Ferguson Canyon Hike - Cottonwood Heights, UT

Introduction

Another weekend -- another hike.  I decided to do the Ferguson Canyon Hike -- located at the base of Big Cottonwood Canyon on the east side of the Salt Lake Valley.

I used to live in this area and I never did get the opportunity to do this hike, let alone even know about it.  It is a popular one -- particularly for dog walkers and rock climbers.  

I went there on a Saturday looking for a short, doable hike that wouldn't completely wipe me out.  Also I needed something with low elevation as to avoid a lot of snow and ice.

The hike is located here, just off of Wastach Blvd.  There is some parking but if you get there late or it is busy, you'll have to park a little ways away, as the roads directly near the canyon are by permit only.  Luckily, I arrived fairly early and found a spot.

The trail head is easy to find and involves what looks like the Bonneville Shoreline Trail:

You basically hike up the trail going north before it turns eastward.

The trail is listed as hard and at first I thought, wow, did they totally over state this one.  The trail was very smooth and I almost felt like running on it.

However, once you get into the canyon it gets more tree-shrouded, and rocky.  You'll be walking by a stream for the majority of the hike and you'll see various small waterfalls as well.

The trail starts to get steep about 3/4ths of a mile in and you'll be scrambling over rocks.  The trail, surprisingly, was easy to follow.  Sometimes I lost it, but if you keep going east, it'll show up again.  You can follow my path here.

The trail in December had an inch of snow on it and I was in running shoes.  I would highly recommend ski poles and sturdier shoes.  There were a few sections where it was really slick and I almost thought about turning back.  I also didn't see anyone after about half a mile into the canyon (on the return trip I ran into nearly a dozen people, however).

There are some interesting rock formations and I imagine this trail is a delight in the fall.  However, after about 1.25  miles the trail suddenly becomes exposed.  No more snow!  My pace picked up tremendously and I managed to make it to Ferguson's Overlook.  Here you can get some beautiful views of the valley and the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon.

I came up with a one-way trip of about 2 miles, with 1600 feet of elevation climb.  It is definitely a workout, but I made the round trip in under 2 hours (excluding kick-back time at the top).

The views at the top are awesome and I found this hike enjoyable and not terribly strenuous.  I could see this one also being busy in the high-hiking months.  So choose your visit wisely.

Enjoy the photos:

This Week in Running 8/6 - 8/12 + Sunset Peak Hike

Yours truly at the top of Sunset Peak

Day	Mileage / Workout	Comments
Sunday	Off	6 Miles of hiking
Monday	3
Tuesday	4
Wednesday	Off	Physical Therapy
Thursday	3
Friday	3
Saturday	8
Total miles for the week: 21; YTD: 1073

Week's Summary

This week was getting used and seeing what my knee would tolerate.  If you've been following me, you know I've been dealing with a bit of a knee problem.  In short, a doctor told me that I had quite a bit of scar tissue built up on my knee and as a result, was causing me a lot of pain.

I have been going to physical therapy and so far have been having good results with the treatment.  I have also been doing my homework in that I've been doing all the crazy exercises they have given me.  This involves some one-legged squats, 4-directional leg swings with a theraband attached to a stationary object and icing / stretching.  My neglected hamstrings, glutes and inner thing muscles have taken a beating as a result.  And when I run, I definitely feel stronger. 

Physical Therapy treatment (I've gone twice) involves some exercises, electric stimulation, Graston release and more exercises.  I really enjoy it -- although definitely not looking forward to the medical bill (insurance seems to cover so little these days).  While at the beginning of the week I was in quite a bit of discomfort, I am finding that as time progresses, it *is* getting better.

That being said, however, my knee is still having issues.  It isn't so much during my running, but it is after sitting for periods of time, which I do a lot of at work.  When the tendon is suddenly expected to have weight put on it, it complains -- often loudly.  I get a very sharp pain -- sometimes from bone on bone.  So I walk with a bit of a pronounced limp. Once I am warmed up, though, generally I feel good.

