Millcreek Canyon...what a day.

I started my day with some well deserved sleeping in. Headed to an arts fair in Draper where I bought some really awesome pottery and some even awesomer art thanks to the talented hand of Scott Tuckfield (google him/facebook him, he's incredible!)

Anyway, after taking my sweet time getting ready I decided to head up Millcreek Canyon. I spend a lot of time running Pipeline so I came up with a cool route that not only would get me some sweet miles, but good climbing and awesome views.

Hitting the trail around 3:30 PM to decent weather I headed up Rattlesnake Gulch and onto Pipeline. Besides my dog not getting along with one other dog on the climb ( of the 12 or 13 other dogs we encountered before Church Fork) it was pretty uneventful. A nice easy climb to a nice and mellow pace for a few miles.

I pushed a bit on the climb out of Church Fork up to Grandeur Peak but I held off on any real hard work knowing I had a ways to go yet.

Once on the peak I took a bit of a break to enjoy the view and drink a brew. I figured huffing 24oz of beer to the summit earned me a reward.


I'm actually pretty happy right here, ignore the scowl. This caveman is still baffled my my phone's camera.



Here's Babe, she's a total trail boss and makes running all these miles a lot of fun.


Here's the view

Once I was back on the trail I was feeling pretty good and made decent time back to Church Fork. I was debating on heading back to the truck and heading home early or heading back to Elbow Fork...

I decided on Elbow. Having not put down too many miles early in the week and feeling pretty good all day so far I figured hitting 18 or 20 miles was on in order. I made the right choice.

I made it to Elbow Fork in pretty much no time at all. I pushed on the climb really hard and kept a decent pace. Once I made it to the trailhead I was forced to make a decision. Mt. Aire, Lambs Canyon or turn back. I decided I'd try my luck and push a little further. I headed up towards Lambs but within a quarter mile I was hitting snow patches on the trail. There isn't a whole lot of snow left up there but I wasn't moving very quickly across it and decided that if the weather wanted to get really nasty I might be getting back to my truck in the dark. I had my headlamp if I needed it but I wasn't really wanting to be in the canyon after dark.

I think Millcreek Canyon is about the coldest place on the planet after sunset. Even in the middle of summer I've done night hikes and runs and been completely caught off guard by how cold the canyon floor is only to find it pleasantly warm up on a ridge. No need to push my luck today.

Within about 15 minutes of turning back I was glad I did. Right around the time I hit Church Fork after my decent off Grandeur it had started raining, lightly, but rain none the less. It was infrequent and pretty nice all the way to Elbow Fork but now it was a down pour. At times visibility was dropping to 50 feet. It would let up a bit and I could see across the canyon again but the rain was relentless. Until it turned to snow for a minute, then hail (crazy hard hail) then rain again. Both Babe and I were soaked but we were still having a good run and since Pipeline is relatively flat I didn't have any issues making my way to Rattlesnake Gulch.

Once I rounded the last corner on Pipeline above the parking lot I could see that I was the only car left in the lot. Sure enough, after making a pretty cautious journey down Rattlesnake Rapids, I mean Gulch (it was a pretty decent little river coming down the trail), I was the only car left. Ha! I'll never let a little weather run me off a mountain! Unless its lightening, then I hid under the bed.

Although the weather was pretty interesting; rain, snow, hail, sun, wind..... I had a pretty awesome day.

Here's my stats:

Distance: 20.39 mi
Time: 4:05:32
Avg Pace: 12:02 min/mi
Elevation Gain: 7,014 ft
Calories: 2,592 C
Avg Temperature: 58.9 °F
Elevation
Elevation Gain: 7,014 ft
Elevation Loss: 6,657 ft
Min Elevation: 5,345 ft
Max Elevation: 8,276 ft
Temperature
Avg Temperature: 58.9 °F
Min Temperature: 48.2 °F
Max Temperature: 78.8 °F

My Gear:

Shoes: Altra Olympus (Grey/Green)
Socks: Injinji Trail 2.0 (Green)
Pack: Ultraspire Omega w/ 2L Bladder
Beer: Miller Lite 25oz, the champagne of beers
Compression: Layer8 shorts
Rain gear: Sherpa Rain Shell and a Salomon Trucker hat
Music: Yurbuds in ears, iPod Shuffle (my yurbuds recently went thru the washing machine and were totally fine, I do not recommend doing that but they seem pretty impervious to water)

I used TrailToes on my feet and Aquaphor on my nether region. I fueled with EFS Liquid Shot, Miller Lite, Stinger Chews, Stinger Gel, Sun Belt Granola Bars and Salt Stick.

Post run recovery:

20 minute ice bath (20lb bag of ice), a few beers and a medium pizza.

Cheers!