Logan Trails

by Sam

About 10 years ago I started my undergraduate studies in Music Education at USU in Logan. I was not a trail runner yet, heck I wasn't even physically active. If I could go back in time I'd definitely spend my free time exploring the trails in Cache County. This past weekend I attended an honor band symposium with two of my junior high students at USU. Needless to say, I took advantage of my spare time and bagged some peaks.

Map and Stats of Saddleback, Temple Baldy and Little Baldy in Logan.

From the USU campus you can look directly east and see what looks like two large drive-in theater screens on the immediate peak/ridge. Those are radio repeater towers and there used to be some on Mt. Wire in Salt Lake, but they took them down before I ever summitted that peak. The trail up the mountain is called Saddleback and it climbs straight up, just like Wire. Coincidentally the mileage is similar as well. I will always think of this trail as Logan's Wire. I caught the sunset on the way up and just as I summitted the moon was rising on the other side. It was a sweet moment.

I wonder how I should take the message CTR graffittied onto the tower.

Wimmertree.

I prefer Trail Junkie, and I love the spelling here.

Who's out there?

Running in the dark often provides many opportunities to be aware of the surrounding animals. I probably saw about 50 deer coming down the mountain. Their glowing eyes used to spook me a lot, but now I grown accustomed to them. However, when I get closer to the city or the BST and I see eyes glowing at me lower to the ground I fear greatly. Dogs are as good as their owns teach them to be. I've got better luck than my trail momma Jen because I've never been bitten, however, I've had a few close calls. Tonight was one of those. It always amazes me how the dialogue turns out:

Dog owner (after a menacing bark): Rover, come here girl. Oh don't worry she's friendly.

Me: So am I, most of the time. (I stopped dead in my tracks and start looking for big rocks to throw at the dog, just in case. Meanwhile the dog keeps barking and the owner casually walks along making little to no effort to restrain the animal)

Dog owner: It's ok girl, come here. She's usually not like this, you spooked her with your headlamp.

Me: (Biting my tongue so I don't say anything that's coming to my mind because it's just not nice)

Cody Draper and Me on Little Baldy. Providence Canyon behind.

Cody Draper, a local Logan trail runner, was nice enough to get bronchitis two weeks ago, which slowed him down to my speed, most of the time. He led me up to Temple Baldy and Little Baldy the next day. It was a hard climb with much post-holing the higher we got. The clouds obscured the sun most of the morning but we did see the Wellsville's bathed in sunlight for a moment. It was a good day.

The Wellsvilles.

Temple Baldy was Dew'd. Is that sacrilegious?

Looking at Little Baldy on the left, taken from Temple Baldy.

Summit monkey on the Repeater Towers.