This morning I met up with Scott and Jun where we headed up to Ogden to meet up with Bryce. I didn't really know what we were doing, Jun had just told me that we were going to do a trail run with a couple of hills. When we pulled up to the trailhead, as we sat there waiting for Bryce, this huge rock-faced peak towered above us, seeming more menacing in the dark, as the lights from Weber State appeared to illuminate its pale, rocky face. Scott commented that he thought that's where we were headed. Bryce showed up a couple of minutes later we exchanged quick greeting as he had never met any of us. He confirmed that peak as our destination, and there wouldn't be "a couple of hills", just one big one! We got started around 6:30, with the first little bit a gradual, rocky incline. Once we crossed the creek, the real climbing begins. I had to stop and quickly tie my shoe, and Bryce moved to the front with Jun. I caught back up to the group, and Jun and Bryce were already pulling away. Scott and I stuck together and trudged along up the hill, mostly hiking. We could occasionally see the lights of Bryce and Jun up ahead, especially on the early switchbacks. There were a couple of long stretches that you felt like you were in a tunnel, this was really my first trail run in the dark, and it was really cool. We could now see a light in front of us a ways up, which we later learned was Jun, with Bryce's headlight bobbing around in the trees above us on the hill. Bryce topped out first, with Jun following behind. Scott and I showed up a few minutes later. We sat and chatted for a bit as we watched the sunrise - Bryce told us about the area, which peaks were what, which was cool for me because I've spent a lot of time in Ogden, but none really in the hills above it. Once the sky was light enough that we wouldn't have to use our lights, we began the run back down, and run we did! Jun was flying up front, followed by Bryce then myself, with Scott bringing up the end. We stopped about halfway down at a lookout point to check things out, then ripped back down some more. It was super fun, and while my quads certainly feel it the day after, its totally worth it! I'm sure with more downhill training they'll adapt and recover a little more quickly. Great trail, fun run. Thanks to Bryce for showing it to us! I'm looking forward to hitting that trail up again. It's awesome to learn new trails, especially when I live pretty close! 4.4 miles, 2200 ft of gain, total time: about 1:01 (I forgot to reset my watch from the day before).
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