Introduction
This past weekend for New Years, I headed out west for a weekend getaway across the state line. If you've read my blog at all, you know I like to explore the canyons north of the city. There are plenty of ATV trails out there and you basically find one and keep running on it.
I had time to kill on the morning of New Year's Eve and I had brought some running supplies. I had overslept but I managed to down a Power Bar, fill my canteen with 28 ounces of Tailwind and head out the door.
For the past few days the northern Utah / Nevada area had been banked with heavy fog. I had thought about heading south of town and just running along the side of the road, but my fear of getting hit by a speeding car in the fog made me head north.
I was a little nervous about heading north. With the heavy fog I was a little worried about getting lost. The trail is pretty well defined, but it helps to have landmarks and once you get a few miles north of town and nestled in the canyon, you lose cell reception.
However, once I got about 3 miles outside of town the fog lifted and it was as if I was running on a spring day. While the temperature was still freezing and I had nothing on but a windbreaker and shorts, I was at least a little warmer on account it was sunny. It was as if I had entered into an entirely new area. Of course, I had gained over 1000 feet of elevation, but it was definitely nicer out.
You can follow the route I took here.
I was on familiar ground for the first 5 or 6 miles, but it was nice to take it a little further and see what else was out there. I also managed to get a few pictures of Pilot Peak, which was stunning.
Finally on the way back I was running back into the fog and low and behold in front of me was a parked car, right in the middle of the trail. Anything can happen out in the desert and I hadn't seen anyone, so I was a little concerned. Normally I see nobody and that whole area can be a bit iffy. Luckily the guy was doing something with his trunk... hopefully not dumping. But it was suspicious. I gave him a quick hello and he seemed startled but not overly concerned by my presence. Just odd.
Either way, I took a bunch of pictures...
