'

Paige was recently contacted by the local sports magazine called Chicago Athlete to do a story on the Trash Runners group she helped start.  She answered a few questions over the phone and they asked if she would mind if they met her to take some photos for the magazine.  Turns out they liked the story enough to put it on the cover of their ‘green’ issue.  So, I am now dating a cover girl and its every bit as awesome as you might think. : )

Here is a link to the story they did along with some more photos.  Hardcopies are available at various locations all around town.  Great job baby!

Paige, Me, Rina and Rob

Paige and I are freshly back from our trip west (or at least we were when I started this blog entry), where we had five fun filled days/nights in the mountains of Utah.  Rob and Rina picked us up from the airport with Lucy in tow.  We promptly met up with Ben at a Mazza for some delicious Middle Eastern cuisine.  The temps were mild and it felt good to walk around town.  Friday, we picked up some skiing gear and headed to Alta.  The weather was warm in the valley but snowy and cold in the mountains.  Rob was staying on top of the conditions and by the time we got there late morning, they had nine inches of fresh snow and it was still falling at a rate of a little over an inch an hour.  Rob secured us a couple of free ski passes - yay, FREE!  We had a quick bite to eat and then headed up the mountain.

This was Paige’s first time on skis in a while and she was a little intimidated by it all but her excitement and easy-going attitude ruled the day.  We got off the Collins lift at 10,500 ft in the middle of a whiteout.  Paige was nervous but she was also a trouper and turned her tips downhill.  It was going to be slow going due to the low visibility and getting our skiing legs beneath us but Rob and Rina patiently led us down the hill.  Soon we were approaching the bottom and Paige, while not completely over her fear, was loving the Utah powder.  We spent the day skiing both sides of the mountain and ended up on the Albion Base side.  While Rob went to get the truck from the Wildcat area, we went into the Albion Grill to get some refreshments (aka PBR on tap) - a perfect ending to an awesome day.

That night, was the Alta clinic’s annual party.  Rob had got us cleared to attend, so we had a little time to kill before festivities got rolling.  We made ourselves comfy and chatted about the day.  As the party heated up, we met several of the folks who work at the clinic and their families - an awesome group who made us feel right at home.  After the party, we picked up Lucy and headed up to Park City to stay at Rob and Rina’s new/newly remodeled condo.  We had stayed here last September but they had gutted the place since we were there and we were eager to see the finishes… the place looked amazing!  Everything just worked - homey but functional, outdoorsy but modern - we loved it.

Here We Are Working On Our Sunburn

Saturday morning, we slept in a bit, had a quick breakfast and hit the slopes.  Their place is “ski in/ski out”, so all we had to do was walk a couple of houses down and put our skis on - very cool.  We spent the day navigating the Park City Mountain Resort in warm temperatures and under blue skies which was quite a contrast to the previous day.  Paige and I failed to apply sunblock and by lunch time, it was evident that we were going to be burnt though to what extent, I didn’t realize at the time.  We got a lot more skiing in before the mountain closed and for our last run, we made our way over to the Quittin’ Time run and skied right to R&R’s driveway - did I mention how cool this is?  I think Paige was glad to have her skis off after a day of being unpleasantly surprised by the steepness of the runs we found ourselves on but she, as always, remained a good sport and eventually made her way down the hill.  After skiing, we met up with the Lewis crew and friends at The Oasis Cafe where the food was good but the ambiance is what really sold the place.

Ben and Me

Ben was the tour guide for Sunday and he had snowshoeing on tap.  After a leisurely coffee at the Coffee Garden, we packed up our stuff and Ben picked us up, his friend Terry was with him.  We headed up Big Cottonwood Canyon toward a popular hike called Donut Falls which, to my disappointment, did not actually produce any donuts.  It was a gorgeous day and the hike was amazing!  Terry was having some trouble with his snowshoe staying on which gave us several opportunities to stop, look around and take in the scenery.  This was Paige’s first time on snowshoes and she was taking to it like a pro.  I think it scared her a little when we got our crash course in avalanche safety but after we got going, she seemed to relax.  About 45 minutes into the hike, the trail started to get steep and we soon came upon the falls themselves.  You couldn’t really see much of the falls due to the snow and ice but that was beautiful in its own way.  We lingered for a moment and then headed up the most technical section of the trail we would face.  It was slow going and nearly straight up.  The snow was deep and loose in this section because it was well shaded and we were finding it difficult to make much progress.  Eventually we did make it to the top of the ravine and it leveled off into a much more manageable trail.  Soon we came to an avalanche field which must have slid several days (possibly weeks) before because it had fresh snow on top of icy chunks underneath.  We looked up the side of the mountain, noting the slide path and the natural features that guided the slide - nature is a cool thing.  We hiked a little further, had some lunch and then turned back.

Bethany and Laura were waiting at the Lewis’ household for us and after a brief stopover, we headed to Park City for dinner.  With the troops ravenous, it didn’t take us long to decide on a spot for dinner, Flanagan’s it was and with PBR on tap, I was happy.  We had a delicious dinner and then walked around Main Street for a while before stopping at the candy shop for dessert.  I always love going to Park City, its got a great blend of outdoorsy mountain town combined with upscale comfort.

Grandeur Peak Jumper

Monday was another low key morning followed by a hike up in Mill Creek.  Lucy led the way most of the hike up Grandeur Peak.  We started in snow and then ended in snow.  The trail was fairly slick at the bottom and required some focus to keep your feet underneath your body but it soon cleared and the hiking was awesome.  As we approached the saddle, we could see the snow up ahead.  We were just short of the actual peak but considering the amount of snow we would have to traverse and the light hikers without gaiters we were wearing, we decided this was as good of a place as any to turn around.  So, we had some snacks and took some pictures - jumpers, of course - and headed back down the trail.  About a third of the way down, Rob spotted something on the hill, could it be… a bear?  In reality, it was probably just a bush or boulder that was uniquely colored but for this story, I’m sticking with the bear story.

It was our last night in Salt Lake and the Lewis’ decided to host us for a most delicious dinner at their house.  Ben has many talents but throwing together a delicious and nutritious (that’s for you Hoops) dinner is at the top.  On the fly, he made a lentil soup that is still making my mouth water just thinking about it.  I don’t know how he does it but he comes up with the most amazing meals without a recipe.  It was great sitting around chatting and having so many people I love in the same room.  We said our goodbyes to the Lewis’ - always hard to do - and headed back to Rob and Rina’s place.

Tuesday we got a leisurely start at home with Rob & Rina fixing us breakfast and then did a little shopping at Patagonia Outlet and Kirkham’s.  Eventually, we had to face reality and pack our things for the airport and our trip home.  We said our goodbyes to Rob, Rina, and Lucy and got on a plane back to Chicago.  It was a fun time that went too fast, as usual.  A BIG thank you to the Salt Lake Crew for having and entertaining us!  And, a big thank you to Paige for being so flexible and fun to vacation with, you’re the best!