So I was given the green light to do some easy 2 - 3 mile runs so long as the pain wasn't bad or it didn't alter my stride (too much).  And I took advantage of it and didn't abuse it too much -- with the exception of Saturday.

I feel almost like I am starting over in terms of building up my endurance.  Saturday's run started out promising and I was holding a decent pace for 5 miles.  After that though, the heat and a lack of carbohydrate in my system slowed me down.  I also had a growing pain in my hip, which is a result of me changing my stride to brace for any knee problems (I also torqued it during a PT session).  I am pretty happy though that I was able to get some miles in and start building back up.  I want to be ready to run some quality half marathons this fall as well as get ready for Vegas (no other marathon plans right now).

I should be good to go for next weekend's Dam Train Race.  It won't be a stellar performance by any means, but I'll be able to cover the distance.

Sunset Peak

Since I couldn't run early on in the week, I took my training to the trails.  I did a power hike from Brighton Utah to the top of Sunset Peak (Garmin route here).  Initially my knee wasn't happy but after warming up, I was cranking up the trail.  I wound up hiking the 3 mile route in about 70 minutes, which is cruising given the elevation and hills I had to conquer.

I love power hiking, as I can really work out without stressing my joints or my knees.  The thinner air, the climbing and distance all talk their toll.  It was a beautiful day for a hike and I got a lot of good pictures.  This is one of my favorite hikes as there are people on the trail, which is reassuring, and sections of it are highly runnable / fast walkable.

Enjoy the photos:

Upcoming Races

08/19: Dam Train Race - 12 KM Race - Midway, UT (Confirmed)
11/12: Las Vegas Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)
04/21: Salt Lake City Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed (2018))

Dog Lake Hike - Big Cottonwood Canyon

Introduction

With the temperatures soaring into the low 100's this weekend, it meant that I would certainly have to find something indoors to do  -- or head up to higher elevations where life tends to be a little cooler.

I had initially tossed around the idea of going out to Wendover for the afternoon, but with all the traveling I've been doing  -- and consequently the money spent -- I opted to spend it a little closer to home.

The Hike

I hadn't been to Dog Lake in a while, but if you want to see previous pictures and the write-up, go here.

I was really hoping to see a bunch of dogs, like last time.  People come up the canyon from the north with their dogs and it sort of becomes a communal activity: dogs fetching sticks, dogs barking at one another and just wandering around.  Unfortunately, there were just two dogs there today.  

I fully expected to see a moose there today as well.  Moose and dogs generally don't get along and just about every time I've gone up this trail, I've heard stories about how a dog tried to take on a moose.  The only time I saw any sort of wildlife was when I was leaving and saw a Big Cottonwood Police officer parked on the side of the road with its lights flashing watching a huge female moose on the side of the road.

The hike to the lake takes about an hour -- if you are hauling like I was.  While it was warm I didn't mind working up a sweat -- and I certainly worked up a sweat.  The first bit of the hike is a climb and then it is a gentle ascent from there.  However, the last half mile to the lake is a quad burner and one that will test your stamina.

There were a good deal of people on the trail, which is good because it tends to keep the wildlife away.  There also was a ton of wildflowers in bloom, which made the hike really nice.

Upon reaching the lake, I wound up soaking up the rays and polished off a 32 ounce Gatorade (it was so warm).  I circled the lake and found some more trails going north.  Curiosity got the best of me and I wound up exploring some of them.  One of the trails led to Butler Fork Trail, which I had been on before and the other one dipped into Millcreek Canyon, which is the next canyon to the north.

Either way I took a ton of pictures:

Looking south from where I parked

Heading up the trail

Nice area of wildflowers

Still going up

Glimpse of Dog Lake

Kicking back on the shore of Dog Lake

Where are all the dogs?

Where are all the dogs?

Exploring the trails north and west of Dog Lake

The smell of pine was insane here

Beautiful view of the Big Cottonwood Canyon

Colorado Colombine, I am told

Almost back to the parking lot.